Restoration of the Hermitage of Santiago in Gargantilla del Lozoya

The Hermitage of Santiago, located in the municipality of Gargantilla del Lozoya next to the municipal cemetery, is part of the documented archaeological site Rinconada de las Cerradillas, declared a Site of Cultural Interest in the category of Historic Site.

The first documentary references to the hermitage can be found in the Book of Montería by Alfonso XI, from the XNUMXth century, although its origin could be earlier and date back to a first phase of construction dating from the XNUMXth century, similar to other churches in the area. framed in the medieval repopulation processes.

In any case, it will be in 1470, when the place where the hermitage is located will witness an important historical event: the marriage agreement by proxy between Juana Trastámara and Carlos Valois, Duke of Guyenne, Berry and Normandy. Santiago de Valdelozoya is mentioned in three important historical documents: the contract, the notarial act and the oath to the king's daughter as crown princess, all three being signed by the king, the queen, the witnesses, notaries and secretaries.

In the chronicles of Enrique IV of Castile, father of Juana, the ceremony, its surroundings and the characters that were part of it are described. This event meant de facto the annulment of the agreement of the Toros de Guisando, as King Henry IV restored Juana's succession rights to the detriment of her sister Isabel.

The most important consequence was the resumption of hostilities between the supporters of Juana and the supporters of Isabel, leading in 1474 to the War of the Castilian Succession. However, the marriage agreements between Princess Juana and Carlos de Valois had a much lesser historical importance, since the death in 1472 of the Duke of Guyenne, before the materialization of their union, annulled this marriage contract.

The hermitage is a modest construction of a rural character, within the typology of churches and hermitages of the northern mountains of Madrid, which incorporate forms drawn from Romanesque and Gothic traditions, executed with Mudejar masonry techniques. It is a rectangular building with a single nave with a square head and a straight front wall. Although the roof has been lost, the traces suggest that it was gabled and the masonry factory with brick courses. It presents loopholes in the gable end and headwall, formed by brick as well as in the side walls. The connection between the apse and the nave is through an arch with carved stone voussoirs on brick jambs.

The belfry-bell tower is a characteristic element of this construction, dating back to the s. XV. The portal, made of Mudejar Gothic brick, has lost the archivolts and several of the elements that made it up. There are remains of plaster, mural paintings and inscriptions on the walls, from the different periods in which it was built or remodeled, possibly as early as the XNUMXth century. XVI, according to the data consulted.

The interior space of the hermitage, used as a cemetery, probably from its origin, does not have planning or organization, presenting a significant alteration of the original ground levels. The presence of the various tombstones and graves prevents the use of the space.

The loss of the roof of the hermitage means that it has been exposed to the elements over the years, causing the deterioration of many of the elements that make it unique, such as the mural paintings and inscriptions found on its walls, in addition to the fissures, cracks and dirt that are accentuated with the passage of time. For this reason, it was necessary to carry out an intervention to stop this damage and value the elements of artistic historical value that it has.

In 2018, at the initiative of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, the partial restoration of the portal, triumphal arch and access was carried out. The intervention of the year 2021 has covered the walls of the nave and apse of the religious building, seeking interior reintegration, applying lime plaster in the detached parts and consolidating the existing ones, as well as removing cement and applying new mortar joints between masonry and bricks. abroad.

The actions carried out, fundamentally, have been the following:

• Ensure the stability of the walls, by sewing cracks and sealing fissures found in the walls of the central nave and apse. Lichen microorganisms were cleaned and unsuitable mortars were eliminated. Cleaning and marking of grommets on the exterior faces of the apse and on the gable.
• Consolidation of the plasters and review of the joints, with plaster and lime mortar in the damaged and deteriorated areas. Opening of holes in the apse with geometric formulation with plastering of niches.
• crowning of the walls with tiled brick for the protection of the walls, respecting the original levels of their heights, for a better understanding of the volumetry.
• Restoration and enhancement of mural paintings and inscriptions, as well as their consolidation.