The scientific ritual to unravel the enigma of a mountain whale

Santa Bárbara Ciruelos (Oix)The small Romanesque church of Santa Bárbara de Pruneres, in the Alta Garrotxa region, became a space dedicated to science and history. During a well-attended gathering held on a Sunday in mid-October, a piece of whale rib, approximately two meters long, was the object of veneration and analysis by a team of archaeologists from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), while more than a hundred worshippers witnessed the scene. The immense bone was taken down from the side chapel where it has been displayed since 2004 and placed in the center of the altar, from where the UAB scientists ceremoniously extracted samples for analysis.

Jordi Solanich, the one responsible for all this commotion, It was installed in the rectory of the hermitage of Santa Bárbara In 2000, with the bishopric's permission and a commitment to restore and maintain the hermitage, which he has been doing with effort and care, he found an article in a local magazine mentioning a whale rib that had supposedly been kept in the hermitage for centuries, until, during the Civil War, a neighbor took advantage of the situation to keep it. Solanich located it, and after years of back and forth with this neighbor, convinced him to return the rib to the hermitage.

The curiosity of archaeologists

The mystery surrounding the rib's origin and the reason for its display in the church resurfaced when a group of archaeologists from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), including professors Miquel Molist, Maria Saña, and Joan Oller, accompanied by Ramon Buxó from the Archaeological Museum, visited Santa Bárbara. They were initially drawn by the delicious paellas for groups organized by Solanich, but became fascinated by the rib's enigma. As with many visitors, Solanich explained his theory about the rib's origin: that it could be a war treasure from Lepanto, where a major naval battle took place in 1571 between the Ottoman Empire and the Christians. Many impoverished Catalans went as mercenaries and returned with numerous offerings and mementos, which they deposited in churches to give thanks for divine protection during the battle. The hermit of Santa Bárbara Pruneres (Oix) also told them that the other half of the rib might be the one in the church of Santa Justa and Santa Rufina in Prats de Molló. Intrigued by this story, the archaeologists set out to determine the approximate age of the bone and investigate its origin.

A 70-ton common fin whale

The whale steak find was, according to the organizers, "a spectacle staged to confirm or debunk the legends and speculations about its origin" and to raise funds to cover the cost of the analyses. The collection of samples should serve to establish an approximate date through carbon-14 dating, but they also wanted to discover its species and origin. For this reason, they enlisted Krista McGrath, an archaeologist specializing in prehistoric whales, who conducted a test using collagen and protein from the bone remains. She says she has worked with many whales, but adds ironically that "they're not usually mountain whales." The dating results are still pending, while the species identification is already conclusive: it is a Balaenoptera physalusThe fin whale, or common whale, is the most abundant whale in the Mediterranean, although it can also be found in the Atlantic. This species typically averages about 20 meters in length and weighs about 70 tons.

Maria Saña, a specialist in faunal remains, agrees with McGrath that it is a rare and very interesting find, and shares his enthusiasm for organizing events like the one held in Santa Barbara, which help to disseminate the work of archaeologists and foster interest in heritage in an engaging and entertaining way. "With these kinds of projects, we have to seek funding wherever we can. We are very pleased with the reception and interest the initiative has generated." Saña neither confirms nor denies that the bone could have come from the Battle of Lepanto: "We have many questions. Once we have determined the chronology, we can begin to formulate hypotheses." She adds, however, that often the results answer some questions but generate many more.

The fight against evil

The historian Joan de Déu Domènech compiles the various theories about the phenomenon of whale remains in churches in his article Crocodiles and whales in churchesHe asserts that, before churches became quite neglected "due to fires and councils, confiscations and pastoral decrees, wars and antiquarians," they were spaces decorated with paintings and altarpieces, but also with the remains of whales, crocodiles, and other curiosities. According to tradition, this was yet another offering, but there are also those who argue that they were preserved and exhibited for their natural interest. The temple was the museum of humanity's history and displayed everything worthy of being seen from divine creation: from a vast collection of altarpieces to an immense sea monster. Domènech proposes a third theory that would link the presence of these remains to the biblical reading of the vanquished dragon: "Hanging crocodiles and whales from the columns and vaults of temples would be nothing more than the affirmation of the triumph over the dragon, evil, Leviathan. The crocodile skin and whale bones are the..."