The graffiti and superstitions that have appeared at the Sanctuary of the Miracle
The building, which was built in the 16th century, currently houses exhibition halls and the offices of Riner Town Hall.
BarcelonaTradition says that in 1458, the Virgin Mary appeared to two shepherds from the Cirosa farmhouse in the form of a young girl while they were grazing their flock in the Pla de la Bassadòria, in the municipality of Riner, Solson. In this apparition, the Virgin Mary asked that processions and penance be performed to end the plague that was afflicting the area. The Bishop of Urgell, Arnau Roger de Pallars, quickly authorized the construction of a chapel. Many parishioners attended, the chapel became too small, and in the mid-16th century, a second church was built. At the same time, a hostel was built to accommodate pilgrims and sick travelers, which was gradually expanded until it became the current Casa Gran (Great House).
The latest phase of the building's rehabilitation, which is part of the Sanctuary of the Miracle, It has brought to light part of the story of those who spent the night there: on all the walls of the third-floor rooms are graffiti drawn with sharp tools, mainly in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Anna Bedmar, a conservator-restorer of cultural heritage, who has been in charge of its inventory and conservation, along with Anna Viñas and Judit Roquet, explains that the engravings were hidden by a layer of lime paint and that they are very varied.
A leap in time
Names of people and houses, dates, crosses, six-petaled rosettes (hexafolia), numbers, hands, faces, human figures, and even a pentagram have been found. According to Bedmar, the discovery will help to better understand the history of the site. Currently, the Sanctuary of the Miracle, surrounded by extensive pine forests, consists of a church with a magnificent Baroque altarpiece, a chapel, and a Benedictine monastery dependent on Montserrat. In addition, there are several accommodations: the cells, the retreat house, and tourist services. The restoration of the Casa Gran (Great House), which has had many different uses, began in 2013. "It was quite neglected, and there were plants that weren't even accessible. The first thing we did was renovate the Renaissance courtyard, and we have been consolidating different areas to give it new life. Our goal is for visitors to be able to step back in time." - Joan Solà Riner Currently, the Casa Gran houses the town hall offices, cultural exhibition spaces (including some permanent exhibits such as a Baroque interpretation center), and a shop, café, restaurant, and tourist office. The third floor is not in use because, until recently, it was inaccessible. "We want to preserve the graffiti to display it and explain what the pilgrims' rooms were like. It's as if the walls could speak and allow us to understand the thoughts and beliefs of these pilgrims," says Solà. It will be open to the public starting in June.
The 16 porrones of Serra wine
The Casa Gran is a large Renaissance building that underwent many expansions and renovations during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. "The third floor, having remained untouched for many years, is the most pristine," explains Bedmar. There is an abundance of "rositas de la vida" (little roses of life). Formed by symmetrically intertwined circles, they were a protective symbol placed, especially, in places of passage, such as doors or windows, where it was believed evil could enter. "They tell us about the superstitions of these pilgrims," Bedmar asserts. There are also many Latin, Greek, Crusader, and St. Peter's crosses. Many of those who passed through also left their names: Pere Rossó, Maria Antonia, Antoni Fornells... There is a graffito that reads: "Caught in the mountains on April 28th, healthy [carried?] and with 16 porrones (traditional Spanish wine pitchers)." There are mentions in the farmhouses of the area and a tetragram with notes in Marian script. Hail Holy QueenFurthermore, two bundles of papers with the names of nearby farmhouses were found in a hole in the wall.
"All the information the graffiti can provide is important, because there is practically no information about the Casa Gran in the archives," says the mayor of Riner. It is known that the construction of the Casa Gran coincided with that of the second church, and that it was built by the same master builders, the Lerraut family. From 1623 onwards, and throughout the 17th century, various renovations, expansions, and modifications were carried out. The entire Sanctuary of the Miracle was abandoned in 1835 during the confiscation of church property. When a restoration process began in 1898, the building was in a very poor state. It was practically inaccessible, and the roof was on the verge of collapse. In the 20th century, it had several lives: it was an all-boys school that closed during the Civil War because most of the teachers were monks who had to leave, and during the conflict, it sheltered refugees and the CNT (National Confederation of Labor). Solà asserts that for such a small municipality, with only 300 inhabitants, all the renovations to the Casa Grande of the Sanctuary of the Miracle have been monumental. "Only three people work at the town hall, and of those, only one works full-time. We don't have the capacity to handle all the bureaucratic and administrative work. We've done it with a Next Generation grant of 2.7 million euros, and our regular budget is 200,000 euros. Many towns like ours back out," says the Association of Micro-Villages. The Casa Gran is owned by the Lleida Provincial Council, but it is managed by the town hall. The other buildings are managed by the Benedictine community. The entire complex was declared a Site of National Interest in 2008.