CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST OF BARBALOS
30 minutes
The Church of San Juan Bautista de Barbalos was founded in the territory of the Castilian settlers by the Knights of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. Its characteristics suggest it was built between the late 12th and early 13th centuries. It is a small rural church, with a single nave and a Romanesque semicircular apse. It owes its name to its dedication to Saint John the Baptist and to the village of Barbalos, where the Order of Saint John held extensive possessions.
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Around the Church of San Juan Bautista, or Barbalos, one of the many suburbs or settlements that emerged outside the "Cerca Vieja" (Old Wall) throughout the 12th century was formed. This territory, located north of the city, was occupied by Castilian settlers, who built the churches of La Magdalena, Santa María de los Caballeros, San Marcos, and San Boal in this area. Following the order by Alfonso VII to erect a new wall to protect the suburbs, the church ended up located within the city walls, very close to the Villamayor Gate.
Local historical accounts indicate that the foundation was carried out in the mid-12th century (1139 according to some, or 1150 according to others) by the Knights of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, to which it belonged until the 19th century. Above the north door, there is an inscription stating that the church was consecrated by Bishop Gonzalo Fernández in 1201, a date that probably refers to the time when the church was completed. Although dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, it was better known as Barbalos due to the "encomienda" (commandery) that the Order possessed in this small village, located south of Salamanca.
With the suppression of the Military Orders and the parish reorganization of the late 19th century, it became an ordinary parish.
Local historical accounts indicate that the foundation was carried out in the mid-12th century (1139 according to some, or 1150 according to others) by the Knights of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, to which it belonged until the 19th century. Above the north door, there is an inscription stating that the church was consecrated by Bishop Gonzalo Fernández in 1201, a date that probably refers to the time when the church was completed. Although dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, it was better known as Barbalos due to the "encomienda" (commandery) that the Order possessed in this small village, located south of Salamanca.
With the suppression of the Military Orders and the parish reorganization of the late 19th century, it became an ordinary parish.
The church of San Juan de Barbalos is a valuable example of Salmantine Romanesque art. It is built entirely of sandstone ashlar and still preserves a good part of its original structure. It features a semicircular apse, with a deep presbytery, slightly wider than the chancel. It has a single, narrow, and elongated nave, with a tower at the foot. This was partially dismantled at the end of the 19th century, so today only the first body of the original structure remains.
On the exterior, the semicircular apse stands out, divided into three sections by attached columns. In each section, a splayed window with a semicircular arch opens, resting on columns with capitals decorated with plant motifs. The cornice rests on a varied series of corbels, some of them figured, which also run along the nave.
It has three entrances, two open in the naves and another at the foot, under the tower. The north facade maintains the original entrance which, at the time, connected the church with the vanished cloister. The reform carried out at the end of the 18th century had a significant impact on the south facade, where the original entrance was altered and the Romanesque windows were replaced by rectangular ones.
At the foot, the lower body of the tower, contemporary with the rest of the building, is still preserved. An pointed arched door opens into it, entering the church through a vaulted tunnel. It had a Romanesque cloister on its north side, of which historian Gómez Moreno still saw remains in situ at the beginning of the 20th century.
The set of corbels supporting the eaves deserves special attention. A total of seventy-eight corbels have been counted, many of them resulting from later interventions. Bow-shaped ones and those with plant motifs predominate. There are some with human heads, animal heads, and diabolical beings; an atlas, a contortionist, and two minstrels playing musical instruments.
Inside, the apse is covered by an oven vault, while the presbytery features a pointed barrel vault preceded by a triumphal arch. The nave, for its part, is topped with a modern wooden truss.
On the exterior, the semicircular apse stands out, divided into three sections by attached columns. In each section, a splayed window with a semicircular arch opens, resting on columns with capitals decorated with plant motifs. The cornice rests on a varied series of corbels, some of them figured, which also run along the nave.
It has three entrances, two open in the naves and another at the foot, under the tower. The north facade maintains the original entrance which, at the time, connected the church with the vanished cloister. The reform carried out at the end of the 18th century had a significant impact on the south facade, where the original entrance was altered and the Romanesque windows were replaced by rectangular ones.
At the foot, the lower body of the tower, contemporary with the rest of the building, is still preserved. An pointed arched door opens into it, entering the church through a vaulted tunnel. It had a Romanesque cloister on its north side, of which historian Gómez Moreno still saw remains in situ at the beginning of the 20th century.
The set of corbels supporting the eaves deserves special attention. A total of seventy-eight corbels have been counted, many of them resulting from later interventions. Bow-shaped ones and those with plant motifs predominate. There are some with human heads, animal heads, and diabolical beings; an atlas, a contortionist, and two minstrels playing musical instruments.
Inside, the apse is covered by an oven vault, while the presbytery features a pointed barrel vault preceded by a triumphal arch. The nave, for its part, is topped with a modern wooden truss.
Inside the temple, several images dating from the 12th, 15th, and 16th centuries are preserved. The most interesting, due to its antiquity, is that of the Christ of the Bramble.
CHRIST OF THE BRAMBLE
A Romanesque-style crucifix, carved in walnut wood, with a height of 1.97 meters. Its characteristics point to the 12th century. It is a hieratic image, roughly carved and with somewhat inharmonious proportions, lacking elaborate anatomical details. The elongated and large head shows an angular face with small, open eyes, a slightly open mouth, a dense, symmetrically trimmed beard, and long hair that falls in uniform strands over the shoulders. A circle is drawn at the top of the head, testifying to the existence of a royal crown in its day. It has four nails and a long loincloth that reaches its knees.
The Cross is not the original, lost in the last century when the Christ was put away in the parish dependencies and then taken to the Provincial Museum, where it was still located in 1956.
The rest of the images,
• Virgin of the Sour Cherries, a 15th-century Gothic image, with the naked child sitting on her right arm in the act of taking three sour cherries or cherries offered by his mother.
• The Virgin of the Rosary, Saint John the Baptist, and a Crucifix located on the main altar are already from the 16th century.
CHRIST OF THE BRAMBLE
A Romanesque-style crucifix, carved in walnut wood, with a height of 1.97 meters. Its characteristics point to the 12th century. It is a hieratic image, roughly carved and with somewhat inharmonious proportions, lacking elaborate anatomical details. The elongated and large head shows an angular face with small, open eyes, a slightly open mouth, a dense, symmetrically trimmed beard, and long hair that falls in uniform strands over the shoulders. A circle is drawn at the top of the head, testifying to the existence of a royal crown in its day. It has four nails and a long loincloth that reaches its knees.
The Cross is not the original, lost in the last century when the Christ was put away in the parish dependencies and then taken to the Provincial Museum, where it was still located in 1956.
The rest of the images,
• Virgin of the Sour Cherries, a 15th-century Gothic image, with the naked child sitting on her right arm in the act of taking three sour cherries or cherries offered by his mother.
• The Virgin of the Rosary, Saint John the Baptist, and a Crucifix located on the main altar are already from the 16th century.