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The Medieval House of Coimbra.Pdf I Este Congreso ha contado con una ayuda del Vicerrectorado de Investigación de la Universidad de Granada obtenida en concurrencia competitiva. © De los textos, sus autores, 2019 © Abada Editores, s.l., 2019 C/ Gobernador, 18 28014 Madrid www.abadaeditores.com Imagen de portada: La cabaña primitiva, frontispicio realizado por Charles-Dominique- Joseph Eisen para el Essai sur l’architecture de Marc-Antoine Laugier, edición de 1755 Fuente: ETH-Bibliothek Zürich Imagen de contraportada: Grabado encabezando el capítulo “Adspectus Incauti Dispendium” del libro de Theodoor Galle Verdicus Christianus, 1601 Fuente: Vilnius University Library ISBN 978-84-17301-24-8 IBIC AMA Depósito Legal M-607-2019 Cualquier forma de reproducción, distribución, comunicación pública o transformación de esta obra solo puede ser realizada con la autorización de sus titulares, salvo excepción prevista por la ley. Diríjase a CEDRO (Centro Español de Derechos Reprográficos) si nece- sita fotocopiar o escanear algún fragmento de esta obra (www.conlicencia.com; 917021970). Coordinador de la edición Juan Calatrava Escobar Equipo Editorial David Arredondo Garrido Ana del Cid Mendoza Francisco A. García Pérez Agustín Gor Gómez Marta Rodríguez Iturriaga María Zurita Elizalde Diseño de cubierta Francisco A. García Pérez II Congreso Internacional Cultura y Ciudad La Casa. Espacios domésticos, modos de habitar Granada 23-25 enero 2019 Comisión Organizadora David Arredondo Garrido Juan Manuel Barrios Rozúa Emilio Cachorro Fernández Juan Calatrava Escobar Ana del Cid Mendoza Francisco A. García Pérez Agustín Gor Gómez Ricardo Hernández Soriano Bernardino Líndez Vílchez Juan Francisco Martínez Benavides Juan Carlos Reina Marta Rodríguez Iturriaga María Zurita Elizalde Comité Científico Juan Calatrava Escobar, Universidad de Granada (Presidente) Tim Benton, The Open University, Reino Unido Miguel Ángel Chaves, Universidad Complutense de Madrid María Elena Díez Jorge, Universidad de Granada Juan Domingo Santos, Universidad de Granada Carmen Espegel Alonso, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid Rafael García Quesada, Universidad de Granada Carlos García Vázquez, Universidad de Sevilla Fulvio Irace, Politecnico di Milano Ángeles Layuno, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares Marta Llorente, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya Caroline Maniaque, ENSA Rouen Mar Loren Méndez, Universidad de Sevilla Josep Maria Montaner, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya Xavier Monteys, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya José Morales Sánchez, Universidad de Sevilla Eduardo Ortiz Moreno, Universidad de Granada Francisco Peña Fernández, Universidad de Granada Antonio Pizza, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya José Manuel Pozo Municio, Universidad de Navarra Rafael Reinoso Bellido, Universidad de Granada José Rosas Vera, Pontificia Universidad Católica, Santiago de Chile Carlos Sambricio, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid Margarita Segarra Lagunes, Università degli Studi RomaTre Marta Sequeira, Universidade de Lisboa Jorge Torres Cueco, Universitat Politècnica de València Elisa Valero Ramos, Universidad de Granada La “casa medieval” de Coimbra: arqueología de la arquitectura en la desmitificación de arquetipos The “Medieval House” of Coimbra: Archeology of Architecture in the Demystification of Archetypes António Ginja Archaeologist and Art historian, Guest Lecturer, Centro de Estudos Sociais and Universidade de Coimbra, [email protected] Resumen En el antiguo arrabal medieval de Coimbra, un edificio residencial ha asumido tradicionalmente la denominación de "casa medieval". A este calificativo contribuye su arquitectura, consistente con lo que estaba en boga en las ciudades portuguesas del período medieval tardío. No obstante, la apertura de sondeos arqueológicos parietales puso al descubierto técnicas, materiales y sistemas constructivos cuya utilización se prolonga hasta el siglo XVIII. La interpretación arqueológica y el análisis histórico-artístico de la arquitectura de la “casa medieval” de Coimbra ofrecen una singular oportunidad para reflexionar sobre algunos paradigmas arquitectónicos. Comparándola con otros edificios y con fuentes iconográficas, se analiza su cronotipología y se demostra la diacronía de los modelos constructivos adoptados en esta casa. Discutiendo su epíteto cronológico, se reflexiona sobre la persistencia temporal de arquetipos constructivos y sobre la tensión entre espacios privados y públicos, potenciada por la complementariedad entre habitar y trabajar en el mismo espacio. Palabras clave: Coimbra, casa medieval, vivencias, arquetipos, diacronías Bloque temático: La casa: mitos, arquetipos, modos de habitar Abstract Located in the old medieval outskirts of Coimbra, a residential building has traditionally been named "medieval house”, due to its architecture, consistent with what was in vogue in Portuguese cities of the late medieval period. However, the opening of parietal archaeological surveys in the building revealed techniques, materials and construction systems which were used right until the eighteenth century. The archaeological interpretation and the art-historical analysis of the architecture of the “medieval house” of Coimbra offer a unique opportunity to reflect on some architectural paradigms. Comparing it with other buildings and with iconographic sources, its chronotypology will be analized and the diachrony of the constructive models adopted in this house will be demonstrated. Questioning its chronological epithet, the persistence of certain habits and constructive archetypes will be explored, as well as the tension between private and public spaces, deepened by living and working in the same place. Keywords: Coimbra, medieval house, inhabiting ways, archetypes, diachronys Topic: The house: myths, archetypes, forms of inhabitation 1407 António Ginja Introduction In downtown Coimbra, the city’s old medieval quarter, is the charismatic building of number 4-6, Rua Sargento-Mor. With its singular architecture and unusual floor plan, it holds a cherished place in local cultural imagery. It is known as one of the oldest vernacular houses in the city and is frequently given the epithet of the "medieval house", as, indeed, it is designated in the Portuguese Government database of heritage, SIPA.1 Nevertheless, to date, no study has truly addressed the chronology of its construction nor has any been able to construct an argument to prove that it is indeed medieval. In August 2017, archaeological surveys were made by removing the outer layers of mortar of the walls of the building,2 which enabled an unprecedented reading of its sequence of construction. The construction techniques and the materials used in the "medieval house" finally came to light. But the data collected showed a wider timeframe higher than had initially been assumed, and new challenges in how to interpret it were laid down. 1. Coimbra’s “medieval house” Although documented since 1613, information about the street of Rua Sargento-Mor, the home of Coimbra’s so-called "medieval house", is scarce. In 1778, it was stated that the street stretched «from the quay to [the church of] São Bartolomeu»,3 and the building is still in close proximity to this monument. In the year 957, a letter of donation mentioned «houses with vegetable gardens» next to this medieval Christian temple,4 suggesting that there was already a nucleus of housing in this area in the 10th century. Despite the proven antiquity of this area of Coimbra, there is no documentary data that can tell us the origin of the "medieval house". The building is its own true archaeological document, and contains the only features which are available to help discern the chronology and nature of its construction. Built with a rather intricate system of construction, the house occupied a corner plot and was erected on a triangular area. This arrangement, unusual but not unheard of, resulted, together with a later building, in a wedge-shaped urban space. The singular means by which this plot is occupied lends precious help in dating the building, as it is clearly visible in the early cartography of Coimbra, as in the Mappa Thopografico from 1772.5 Going back to the period before the third quarter of the 18th century, therefore, it seems that as such there is no reason not to be consigned, on first analysis, to the medieval or late medieval period. Hampered by the scarcity of space and the subsequent cost of land on the street, vernacular houses of late medieval Portuguese cities were constructed on narrow and elongated plots. 1 Margarida Silva, “Casa Medieval na Rua Sargento-Mor, n.º 4 a 6", Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico (web site), 2005, accessed September 21st, 2018, http://www.monumentos.gov.pt/Site/APP_PagesUser/SIPA.aspx?id=23038. 2 Sixteen archaeological surveys were made in the walls, under the scope of the author’s ongoing doctoral project, Para uma Arqueologia crítica da Arquitetura (Towards a Critical Archaeology of Architecture). The work, with the collaboration of members of the collective Há Baixa, were carried out with the author’s directions. 3 José Loureiro, Toponímia de Coimbra (Coimbra: Câmara Municipal de Coimbra, 1964), 270-77. 4 Jorge Alarcão, Coimbra: a Montagem do Cenário Urbano (Coimbra: Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra, 2008), 271-72. 5 There are also panoramic views of Coimbra, such as that by Georg Braun and Franz Hogenberg, circa 1598, Lorenzo Magalotti, 1668-69, or James Murphy, 1798. None, however, clearly represents the area where the "medieval house" is placed, and as such they
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