21 November

Conferences
OUR HERITAGE, OUR bequestTESTIMONY OF TRADITIONS AND BELIEFS

Beyond the stones

Ms. Sagrario Anaut Bravo
Public University of Navarra
 

Within the historical-artistic cycle of Pitillas: Our heritage, our bequest, is the Cultural workshop, Testimony of beliefs and traditions, on 21 November 2015. The event takes place in the parish church of San Pedro de Pitillas, where the temporary exhibition: Embroidery and ceremonial rites has also been installed.

The workshopis the closing of the projectpartially funded by the Caja Navarra Foundation in 2015: Restauración, Conservación y knowledge disseminationdel Patrimonio Religioso De Pitillas: Ornamentos y Vestimenta.

Its goalhas been to disseminate part of the historical and artistic heritage of the town. A heritage that speaks of a shared historical reportthrough a religious experience and a spirituality, which have been manifested both in a specific closed space (parish church) and in the public spaces of the town (streets and squares).

The aim is also to raise awareness of the importance of conserving a heritage that is very sensitive to deterioration or destruction, such as textiles, embroidery and small ornaments. The fact that it has reached the present day in good condition has had to do with the silent work of many women who embroidered, sewed, ironed, mended, etc., part of these ornaments and liturgical vestments. They did this, first as schoolgirls or nuns at high schoolin San José (Jesuitinas), then as workers in the local sewing workshop or as housewives. The generosity of priests of local descent in donating some of their personal liturgical objects should also be acknowledged. At summary, these liturgical vestments and vestments speak to us of traditions and beliefs rooted in the identity of the town, in this case, Pitillas.

The speechof the first lecture: Más allá de las piedras. positionA shared culture , which was given by Dr. Sagrario Anaut Bravo (Public University of Navarre). In other words, it will focus on the importance of maintaining and preserving a culture that is necessarily shared insofar as it is based on an identity that is built and supported by its history. A history that is not always in books, in archives, but is everything that has shaped a sense of belonging with other people who feel and experience the same feeling. From there, links have been forged that shape a shared culture.

In order to strengthen these links, it is essential to know the past and to trace the traces it has left behind. Traces that have not always been preserved. Some have been partially or completely erased. Others have been fully preserved or are more visible. It is by combining and relating these clear traces with those that are weaker that we come to understand our history and, with it, our cultural identity. Given this circumstance, the question arises: how can we detect those traces, traces, that give us our identity as a people (even if we were not born there) and what are these traces?

The focus will not be on the most visible architectural and urban heritage, of which there are many examples in the town. The focus will be on other historical sources that shape the set of symbolic elements that link the past with the present and help to build the future, both near and distant. In this sense, a journey through songs, biographical accounts, photographs, letters, family and business documents, glass, brass and tin objects, clothes, farming tools, etc. will be made. The aim is therefore to revalue a heritage that is little known and, therefore, little appreciated.

The dissertationconcludes with a question for the audience to reflect on: what is the role of each person in this double task of maintaining a heritage that gives identity as a community and of leaving a bequestto the younger ones?
 

The conferences took place in the parish church of San Pedro de Pitillas.
 

The second lecture, Our Patrimonial Wealth: Liturgical Ornaments, at positionby Dr. Alicia Andueza.

Finally, the inauguration of the exhibitionBordados took place. Ms. Covadonga Anaut Bravo explained, before going on to see it, that many liturgical vestments and ornaments have not reached the present day due to the successive wars, especially in the 19th century, and the fragility of the Materials (fabrics and metal objects). From indirect and oral information, two hypotheses are put forward to explain this generalised reality in many parishes where emigration significantly reduced the number of parishioners: the carrying out of major works that had to be paid for to avoid collapse (1906-08 and 1859-62) and the distribution to other parishes that opened in urban areas, coinciding with the changes in liturgical rites introduced by the Second Vatican Council.

Bearing this context in mind, the exhibitionincludes the donation made by the bishop Don. José Cadena y Eleta, a native of Pitillas: evangelical vestment, pallium, monstrance and altar set. In addition, the embroidery on liturgical cloths and tablecloths. All this is illustrated in a photographic exhibitionshowing all the objects on display, which were used in the chant masses celebrated in the town prior to the Second Vatican Council.