The Piece of the Month for September 2026

TWO EMBROIDERED ALTER CLOTHS FROM THE CHURCH OF SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST IN PERALTA

Alicia Andueza Pérez
Chair of Navarrese Heritage and Art

Among the extensive and rich textile heritage of the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Peralta, we find two embroidered panels that originally adorned the dalmatics of a set and that today—as is so often the case with liturgical vestments—have been repositioned at the ends of a white damask lectern cloth. 

The panels, which are identical in layout and decoration, measure 43 centimeters high by 54 wide. They are framed by a magnificent gold scroll with intertwined motifs, and their backgrounds are made of blue velvet, much of which has been lost. The decoration consists of Renaissance motifs arranged in perfect symmetry in the form of a scroll of twisted leather. In the center, a medallion contains images of the evangelists Saint Matthew and Saint Mark, seated with their attributes—an angel and a lion, respectively—against a landscape background. 

Technically, the focus is on the gold, silver, and colored silk threads, which, combined using various techniques, are used to create the different decorative motifs. In this case, these are created primarily using the “oro llano” technique—also known as “oro tendido” or “oro atravesado”—which involves covering the surface to be embroidered with a series of parallel metallic threads secured to the canvas with small, nearly imperceptible stitches of yellow or orange silk. The horizontal or vertical placement of the gold threads—and, in these skirts specifically, also of undoried silver thread—along with the arrangement of the silk stitches, allows for the creation of various geometric designs and patterns. In addition, one can observe the presence of gold cord and, in some areas, the combination of gold and silver with colored silk threads—especially red—which significantly enhances the polychromatic effects of these embroideries. 

As for the central medallions, the materials used are the same—metal threads and colored silks—but they are arranged differently. Set against the background are a series of widely spaced round twisted threads, which are secured to the background fabric with stitches of colored silk, just as in the “oro matizado” technique—the most prominent and important style in which silk threads are combined with gold. The difference between the embroidery found here and the one mentioned above lies in the distance between the metallic threads—which is greater in this piece procedure —and the amount of silk used, which is less. It was Isabel Turmo, one of the pioneers in programs of study on embroidery, who—in the study she conducted back in the 1950s on Sevillian embroidery and embroiderers—identified this technique with the stitch referred to in the documentation as “punto rajel” or “punto simón.”  In the case of the evangelists depicted in these medallions—and given that part of the silk threads has been lost—it is perfectly clear that they were executed using the technique described. 

Regarding the authorship and chronology of the works in question, the documentation points to the embroiderer Miguel de Sarasa. According to a legal record preserved at the Diocesan file on of Pamplona, this artisan created, around 1600, twelve chasubles and two complete sets for the parish of Peralta. Of the two sets, one of which originally consisted of a brocade background fabric, corresponds to the set preserved in the church, which depicts the iconographic cycle of St. John the Evangelist, with the final episode of his martyrdom on the cape of the pluvial. The various scenes, which Biurrun and Sotil linked to the paintings by Juan de Landa, have been re-sewn, and some of them bear little resemblance to their original appearance.

As for these skirts, we believe they may well have been part of the second set created by this embroiderer, who was born in Tafalla. In addition to the documentary evidence linking it to the church, there are significant similarities—both stylistic and technical—with other documented works by the same artist, such as the various pieces that make up the Santiago vestment set at the parish church of Santa María de Viana, which were created by Sarasa and fellow embroiderer Pedro Martínez de Álava in 1601. 

In fact, Miguel de Sarasa, whose career spanned the late 16th century and early 17th century, was one of the most prominent artisans in the Pamplona workshop, which—during this period and under the influence of the Counter-Reformation—served as the primary source of liturgical ornaments for the various churches in Navarre. The son of Juan de Sarasa—himself an embroiderer—from whom he learned the art of the “ official document ” and from whom he inherited the workshop, he created highly significant works for churches in Pamplona, Estella, Sorlada, Funes, and Falces, among others. His skill is evidenced by such outstanding examples as the Cruzat chasuble in Pamplona Cathedral and the set of vestments for San Saturnino in the Pamplona parish church of the same name—a work commissioned from his father, Juan de Sarasa, and completed by his son. 

It should also be noted that these embroidered altar cloths are sample part of the rich textile collection housed in the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Peralta. Along with the chasuble mentioned above, whose embroidered borders depict the life of the church’s patron saint, other notable items include two dalmatics and crosier covers made of crimson damask with decorative embroidery from the late 16th century, a green set with decorative embroidery from the early 17th century, an embroidered miter from the 18th century, two antique banners featuring images of Saint Blaise and Our Lady of the Rosary from the late 18th century —now framed—and several pieces from the 19th century. In addition to these, a white chasuble embroidered entirely in gold, created by the Barcelona embroiderers José Velat and José Estruch in 1772, is particularly noteworthy. This set, composed of numerous pieces, features embroidered scenes on the panels of the dalmatics and images of St. John the Evangelist and St. Blaise on the hoods of the pluvials. accredited specialization Its canopy deserves special mention; decorated with exquisite cherubs, ears of wheat, and bunches of grapes, it is one of the finest embroidered pieces preserved in Navarre. 

Likewise, the pieces in question here, which are in good overall condition, have been reused, as we noted earlier, to decorate the ends of a lectern cloth. This internship was very common in past decades because, since liturgical ornaments—especially after the Second Vatican Council—no longer had a specific use or function, they were, at best, reused by fitting some parts into others. On many other occasions, they have been irretrievably lost or damaged. Hence the importance of raising awareness and taking the necessary measures to preserve, protect, and cherish this rich “ section ” of Navarre’s artistic heritage, which is also an example of the splendor and wealth that once surrounded divine worship.  

SOURCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

file Diocese of Pamplona, C/437, No. 2, 1600.
ANDUEZA PÉREZ, A., Art in the Service of the Splendor of the Liturgy: Embroidery and Sacred Vestments in Navarre. 16th–18th Centuries, Government of Navarre, Pamplona, 2017. 
ANDUEZA PÉREZ, A., “The Sarasas: A Family of Navarrese Embroiderers,” *Artistas Navarros* (8), *Diario de Navarra*, Pamplona, April 7, 2025. 
BIURRUN Y SOTIL, T., Religious Sculpture and the Fine Arts in Navarre during the Renaissance, Gráficas Bescansa, Pamplona, 1935.
TURMO, I., Sevillian Embroidery and Embroiderers (16th–18th Centuries), Seville, Art laboratory , University of Seville, 1955.