The piece of the month of February 2016

THE HOUSE OF THE CHAPLAINS OF THE CONVENT OF AGUSTINAS RECOLETAS IN PAMPLONA 

Eduardo Morales Solchaga
Chair of Navarrese Heritage and Art

On the eastern front of the placede Recoletas in the capital of Navarre, a privately owned housing complex, the Casas de los capellanes (Chaplains' Houses), stands out above all. It is necessary to understand them as an inseparable and incomprehensible part without the convent complex of the Augustinian Recollect nuns of Pamplona, which articulates the placein question and whose foundation must be traced back to the dawn of the 17th century.

As is well known, behind every great religious business, and even more so during Modernity, there is always an individual belonging to a good family, with succulent incomes and an unequivocal eagerness to perpetuate himself, if not in eternity, then in History. The case in point is Juan de Ciriza, a nobleman from Pamplona of noble ancestry who experienced a Brise in the Madrid of the Habsburgs, in a meteoric degree programwhich culminated in his becoming Philip IV's universal office administrative office. subjectEvidently with his services to the Crown, he amassed a considerable fortune, which allowed him to live comfortably and surrounded by all kinds of luxuries with his wife in the Villa y Corte. Leaving aside purely financial matters, his successful career would eventually earn him the Marquisate of Montejaso.

It was at the zenith of his curriculumwhen, as his old age approached, Juan began to consider the idea of making a religious foundation in his hometown, the mirror of his prosperity. The official deed of foundation of the convent of the Augustinian Recollect Nuns of Pamplona was signed in Madrid on 23rd November 1632, and in it the details and details of the foundation were established, including some chapters dedicated to the chaplains, among which was the need to provide them with a decent living space close to the convent.

Convent of Augustinian Recollect Nuns of Pamplona,
founded by Juan de Ciriza, Marquis of Montejaso
 

Both in this deed, and later with the essayof constitutions for them, the Marquises of Montejaso established the functions of the chaplains, which varied at issueduring the Modern period, reaching ten at the end of the 17th century. They were in charge not only of the religious life of the convent, but also of the economic administration of its properties, censuses and revenues, which in those times were enormous. On the other hand, they received a good salary, both monetarily and in terms of convent goods, and the usufruct of the houses that the founder commissioned to be built in a long and tedious process.

The first news of a proper housing structure for the chaplains is found in the first constitutions and by the time the convent was completed, in 1634, the house of University Chaplain had already been built, which is identified with the one located today at portal nº 4, while the rest of the chaplains must have lived for several decades in spaces rented by the nuns, also having the right to maids, a doctor and barber, in addition to the salary assigned by the founder. The architects of the work, probably designed in Madrid by the workshop of Gómez de Mora, were the same masters who coincided with the completion of the convent, Jerónimo Fernández, master builder, Francisco de Echenagusía, carpenter and assembler, and José de Lacarra, mason. On 24 July 1628, a agreementwas signed between the Marquis and Echenagusía, whereby the latter was responsible for "working the wood and the rest for the monastery and the chaplains' house", on the condition that he would "cut the wood into dozens, fourteen dozens, gables, bridges that were to be put in all the buildings", bridges that were to be put in all the vaults that were to be made in the house of the said monastery (the Marquis' house), as well as in the house of the chaplains, in the manner left by the master builder Jerónimo Fernández, master builder of Madrid". Subsequently, the Marquis acquired and demolished several possessions in what is now Recoletas Street, imposing the condition that with the monastery's income he would acquire as many ground floors as possible with access to place, so that "the houses for the convent's chaplains could be built [...] with all perfection" so that they would be "closer for the things that might be offered to them".

There is no more news of acquisitions until 1668, when a house was bought from the widow of Hualde for fill inthe plot, although this would lead to later problems due to the fact that it was burdened with many debts, which must have been inherited by the convent. The last recorded deed was the house of Valentín de Lezáun, as can be deduced from a declaration preserved in the convent's file, which was mortgaged for 300 ducats, which were paid on 7 May 1674. In any case, nine days before the transaction, the work had already begun.

As far as construction was concerned, it is known that by 1671 work had already begun on the new houses, which had been entrusted to the mason José de Redín. The process began due to the usual problems of party walls with a house inhabited by María Catalina Domínguez, who tried unsuccessfully to stop the work. On 21 May 1674, the structure had been completed, and the appraisal was carried out over three days by the master masons Juan de Elorz, Francisco de Villanueva and Pedro de Zabalza, with the Trinitarian tracist Friar Diego del Espíritu Santo at attendance. Various elements were judged: the brickwork, the partitioning, the roofing, the plastering, the steps and the chimneys, the total cost of the operation being 9,441 reales.

In any case, in the Book of Goods of the conventual filethere is another figure that is quite different from the previous valuation: "Four houses have been built for the chaplains, which were begun on 14 April 1670; they cost 78,440 reales, 30,000 of which were put on credit, which were being collected for the work; and they have been consumed in it from the censals that have been redeemed during this time "34. Perhaps these figures include the purchase of the land, the stonemasonry and carpentry work, as well as its decoration and endowment. Payments ended on 11 August 1685.

Houses of the chaplains of the Augustinian Recollect nuns' convent

Al margen del proceso constructivo, existe otro paralelo en lo que a la rejería se refiere que resulta de particular interés, pues hoy en día las balconadas se conservan parcialmente. El encargo lo realizó en 1670 el capellán mayor del convento, Sebastián de Esparza, a Juan de Errazu “mayor”, vecino de Ituren, fijándose el montante en 17 ducados por el trabajo y los portes de los diez balcones, más otros 40 ducados por el asentamiento de los mismos, entregándosele una señal de 30 reales. Los pagos finalizaron en noviembre de 1670.

Cinco años después de la finalización de las obras, las casas fabricadas por José de Redín no eran suficientes para los diez capellanes y las monjas se ocuparon de ampliar el complejo, que se mantuvo inalterado hasta 1715, cuando se recibió, por vía de herencia, una casa de Miguel de Yoldi, abogado de las Audiencias Reales. Posteriormente las religiosas, con licencia arzobispal, la reedificaron y homogeneizaron de acuerdo al estilo de las anteriores. A ella se sumó la compra, en fechas parejas, de otra casa, que tras sufrir el mismo proceso, fue adjudicada al capellán de número y otras dos, que se adaptaron al complejo en 1726. Con seguridad, son la que ostenta el número 6, muy reformada, y la que hace lo propio con el número 1, levantada de nuevo en el siglo XIX.

El binomio convento de Recoletas-casas de los capellanes, ya de por sí muy deteriorado por la guerra de la Convención y la guerra de la Independencia -cuando fueron utilizadas a modo de cuarteles y prisión, respectivamente- terminó con la desamortización de Mendizábal, dos siglos después de la fundación, quedando referenciadas cuatro de ellas en el inventario de fincas pertenecientes al convento, en 1837, junto a otras dos lindantes a ellas. No producían renta alguna porque en ellas todavía habitaban los capellanes del convento. Tras el proceso desamortizador pasaron a manos privadas, en las que se han mantenido hasta la actualidad, si bien sus dueños, usos y funciones también han ido mudando continuamente.

Por lo que respecta al estilo constructivo, conviene filiarlo al de la arquitectura carmelitana del siglo XVII, marcado por la crisis de la Monarquía Hispánica, que contó con unas características propias -tanto en las plantas, como en alzados y fachadas- que el convento pamplonés cumple al por menor. En cambio, las casas de los capellanes solo lo siguen en su fachada corrida, ya que su uso y su función eran totalmente diferentes, y no estaban regulados por las constituciones de la orden. Su estilo y ornamentación quedan ligados indisolublemente al estilo de los muros perimetrales del convento pamplonés, pues nada tiene que ver con la fachada del mismo, que sigue los cánones establecidos en la Encarnación de Madrid.

En cuanto a los materiales que se utilizaron en lo sustancioso de las construcciones, fueron pobres y económicos, destacando sobremanera el ladrillo, aunque buscando que el resultado final fuese un edificio fuerte, resistente y duradero. No es de extrañar que las Casas de los capellanes del convento de Agustinas recoletas de Pamplona fuesen levantadas por maestros albañiles, ya que de haberse construido en piedra hubieran sido erigidas por maestros canteros o maestros de obras y arquitectos, con el consabido aumento del presupuesto, tanto del material como de la supervisión y estimación final de la obra.

En lo que respecta al estado de conservación de las casas en esencia solo se han conservado los muros perimetrales, pues el interior está sumamente alterado y en proceso de reestructuración. El paramento principal del edificio está configurado por cajones de mampostería engarzados entre hiladas de ladrillo, que reciben el nombre de verdugadas y dotan al conjunto de cierta originalidad rítmica, que concuerda perfectamente, como se ha comentado, con la decoración llevada a cabo en los muros perimetrales del convento. Corona la obra una galería de arquillos en ladrillo, muy típica de la arquitectura del valle del Ebro; se encuentra truncada por el edificio número 1 y cegada en el edificio número 6. Por encima de ella, un alero de roble original, configurado por mensulones vegetales típicos del segundo tercio del siglo XVII, que también ha desaparecido en las construcciones antecedentes. Dicha homogeneidad solo se rompe en la casa del capellán mayor, en cuyo frente campean las armas de Juan de Ciriza y de su esposa, Catalina de Alvarado.

Apartado interesante configuran las balconadas de hierro conservadas, que con ligeras alteraciones han llegado intactas desde el siglo XVII, a las que antes se ha hecho referencia. Destacan sobremanera las tornapuntas, que dotan a la casa de un singular empaque dentro de la plaza. En lo que a la carpintería se refiere, las ventanas conservan parte de la del siglo XVII, caracterizada por el cajeado, en la que se abrieron vanos para introducir cristales, probablemente en el siglo XIX. Algunos de los herrajes que configuran sus mecanismos son también originales. Las ventanas concuerdan de nuevo claramente con las que tenía el convento, que a pesar de haber sido sustituidas en tiempos recientes, se siguen conservando convenientemente en las dependencias del propio cenobio.
 

SOURCES AND bibliography -
fileDiocesan of Pamplona
-fileof Augustinian Recollect Nuns of Pamplona
-fileGeneral of Navarre
-MUÑOZ JIMÉNEZ, J.M., Arquitectura carmelitana (1562 - 1800), Ávila, Diputación Provincial de Ávila, 1990.
-SÁENZ RUIZ DE OLALDE, J.L., Monasterio de Agustinas Recoletas de Pamplona, Pamplona, Government of Navarre, 2004.
-VILLERINO, A., Esclarecido solar de las religiosas de nuestro padre San Agustín y vidas de las insignes hijas de sus conventos, Madrid, Bernardo de Villa-Diego, 1690.
-VV.AA., Catalogo Monumental de Navarra, Pamplona, Government of Navarre, 1997, vol.