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From Mosque to Cathedral: the Social and Political Significations of Mudejar Architecture in Late Medieval Seville Danya Alexandra Crites University of Iowa

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From Mosque to Cathedral: the Social and Political Significations of Mudejar Architecture in Late Medieval Seville Danya Alexandra Crites University of Iowa University of Iowa Iowa Research Online Theses and Dissertations Spring 2010 From mosque to cathedral: the social and political significations of Mudejar architecture in late medieval Seville Danya Alexandra Crites University of Iowa Copyright 2010 Danya Alexandra Crites This dissertation is available at Iowa Research Online: http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/481 Recommended Citation Crites, Danya Alexandra. "From mosque to cathedral: the social and political significations of Mudejar architecture in late medieval Seville." PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) thesis, University of Iowa, 2010. http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/481. Follow this and additional works at: http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd Part of the History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons FROM MOSQUE TO CATHEDRAL: THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL SIGNIFICATIONS OF MUDEJAR ARCHITECTURE IN LATE MEDIEVAL SEVILLE by Danya Alexandra Crites An Abstract Of a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Art History in the Graduate College of The University of Iowa May 2010 Thesis Supervisor: Associate Professor Robert Bork 1 ABSTRACT During the late Middle Ages, Iberian Christian and Jewish patrons commissioned intriguing monuments that incorporate Islamic-derived features. Determining possible reasons for the patronage of this architecture, commonly referred to as Mudejar architecture, has the potential to provide important insights into the complex, multi- cultural society that produced it, yet studies on its patronage have been limited in number and scope, often applying overarching theories to all Mudejar patronage. However, the reasons for Mudejar patronage cannot be confined to a single broad theory. Instead individual projects and patrons must be studied within their specific contexts and then compared to one another to provide a more accurate understanding of Mudejarismo. This dissertation traces the development of Mudejar architecture in Seville from the time of the city’s conquest by Christian forces in 1248 to the early sixteenth century, just after the expulsion of Muslims and Jews from the Kingdom of Castile, in order to demonstrate the changing nature of Mudejar patronage in the city and how it relates to the relations among Christian, Jews, and Muslims. In establishing the chronology and the patronage of Seville’s Mudejar monuments through a close analysis of their formal elements, three distinct phases in their construction become apparent: 1) the approximately fifty years following the city’s conquest; 2) a period between the earthquake of 1356 and the initial construction of the Gothic cathedral in the 1430’s; and 3) the remainder of the fifteenth century through the first years of the sixteenth century. Prevalent features of Mudejar architecture during each of these phases are considered within the socio-political climate of the time as evidenced in primary sources. While economic, social, and demographic factors contributed to the construction of Mudejar architecture in Seville, its patronage was largely the result of the changing political agendas of the city’s ruling elite that included ambitions that reached beyond the Iberian Peninsula and issues of hegemony within Castile. Thus, no general theory can 2 encompass all of the reasons for Mudejar patronage in late medieval Seville, which were varied and continually in flux. Abstract Approved: ____________________________________________ Thesis Supervisor ____________________________________________ Title and Department ____________________________________________ Date FROM MOSQUE TO CATHEDRAL: THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL SIGNIFICATIONS OF MUDEJAR ARCHITECTURE IN LATE MEDIEVAL SEVILLE by Danya Alexandra Crites A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Art History in the Graduate College of The University of Iowa May 2010 Thesis Supervisor: Associate Professor Robert Bork Copyright by DANYA ALEXANDRA CRITES 2010 All Rights Reserved Graduate College The University of Iowa Iowa City, Iowa CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL _______________________ PH.D. THESIS _______________ This is to certify that the Ph.D. thesis of Danya Alexandra Crites has been approved by the Examining Committee for the thesis requirement for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Art History at the May 2010 graduation. Thesis Committee: ___________________________________ Robert Bork, Thesis Supervisor ___________________________________ Wallace Tomasini ___________________________________ Barbara Burlison Mooney ___________________________________ Brenda Longfellow ___________________________________ Katherine Tachau ___________________________________ D. Fairchild Ruggles To Todd, Alexander, and Liam ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge the various organizations that so generously provided the funding for this dissertation. Throughout my graduate studies, the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Iowa supported me financially through many fellowships and assistantships that gave me a wealth of experience as a scholar and a teacher. I am also grateful for the research grants that I received from the University of Iowa Student Government and Graduate Student Senate as well as the Program for Cultural Cooperation between Spain’s Ministry of Culture and United States Universities. My sincerest thanks to the many individuals, who provided intellectual support and encouragement for this project. At the Universidad de Seville, Rafael Cómez Ramos, Alfredo Morales, and Antonio Collantes de Terán Sánchez graciously answered my many questions and pointed me to a number of helpful resources. I appreciate the valuable insights of my dissertation committee, particularly Barbara Mooney and Wallace Tomasini, who have worked with me since I began my research on Seville for my Master’s thesis. Dr. Tomasini has taught me a great deal about art, history, and life during our many long talks. Special thanks to Dede Ruggles for her willingness to take me on in addition to her Illinois students. Her help has been more than generous. And of course, I am forever indebted to my dissertation supervisor Dr. Robert Bork for his tireless commitment to my development as a scholar through the numerous hours he has spent advising me, editing my work, and advocating on my behalf. I have greatly benefited from Dr. Bork’s outstanding mentoring and friendship, and I now have a wonderful appreciation of spires. Finally, I must thank my family for their support without which this dissertation would not have been possible. My parents William and Ellen Reich instilled in me my love of knowledge and have helped me pursue it throughout my life. From computer iii crises to childcare, they have continually come to my rescue, always with words of encouragement. Thank you to my children Alexander and Liam for allowing me to finish my dissertation through their patience and lengthy naps. I would like to thank my husband Todd most of all for being my greatest editor, champion, and friend. His belief in me even when I doubted myself means more to me than I could ever hope to express. iv ABSTRACT During the late Middle Ages, Iberian Christian and Jewish patrons commissioned intriguing monuments that incorporate Islamic-derived features. Determining possible reasons for the patronage of this architecture, commonly referred to as Mudejar architecture, has the potential to provide important insights into the complex, multi- cultural society that produced it, yet studies on its patronage have been limited in number and scope. Most of the early Spanish scholarship on Mudejar architecture focuses on formal issues and simply attributes its patronage to economic factors, an admiring fascination with the exotic, or a desire to subjugate Islamic culture. More recent scholarship has shifted to examining the motivations of patrons in specific case studies; however, many of these case studies are still framed within the overarching theory that Mudejar architecture was the result of a common architectural heritage among Christians, Jews, and Muslims. The reasons for Mudejar patronage cannot be confined to a single broad theory. Instead individual projects and patrons must be studied within their specific contexts and then compared to one another to provide a more accurate understanding of Mudejarismo. This dissertation traces the development of Mudejar architecture in Seville from the time of the city’s conquest by Christian forces in 1248 to the early sixteenth century, just after the expulsion of Muslims and Jews from the Kingdom of Castile, in order to demonstrate the changing nature of Mudejar patronage in the city and how it relates to the relations among Christian, Jews, and Muslims. In establishing the chronology and the patronage of Seville’s Mudejar monuments through a close analysis of their formal elements, three distinct phases in their construction become apparent: 1) the approximately fifty years following the city’s conquest; 2) a period between the earthquake of 1356 and the initial construction of the Gothic cathedral in the 1430’s; and 3) the remainder of the fifteenth century through the first years of the sixteenth century. v Prevalent features of Mudejar architecture during each of these phases are considered within the socio-political climate of the time as evidenced in primary sources. While economic, social, and demographic factors contributed to the construction of Mudejar architecture in Seville, its patronage was largely the result of the changing political agendas of the
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