THE MARQ MAKES A REPLICA OF THE VISIGOTHIC RELIEF
(Albufereta, Alicante)
The Marq has made a faithful copy of one of the most emblematic pieces of ancient Christianity in the province of Alicante, which will be placed in the seat of the Orihuela-Alicante bishopric in the latter city.
The work to obtain the replica, carried out in the MARQ Restoration Laboratory, was carried out by the restorers Silvia Roca and Elena Santamarina, Antonio Chumillas as restoration assistant and with the collaboration of Ana Rodríguez, as a restoration intern.
The work consisted of making a mould in liquid silicone on which a preparation of polyester resin and marble powder was poured to obtain the positive, practically identical to the original.
The original piece:
Sandstone
97 x 46 x 12 and 66 x 50 x 13 cm
Visigothic period
7th century AD
Sandstone relief decorated with Christian symbols, found on the right bank of the ravine in the Albufereta wetland area, next to the sea and 3 km north of the historic centre of Alicante, next to the Tossal de Manises site where the Roman city of Lucentum was built.
The piece is rectangular in shape and shows two tangent circles. The outer edge of the slab and circles are marked by an incised line. The first circle is composed, from the outside in, of a smooth circumference, an oblique or grooved line and a six-pointed star or rosette, and between them there are bevelled fusiform figures. The second, in the same order, consists of a smooth circumference, a circular motif in the form of a palm or laurel wreath enclosing a cross with triangular arms with concave ends, and on either side of the upper arm the letters 'C' and 'S'. Between this circle and the rim of the slab, the Greek letters 'alpha', badly drawn, and 'omega' appear at the ends.
The piece is currently on display in the Roman Culture and Late Antiquity room at MARQ.
Circumstances of the finding:
This piece, along with another similar relief, although incomplete, was found in the first decades of the 20th century as part of the cover of a tomb from the early Middle Ages (8th century). It is therefore a reuse of an architectural decorative element (frieze or perhaps a doorway) that would have adorned a Christian basilica from the Visigothic period. It is worth noting that in the 1920s a stone crypt was discovered in the same place, inside which there was a stone sarcophagus that may have formed part of the basilica from which the relief was taken.
Historical considerations:
Plates with this type of decoration appear as part of friezes, doorways and altar tables, and with a similar decorative pattern are documented in different urban centres in the SE of the peninsula listed in the Pact of Teodomiro (agreement between this Visigothic nobleman and the Muslim troops that had just conquered the Christian kingdom) such as Tolmo de Minateda (Hellín, Albacete, Albacete), Cerro de la Almagra (Mula, Murcia) and Begastri (Cehegín, Murcia), which may suggest the existence of one or more workshops that supplied ornamental architectural material to the main cities favoured by Toledo, the Visigothic capital.
The relief, the aforementioned crypt and a large number of late-antique burials found in the same area indicate that Albufereta in Alicante was a population centre with an important area of Christian worship from the Visigothic period, which also leads us to believe that the city of Laqant, mentioned in the Pact of Theodomyrus, was located there.
Symbology:
In terms of the significance of the elements present, the cross is typical of the Visigothic period, of the Greek type (four arms or flagpoles of the same length that are cut perpendicularly at their midpoint). A symbol of early Christianity par excellence, it is the main icon of the faith, since Jesus Christ and numerous martyrs of the first centuries died on crosses. It also symbolises the relationship between heaven and earth, as well as the four cardinal points, constituting the centre of the balance between the active and the passive. The kicked cross can appear, as in this case, with the signs "alpha" and "omega" hanging from its horizontal arms. These are the apocalyptic letters ("Christ as the beginning and end of all things") typical of the chrismons (signographic emblem of Christ) and of Roman-Byzantine origin.
On the other hand, rosettes are often the result of the multiplication of secant circles on Visigothic cancel plates, elements always inscribed in circles, a geometric figure that gives a cosmic meaning ("Christ the sun"), and associated with the ideas of balance, harmony and justice.
Manuel Olcina Domenech.
