Primitive Church of Santa María de la Mesa

Apse of the primitive church before excavations

Apse after excavation

The primitive Church of Santa María de la Mesa They are the ruins of an old church, previously mosque, found in the town of Zahara.

After the conquest of Zahara de la Sierra by the hosts of the infant Don Fernando de Antequera in 1407, the ancient mosque of the Granada Muslims who had just been expelled from the town and strength was erected as a church. The contemporary chronicles that the cross that the infant brought was placed in the mosque, which immediately became the church when the bishop of Palencia, Don Sancho de Rojas, who accompanied Don Fernando, giving Don Fernando, giving Don Fernando, giving the title of Santa María de Santa. the conception. The archaeological excavations carried out in the last decade under the direction of Luis Mª Cobos ^{[ first ]} They corroborate the stories of the chronicles, as they show the existence of ancient Muslim structures under the primitive Church of Zahara.

According to Francisco Siles Guerrero, ^{[ 2 ]} To which we owe the collection of all the sources referring to the past of this Church, the current invocation of Santa María de la Mesa must have been imported from Utrera, a city with which the Saavedra, lords of Zahara from 1464 to 1481, maintained a close relationship, where there is also such a virge today as a holder.

Description [ To edit ]

We must assume that in the years subsequent to the conquest this primitive Church suffered important reforms. The archaeological data provided by Luis Mª Cobos ^{[ first ]} And a textual description dated 1685, ^{[ 3 ]} They point out that it was a rectangular church, with two naves with a Mudejar style cover to two waters, and the head of Gothic polygonal form with buttresses in each of the corners. The main chapel was covered by a dome or half orange and was dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament, which was always subject to a special devotion in Zahara throughout all times.

During the seventeenth century, ^{[ 3 ]} At the same time that the former location of the town is after, the faithful leave the former church of Santa María de la Mesa, beginning to frequent the two auxiliary hermitages of San Juan de Letrán and San Francisco with greater regular, located together, located together to the new population.
The disinterest of priests and beneficiaries for celebrating there is increasing. The visitors sent by the Archbishopric even forced the sacristan to sleep in it, and the priests to say mass every day.
The visits ^{[ 3 ]} At the end of the seventeenth century they show how at that time the hermitage of San Francisco of parish help was used.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the visit ^{[ 3 ]} From 1704 it already makes clear that all religious services were celebrated in the hermitages, except the “functions of Easter and Corpus.” He also talks about the parochial church needing some objections.

Repairs and destruction [ To edit ]

However, despite the gradual abandonment to which it is subjected, numerous repairs are carried out over it over the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In this way, in 1637 “the work that the Holy Yglesia of this town has a present at the door that goes to the west” is undertaken, which is responsible for Alonso González, a mason teacher of the Villa de Zahara, for 276 reais. ^{[ 3 ]} ​

Posteriorly, ^{[ 3 ]} In 1660 they realize the repairs made on the doors and elsewhere. In 1670 an expense was scored in fixing the stands of the main altar and traveling the roofs. Again, in 1673 the roofs are repaired. As we see, although the abandonment by the clergy and the faithful is patent, the ecclesiastical authorities will always show an interest in conserving in good condition the ancient Church.

In 1679 ^{[ 3 ]} More size works are undertaken. In the following years new repairs are made. However, until 1730 it was not seriously thought about building a new church below, in the place where the town had been gradually transferred and where the parish is currently. However, since then, the old church continued to be maintained for the cult and the necessary repairs were continued to keep it in good condition.
The last fact that we have that the former Church Major was in perfect condition for the celebration of the divine cult corresponds to one of the mandates of the 1770 visit, ^{[ 3 ]} In which he says that with little expenditure by the factory it could be maintained for the cult, since the works of the new one were going to prolong too much.
The final demolition of the former parish of Santa María de la Mesa has documented it ^{[ 2 ]} Francisco Siles Guerrero in the year 1775, fact that we know thanks to the fact that it is mentioned in another writing related to the destruction of the ancient organ: «Until April of this year (1794) in which I the expressed stewarde In ten and new years already fulfilled of the collapse of ancient Yglesia, and the new one became … »

Thus, we can date this year the destruction of the Church and its definitive abandonment, a moment that practically coincided with the opening to the cult of the new parish (1779). However, since the mid -seventeenth century, due to the transfer of the population to its current plot, it was only open to the worship on the holidays, celebrating mass daily in the hermitages of San Juan de Letán and San Francisco.

The bell tower that was never built [ To edit ]

Beginnings of the bell tower that was never

An anecdotal case that generated abundant documentation and, above all, headaches to the administrators of the parish of Zahara was the construction of a tower-championship for the old parish church, which lasted a lot; Suffice it to say that the building began in 1616 and that more than a century later plans were still made to finish it. ^{[ 3 ]} ​
It all started when the factory of the church of Santa María de la Mesa wanted to erect a tower-championship, for which the opinion was sought and looks like the main teacher of the archbishopric of Seville, ^{[ 3 ]} Diego López Bueno, with whom certain conditions were established for its construction.

The work should end within one year and a two -day ducat salary was stipulated, in addition seven daily reais and the pawns and assistant wages at the end of each week. However, before making the contract, the materials were already being prepared to begin construction. Thus, in August 1616, ^{[ 3 ]} Pedro García was forced to bring the Time to Church twenty thousand bricks from the Villa for the construction of the tower, a work that was to end within two months. Also, at the beginning of 1616, ^{[ 3 ]} Francisco Pérez de Jaén and others were forced to make one hundred cahies of Cal El Quejigalejo de las Cobatillas, which were to be completed at the end of greater than that year.
The construction of the tower had to begin in time, because in February 1617 Juan Valiente was forced to carry all the Bermeja sand cahies to the church that were needed for the work that had to be done in the church, at the price of Six and a half reais each cahíz. However, on November 7, 1617, Hernando Lorenzo, Hernando Álvarez and Pedro Hernández Carvajal lower the position, the price, made by Juan Valiente and others. To top it off, in the review of the accounts of the butler that began it, a certain amount was due, in addition to opposing to receive the expenses of the work. There is a lawsuit with unfavorable sentence for the butler, when it was already deceased, so it was the heirs who took over the debt.

The tower’s work was interrupted but attempts did not cease to finish it. In this way, many years later, in 1636, ^{[ 3 ]} Francisco Moreno and Francisco Hernández were forced to make forty lime cahies for the tower of the Church Mayor.
Even in 1735 the factory butler pointed out, ^{[ 3 ]} Among the pending and necessary works “to lift a bell tower on the tower that is started, because he who has oy the canpanas are threatening ruin, for being old and the pillars on which he is founded with mutual openings …”
In spite of all the tower never ended, after more than a century of works. The latest news ^{[ 3 ]} What we have are the reuse of their materials in the floor of the Church Mayor in 1734 and its total demolition in 1746 so that their materials served in the work of the new Church.

References [ To edit ]

• Cobos Rodriguez, Luis Maria (1998). The recovery and value of the ‘Villa Medieval’ of the Sierra (Cádis), Ed. Year of the Andalauz of archaeology.
• Siles Guerrero, Francisco (2003). The parish of Santa María de la Mesa (Zahara de la Sierra), Ed. Diputación de Cádiz, Publications Service, 2003.
• Falcón Márquez, Teodoro. Iglesias de la Sierra de Cádiz. Documentary study, Cádiz 1983.
• Falcón Marquez, Teodoro. Igles of the Gaditan, Ed. The Encyclopedia of Gráditan Encyclopedia, i, chairman 1984, PP. 159-1