BRINGING HERITAGE CLOSER. OLITE, ROYAL SEAT

29 August 2007

Religiosity and artistic promotion in Olite: its convent complexes
Mr. Javier Azanza. Chair of Navarrese Heritage and Art

After a general introduction to the convents of Olives, Professor Azanza focused his talk on the Apostolic high school of San Francisco, dividing it into three sections.
First of all, he went to reference letter to the historical and foundational antecedents, which date back to the Middle Ages average , the Franciscan convent being a royal foundation that benefited from the generosity of the queen dowager Doña Juan, Carlos II, Carlos III el Noble and his daughter Doña Blanca.

In a second part, he dealt with the great transformation that the convent underwent in the middle of the 18th century and the reasons that led to it. One of them was the erection in 1745 of the Olives convent at high school of Apostolic Missionaries, which forced a profound remodelling of the building to adapt it to its new function. Nor should we forget the effects of the Lisbon earthquake of 1 November 1755, which was felt in the convent and ended up ruining its conventual church.

Finally, Professor Azanza explained the mechanisms through which the Franciscan convent achieved the financial aid of generous benefactors who made this transformation possible. He specified the most relevant ones, starting with the royal sponsorship to position of the monarchs Ferdinand VI and Charles III, who contributed financially and through the exchange of land. An important role was played by Francisco de Mendinueta, a Navarrese living in the Court who understood the royal finances and became the real driving force behind the Olitense convent, to the point that the religious community gave him the gift of a chapel board of trustees in which to place his coat of arms. Other important figures such as Don Alejandro de la Vega, Doña Bernarda Munárriz from Tafalla and the Marquis of Feria also made generous donations, as did the Viceroy Francisco de Paula Bucarelli y Ursúa, who established a close relationship with the Franciscan monks during his stay in Olite between 1778 and 1779.

The generosity of the aforementioned benefactors, and the disinterested financial aid of the residents of Olite, allowed the construction of the convent complex between 1749 and 1763, and the endowment of its decoration with altarpieces, sculptures and paintings, a process in which outstanding artists and master builders took part.
 

Church of the convent of San Francisco de Olite