November 2, 2009

Global Seminars & Invited Speaker Series

THE MUSEUMS

The Museum of Navarre: foundation and early days

Ms. María Ángeles Mezquiriz
Honorary Director of the Museum of Navarra

The background of the Navara Museum can be found in the activity of the Monuments Commission, which since 1865 has been considering the need for a Museum, trying to collect archaeological and artistic remains scattered around, especially since it had the old building of the Chamber of Comptos. The commendable work of some members of the Commission, such as Iturralde, Ansoleaga and Altadil, should be highlighted.

The amount of objects collected, both property of the Commission and those on loan from other institutions, made possible the installation of a primitive "Archaeological-Artistic Museum" in the Chamber of Comptos, which was inaugurated in June 1910. There is news of the difficulties suffered for the maintenance of the old building.

In 1940 the Prince of Viana Institution, recently created, ordered the transfer of part of the contents to file General, awaiting a "better destination". In 1945 the architect of the Institution, Don. José Yarnoz, made the report and plans to adapt the old Hospital de Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia, located at one end of the city and adjacent to its walls, as a Museum.

On the other hand, in 1942 the Archaeological Excavations Service was created, directed by Don. Blas Taracena and Don. Luis Vazquez de Parga, Director and Deputy Director of the National Archaeological Museum. It was a period of great activity, with the recovery of a huge amount of archaeological materials. At the same time, the Institution obtained permission to rescue the Gothic mural paintings of the Cathedral of Pamplona, San Saturnino de Artajona and San Pedro de Olite, which showed signs of deterioration due to humidity. The work was carried out by the workshop of Don. Ramón Gudiol. With all of them, one of the most important collections in Spain was formed. The Cathedral also donated the magnificent Romanesque capitals that it conserved. All this, together with pieces from the Monuments Commission, constituted the museum collections that were to be exhibited.

The works directed by Yarnoz were finished in 1955, and the museographic project was entrusted to Don. Joaquín Mª de Navascués, then Director of the National Archaeological Museum. Two years earlier I was entrusted with the cataloguing of the archaeological materials collected inside the building under construction. My partnership with Navascués was an intense apprenticeship, materially carrying out his specific projects for rooms, showcases, etc. On June 24, 1956, the Museum was inaugurated and the Provincial Council promoted it as a cultural institution of its own, including from the beginning, its maintenance and activities within the General budget . We can therefore consider that this was the founding date of the Museum of Navarre.

The Museum continued to increase its holdings, which led to a considerable increase in exhibition space in the following years. Its three main functions were also implemented: Conservation, research and Didactics. For Conservation, a Restoration workshop, the Cataloging file and the photographic file were installed. This facilitated the work of researchers, and it can be said that most of the Museum's collections have been published. With these means it was possible to carry out a rigorous and correct Didactic activity, reflected in the numerous Exhibitions, guided visits, workshops and didactic units.

All the work done since 1953 has been collected in the Annual Reports and detailed summaries of them have been published periodically in the magazine "Príncipe de Viana", which we titled "Labor and Increase of the Museum of Navarre", so that its readers would have information and see the Museum as something alive that deserved to be visited frequently.
 

Halls of the Museum of Navarre in its early days 

conference room of the Museum of Navarre in which the paintings of the Palace of Oriz (16th century) were exhibited.

Exterior of the Museum, formerly Hospital de Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia.