21-THE CHURCH OF SAN JUAN BAUTISTA OF BERZOCANA

[vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” el_class=”section-page section-geositio section-sitiosculturales”][vc_column offset=”vc_col-md-6″][vc_column_text el_class=”text-alineado localizacion”]According to legend, in 1223 a farmer found a marble sarcophagus in an olive grove. Inside laid the remains of San Fulgencio and Santa Florentina, 6th-century saints of Visigothic origin from Cartagena and resident in Seville. These holy remains are kept in the Church of San Juan Bautista in a reliquary given by King Philip II. In the fascinating history of this church, which could be a cathedral from its imposing appearance and alongside which arose the village of Berzocana, late Roman, Visigothic, Mudejar, baroque, and Renaissance elements combine.

The image of this church, which was declared a National Monument in 1977, stands out above the remainder of the village owing to its large size. Indeed the east-west axis of the central nave reaches a length of 35 metres. The documented data available situate the origin of the building in the14th and 15th centuries. However, certain elements such as the column which supports the pulpit, the marble base of the font of holy water, and a granite relief of San Juan Evangelista suggest the existence of a former Visigothic church on the site. Subsequently it was almost completely demolished with the exception of the tower, which is all that is left of the original building. It was rebuilt in the 16th century by the Bishopric of Plasencia to give it its current Gothic-Renaissance appearance.

On the exterior of the building it is possible to distinguish the various construction stages with different aesthetics and styles. Towards the west rise the façade and the high rectangular tower with a doorway of masonry and an archivolt of a lancet arch representing the most ancient stage of what is left standing. On the side of the Epistle (the right-hand side facing the altar) we we can see a portico with a segmented arch and a Renaissance doorway. On its upper part there is a haut-relief of San Juan Bautista. The particular combination of brick and stone indicate that this is a Mudejar ensemble closely related to the usual model of the architecture of the Order of Santiago which is widespread in Extremadura. Other outer elements such as the large semicircular windows, a lobulated archivolt, the large window of the transept, and a balustraded cross speak to us of Renaissance style.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column offset=”vc_col-md-6″][vc_single_image image=”5737″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” el_class=”section-sitiosculturales”][vc_column offset=”vc_col-md-6″][vc_single_image image=”5738″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column offset=”vc_col-md-6″][vc_column_text el_class=”text-alineado localizacion”]The interior consists of three large naves of equal height. Among them stand a series of six slender fascicular pillars on which extend magnificent ribbed vaults. The main chapel is octagonal and also covered by ribbed vaults.

Another important element of the church is the choir, an impressive piece of stonework with a balustrade finished in the centre by the coat of arms of the bishop which occupies the three final sections of the church. This part of the building also has a vault of great beauty which is richly ornamental with a star-shaped structure. The latter is crowned by basket arches. The ensemble of the choir is late Gothic in style.

However, perhaps the most outstanding part of the whole church is the Chapel of the Saints. It is the space in which is kept the chest of ebony, mother-of-pearl, ivory, and gold which holds the remains of San Fulgencio and Santa Florentina. This reliquary was given by Philip II. The marble sarcophagus in which the remains of the saints appeared is of late Roman origin. It is hard to observe as it is hidden behind a baroque altarpiece.
According to the chronicles the chapel was inaugurated in 1610, although at the Festival of El Ramo a ballad is sung which gives another date:

On the day of Saint Peter
And with the help of God
They placed here this altarpiece
In the year thirty-two.

This chapel consists of a lower part and an upper part. The former consists of several Tuscan columns and a proto-baroque altarpiece with the images of the two saints. The latter is a gallery in the Ionic style which is accessed by a stairway open to the chancel. The wall is covered by an 18th-century Solomonic altarpiece with figures of saints with over-elaborate ornamentation and a large pelican on the top. The walls are covered with ceramic ornamentations which are also baroque.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]