August 25

The Benedictine Legacy in Estella

Ricardo Fernández Gracia
Director of the Chair of Navarrese Heritage and Art

Saint Benedict (480–547), prince of monasticism and author of the most important monastic rule in the West, was the founder of the Benedictine Order, which has been so closely linked to Christian Europe since the Early average. We know of him and his work primarily through the Dialogues of St. Gregory the Great, which present him as model d by a continuous ascetic pursuit of perfection, overcoming temptations and passions. His motto, “ora et labora,” is integrated with charity and humility. In the heart of the Middle Ages, his work gained enormous importance and spread widely, thanks to Cluny and the centralization of the monasteries, and it was fundamental to the dissemination of the Gregorian Reform. Paul VI wrote, upon declaring him the patron saint of Europe in 1964, that his sons had carried “Christian civilization with the cross, the book, and the plow.”

 
Attendees at the lecture

A Brief Overview of the History of the Monastery of San Benito de Estella

Although legend held that the founding of the city of Estella coincided with that of the monastery, the first reliable record of it—dedicated to Our Lady of La Huerta—dates back to 1268. Goñi Gaztambide asserts that it was founded by San Juan de la Peña. The Benedictine nuns of Estella enjoyed royal protection. Following an attempt to merge with the community of Lumbier in the late 16th century—due to extreme poverty, the decline of monastic life, and a lack of means to survive—the Bishop of Pamplona, Fray Prudencio de Sandoval, rebuilt the monastery between 1616 and 1619. plenary session of the Executive Council n the 18th century (1727–1736), numerous renovations were carried out, and the coats of arms on the façade—the work of Estella-based sculptor Manuel Adán—were installed. These final renovations were overseen by Don Martín Hermoso de Mendoza, the beneficiary of Arróniz, who was well-versed in architectural theory. 

During the wars of the 19th century, the Benedictine nuns of Estella took in various communities of contemplative nuns, such as the Augustinian nuns of San Pedro de Pamplona, between 1808 and 1815. During the War of Independence, the monastery safeguarded and preserved the Romanesque image of Our Lady of Irache, saving it from being stolen for its silver and from disappearing, as had happened to the silver urn of Saint Veremundo of Irache. During the Liberal Triennium, the nuns asked the bishop to return that Marian icon to their monastery in Estella, though the prelate replied that he would have to consider the matter.

The 19th century was marked by plunder and restoration. In 1884, after no small number of setbacks, communal life was reestablished. In 1971, the community moved next to the Basilica of Le Puy, as the old building was no longer habitable. 

Between 1952 and 1959, a joint novitiate was established in Estella, following the guidance of the monks of Montserrat, for the monasteries of Jaca, Calatayud, Corella, and Lumbier. Between 1960 and 1971, the community ran a high school for preschoolers and girls.

Double postcard of the monasteries of Santa Clara and San Benito in Estella, ca. 1920

The Nuns

Between 1625 and 1775, 150 nuns took their vows at the monastery, according to memoirs written by one of the nuns. Calculations based on the records of professions indicate that there were 235 admissions between 1600 and 1907. From the early 17th century onward, we know the names and places of origin of the nuns. During the 18th century, admission to the community was contingent upon a “ transcript ” (certificate) of pure blood, just as was the case in other institutions of the Old Regime and in some monasteries of the Comendadoras de Calatrava or Santiago; this was the only case among the cloistered women’s communities in Navarre that required such proof. Until the end of the 19th century, their scapulars and hoods bore the red fleur-de-lis cross, identical in every respect to that of Calatrava. This was stipulated by the aforementioned Friar Prudencio de Sandoval in 1616, in one of the chapters of * agreement * (Contract of the Foundress) with the monastery, which reads: “Furthermore, among the other coats of arms that I bear on my bed curtains and ornaments is a red cross, like that of Calatrava, the insignia of Count Fernán González, which my parents, being of his bloodline, bore on their coats of arms; that the said abbess and nuns—both those currently serving and those who will serve in the future at the said monastery—shall place and wear on their chests, over the scapular and cowl, the said red cross with a gold “ profile ,” so that my “ report ” may be perpetuated in the said monastery.”

At the Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary ( internship ), women from various social strata took their vows—generally women from different regions of Navarre. Among them, we would like to highlight several members of the Imberto family of sculptors. One of them, Úrsula Imberto y Azcona, was the daughter of the sculptor Juan III Imberto and the sister of the Bishop of Buenos Aires, Don Antonio Azcona y Imberto, who sent two exquisitely crafted silver lamps to the monastery in 1693. Some women undertook remarkable personal feats to take their vows, such as Gertrudis Eseverri (1787–1843), who traveled to Madrid to apply for present the queen with the dowry required to enter the convent in Estella; she left us a diary of her journey, written in Basque and filled with anecdotes. In the first half of the 20th century, amid a life of great spiritual tension, figures of great strength arrived from distant lands. From Argentina, driven by a longing for holiness, came Elena Santiangelo and Clara del Toro—a professor at the Buenos Aires Normal School who had studied in Paris—as well as the Swedish woman María Stina Sobral Klingtröm, who had converted from Protestantism in Buenos Aires through the influence of her professor there. 

Interior of the church at the former monastery, circa 1950

The Old Church and Its Decorations

The church, like the rest of the Estella convent complex, was funded by the Bishop of Pamplona, Friar Prudencio de Sandoval, between 1616 and 1619. He left a testament to his generosity in the chapel of Pamplona Cathedral that bears his name. The plans for the Estella convent church were designed by Francisco Fratín, wh position , the master builder Juan Arana, oversaw the construction. The floor plan featured the typical nave with a cross Wayside Cross , and a flat apse. On the dome, the following inscription registration commemorated the patronage of the prelate from Pamplona: “HOC TEMPLUM RENOVAVIT ANNO 1616 Dn FR. PRUDENTIUS SANDOVAL EPISCOPUS PAMPILONENSIS IN HONOREM DIVI BENEDICTI.” 

The main altarpiece was created in 1649 by the sculptor Juan Imberto III, who was paid 1,020 ducats for his work. Miguel de Brevilla was responsible for the polychromy between 1680 and 1681, despite an attempt by the painter Francisco de Arteta to be awarded the contract. The gilding and inlay work rank it among the finest of its period in the entire Autonomous Community of Navarre. Following the nuns’ move to the new convent, the altarpiece was transferred to the Monastery of Leire in 1971. It is the first Baroque altarpiece preserved in a women’s cloistered community in Navarre, featuring an iconographic program that highlights the abundance of models of sanctity within the Benedictine order. The exquisitely delicate sculpture of Saint Benedict presiding over the ensemble is from A invoice and was created in Zaragoza in 1820 by the finest sculptor of the time in Zaragoza, Tomás Llovet, who went on to become a director of sculpture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Luis. 

The church had a pair of side altars dedicated to the Virgin of Horta (or of the Gardens) and to Saint Joseph. The first of these was commissioned in 1646 from Juan Zabala and was gilded two years later by Juan Errazquin. The altar dedicated to Saint Joseph was created by Tomás González de Araya in 1682.

The first section of the main altarpiece from the Benedictine convent in Estella, now located at the monastery of Leire; a work by Juan III Imberto, 1649. Photo by J. L. Larrión

We cannot fail to mention the large brocade tapestry, brought from Granada, which was used to cover all the walls of the church on major feast days. It was made between 1690 and 1693 and was sold in 1914 to fund the painting of the church. This latest decoration was position d by the same artist who painted the church of the Poor Clares in Estella: Juan Ros and his son José María. Both came from Bilbao and spent sixteen months on the project, between 1913 and 1914. Among the painters who contributed to the work, we should highlight Genaro Urrutia Olarán (Plencia, 1893 – Bilbao, 1965), a muralist and landscape painter who trained at the Bilbao School of Arts and Crafts before earning scholarships from the Provincial Council of Biscay to fill in further his programs of study in Paris and Rome.

Among the preserved vestments, the chasuble embroidered by José Gualba in Zaragoza stands out; it served as a “ model ” for another chasuble that the same artist created for the Poor Clares in the same city. The Benedictine chasuble was made possible thanks to the bequest of Sister Ana María Zaragüeta, shortly before her death in 1762 at the age of 90. Donors from various places—including Navarre, Spain, and the Spanish colonies—went to great lengths to provide delicate items for divine worship, although these have not been preserved. To this must be added what each nun offered upon her profession, along with her dowry, as a “treasure for the sacristy”—in the form of a liturgical vestment, a sacred vessel, a rich textile, or a silver object.

A Benedictine nun from Estella in a 17th-century painting, wearing the Cross of Calatrava on her cowl

Music that is always carefully crafted and performed with great care

Music was always a topic t that received special attention throughout the ages, from the polyphony of the 18th century—when compositions were commissioned from prominent masters from Estella or the Cathedral of Calahorra—to Gregorian chant in the 20th century. The organist is referred to in the records as the “chapel master.” It was a position t with great responsibility, and one that did not require a dowry. 

The monastery had a succession of organs. The accounts for the three-year period 1740–1743 record an “ expense ” of 125 ducats for the restoration of the instrument; in 1862, a new one was built by Pedro Roqués at a cost of 900 duros, using materials from the old instrument; and in 1908, the previous organ was sold to the parish of Villatuerta for 600 duros, and a new one was built by Teodore Puget, an organ builder from Toulouse.

Various festivals, such as the feast of Saint Cecilia, were celebrated with great pomp in the church. In 1866, the city’s philharmonic society, along with priests and laypeople, organized a celebration on the afternoon of the eve of the feast, November 21, featuring the *Salve*, a motet to the Blessed Sacrament and to the saint, and a litany, all performed by a full orchestra. The Mass on the 22nd was celebrated with the same solemnity. After the elevation, a motet to the Blessed Sacrament and Saint Cecilia was performed, and at the conclusion, as a gift to the congregation, a polka-mazurka lasting about twelve minutes was played. The church’s young organist launched into a waltz-polka “without missing a beat … to reciprocate the musicians’ gallantry.”

Palio embroidered in Zaragoza by José Gualba, 1761–1762, funded by the estate of Sister Ana María Zaragüeta. Photo by J. Munárriz / F. Echeverría

Worship and Spirituality at the Monastery

Among the devotions, those specific to the order stood out, with special feasts on the days of St. Benedict, St. Scholastica, and St. Gertrude, always accompanied by an extraordinarily elaborate liturgy. The images of the Virgin, particularly the one known as “Los Huertos,” venerated in one of the side chapels of the convent church, were held in high esteem by the people of Estella. Its history takes us back to the very origins of the monastery, and an unpublished chronicle recounts its legend, according to which it appeared on a pear tree next to the refectory of the old monastery. The tree, which survived until a century ago, was very lush and bore extraordinary fruit.

Since 1836, the community has celebrated the feast day of Saint Veremundo with a sung Mass and a solemn Te Deum, placing the saint’s relic on public display for veneration during the octave. Devotion to the saint grew after the nuns became the custodians of two reliquaries from Irache: the arm-reliquary from 1612 and a simpler one used to pour water on the sick.

We have specific information about certain solemn ceremonies that took place at plenary session of the Executive Council n the 19th century, such as the receptions of the head of St. Gregory of Ostia (1830, 1844, 1862, 1886, 1889, 1893, and 1896), the celebrations of the Apostolate of Prayer, the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception (1854), major rogations (1767, 1834, 1862, 1865, 1885), the reception of the body of Saint Placid the Martyr from the monastery of La Oliva (1883), and various jubilees.

Our Lady of Horta or of Los Huertos, dating from the late 13th century and extensively restored in 1903. Photo by J. Munárriz / F. Echeverría