Sigena 1200, un racconto tra tipologia e topografia: Iintrecci genealogici entro un paesaggio biblico

Even though the mural paintings in the chapterhouse of the monastery of Santa María de Sigena (Huesca, Aragon) have been subject of study by an extensive bibliography, the genuine originality of the biblical narrative decorating this space needs to be explored more fully. The choice of a chapterhouse to display a so-well articulated iconographic programme, the spatial layout of the scenes from the Old and New Testaments through five arches depicting the Ancestors of Christ, and the original palatial aspect of the setting, which was crowned by a luxurious coffered ceiling, lead us to define it as a unique artwork. From a programmatic and visual viewpoint, the chapterhouse becomes a true monumental diagram, which aims to display the history of Salvation in an updated (historical), liturgical and devotional way. Coeval exegetical texts on the biblical account, the own liturgy of the nunneries, and the experience of the Holy Land by the Order of the Hospital appear to explain this peculiar pictorial crossover between biblical typology and topography