Romanesque Mountain Church - Short Vintage version Photograph by Weston Westmoreland

Romanesque Mountain Church - Short Vintage version

by Weston Westmoreland

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Yoga Mat

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Spiral Notebook

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Title

Romanesque Mountain Church - Short Vintage version

Artist

Weston Westmoreland

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

Templar hermitage of Saint Bartholomew of Ucero. Rio Lobos Canyon, Soria, Spain. Short version.

The 12th-Century hermitage of Saint Bartholomew (San Bartolomé) in north-central Spain is a masterpiece of Templar symbolism, a chapel built in an area that has drawn spiritual seekers since the Bronze Age.

Situated equidistantly from the Iberian Peninsula’s easternmost and westernmost points in a remote corner of the Rio Lobos Canyon, the site has long held significance to local inhabitants and was carefully chosen by the Knights Templar for its spiritual properties. In a nearby limestone cave, Ancient Romans celebrated Mundus Patet (the “festival of the dead”) and prayed to the Cult of the Mother Goddess in the cave behind the trees to the right of the temple. According to the legend, this is where Bartholomew the Apostle (San Bartolomé) dropped his sword from atop a nearby mountain, declaring wherever the weapon fell to be his home in the 1st Century AD.

The architectural elements of the Knights’ hermitage reflect this rich past. Carved motifs pay homage to Roman deities such as the god Janus, guardian of the gates and transitions. At the heart of the chapel, beneath a statue of the Virgin Mary, a carved Flower of Life symbol is perfectly illuminated on the winter solstice through a peculiar rosette-shaped window.

Constructed in a fusion of Romanesque and early Gothic, San Bartolomé lies 4km from the Castle of Ucero. This citadel was built on a fortress in the same period as the hermitage of San Bartolomé, leading experts to think the surrounding area was likely a hotbed of Templar activity. Remarkably, some historians even believe that the chapel’s interior columns may hint to the assumed location of the fabled Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia.

The Rio Lobos Canyon (Wolves River) Natural Park is a wonderful natural micro-system, full of wildlife and vegetation. Its limestone walls, weroded by wind, water and time, offer spectacular shapes and views. The river that runs through it is teeming with fish, frogs, dragonflies, crabs, snakes... and the skies are watched by vultures , eagles and other raptors. It is a pleasure to walk along the riverside paths and just listen...

Some miles inside the canyon you can find a 13th century Romanesque shrine, dedicated to Saint Bartholomew which is said to be related to the order of the Knights Templar.

More images of the rich Spanish multicultural past and present Heritage one copy-paste away at https://weston-westmoreland.pixels.com/collections/spain

Weston Westmoreland