A conjuratory or exconjuratory (, , ) is a small religious building from which ceremonies were conducted to bless the fields and ward off calamities caused by the weather, like , hail and excessive rain that could ruin the harvests. Usually these buildings are attached to a church building or a hermitage.
were common in the ancient villages of the [[Pre-Pyrenees]] and the [[Pyrenees]], especially in [[Aragon]].
Description
Exconjuratories were usually built in a symmetrical way, with large windows open to the four
cardinal points.
In some places the exconjuratory is part of the
bell tower of a church. On the fourth floor of the main tower of the Cathedral of Murcia there are four conjuratories. Located in each corner, special ceremonies were conducted in them by priests to ward off storms that could spoil the harvest in the fields by means of the
Lignum Crucis kept in the cathedral. Other towns in the Region of Murcia like Cieza, had conjuratories as well.
Conjuratories could also be used to ward off other non-weather-related catastrophical events afflicting the community, like
and crop-damaging pests, like
.
They fell into disuse centuries ago and many of the exconjuratories that have survived are in a ruined state.
Rituals
The
Tentenublo (in
Spanish language) is an example of the prayers conducted in special occasions within the conjuratories:
- Tentenublo, tente en ti, no te caigas sobre mí;
- guarda el pan, guarda el vino,
- guarda los campos, que están floridos
|
- Stay, O cloud, stay put, don't fall over me;
- save the bread, save the wine,
- preserve the fields in blossom
|
Gallery
File:Evol 25.jpg|Ruined exconjuratory in the Saint André church, Èvol, Pyrénées Orientales, France
File:034.Asín de Broto - Esconjuradero.JPG|Exconjuratory in Asín de Broto, Aragon
File:035.Asín de Broto - Aintror de l'esconchurador.JPG|Interior of the exconjuratory in Asin de Broto
File:Pallerols63.JPG|Exconjuratory at Pallerols, Ports de Beseit, close to La Sénia
File:Torre Campanario Catedral de Murcia.jpg|Cathedral of Murcia bell tower showing the conjuratories located in the corners of the third tier
File:206.O Pueyo d'Araguás - Ilesia d'a Santa Cruz.JPG|The church of El Pueyo de Araguás has a conjuratory up in the bell tower
File:Iglesia de Santo Tomás - Campanario y cúpula2.jpg|The Santo Tomás parish church in Haro, La Rioja also has a conjuratory in its bell tower
File:Evol 25.jpg|Conjuratory in front of the Saint-André d'Évol Church
External links
