The project “New views on the Mudejar. Arab inscriptions in Aragonese medieval churches (13th-15th centuries)” project was born with a transcultural vocation and approach. Only in this way can the study of Arabic inscriptions in non-Islamic contexts contribute new and stimulating data to an ongoing line of research: that of artistic transfers between Al-Andalus and the Christian peninsular kingdoms.
With these premises in mind, the present project proposes to study the painted Arabic inscriptions preserved in medieval Aragonese sacred and funerary interiors, with special attention to those present on wooden roofs and choir windows between the end of the 13th century and the first half of the 15th century.
This chronological range is designed to answer certain questions: what Arabic formulas or mottos have survived over time? Why are certain eulogies and doxologies selected from the Andalusian epigraphic repertoire? What role did the Christian social elite play in this process of assimilation?
The localities and buildings to be analysed include the church of La Virgen de Tobed, the church of San Félix in Torralba de Ribota and the church of Santa María de Maluenda.
The methodology that will be applied to carry out the project will consist of bibliographic research and consultation of heritage archives such as the Mas Archive (Casa Ametller Barcelona), the General Administration Archive (Alcalá de Henares) and the Provincial Historical Archive of Zaragoza (state of the churches between the 19th and 20th centuries). It will be completed with a second phase of research stay for field work among the towns that make up the Mudejar Territory for the in situ study of their medieval wooden structures and Gothic paintings.
The expected results include the creation of an on-line and Open Access Digitorial, a virtual exhibition of immersive experience, programmed by professional computer scientists, which will integrate the texts and images generated in the research. It will include spin-off activities such as the communication of the research results in conference format, which could be complemented by on-site visits.
The project’s objectives were as follows:
- To create a digitory of the Arabic inscriptions present in Aragon’s medieval artistic and historical heritage.
- To provide a critical edition of these Arabic inscriptions (description of the monument, identification of the inscription, palaeographic description and transcription, bibliographical research).
- Interrelating certain Arabic inscriptions with the presence of Muslim craftsmen and master builders documented in medieval Aragonese factories.
- To dismantle certain historiographical clichés linked to the discourse on Mudejar art in the 19th and 20th centuries.
- To bring the study of medieval epigraphy closer to the non-specialist public.
LINE OF RESEARCH: New perspectives on Mudejar art.
AUTHOR: Mar Valls
