Laity, Community, and Architectural Sculpture in Romanesque Aragon: Santa Maria de Uncastillo

Santa Maria de Uncastillo (1135-55), built during a crucial period of repopulation following the Christian conquest of northern Iberia, reveals the impacts of migration and social change upon the visual arts. Long the site of an impregnable fortress on the frontier between Christian-ruled Aragon and Muslim-ruled al-Andalus, by the early twelfth century Uncastillo suddenly found itself far from the frontlines as Christian armies began to advance rapidly southward. The diminishing threat of invasion allowed Uncastillo to transform from a stronghold to a town, and a series of financial incentives, titles and privileges granted by the kings of Aragon attracted settlers to develop urban space. Repopulation entailed the establishment of roots, the formation of strong religious and civic communities, and the development of the built environment, all crucial to the town's success. These factors find expression in Santa Maria's architectural sculpture, which responded to the social and spiritual needs of parish and town alike. The ensemble itself was the product of enthusiastic trans-Pyrenean exchange between sculptors, though its content also speaks to the movement of people and their daily collaborations in a new environment. Notable for its unusual profusion of profane imagery, Santa Maria addressed social change using a vernacular visual language. In providing the first comprehensive consideration of Santa Maria's sculptural iconography, organization and style, this dissertation examines how monumental imagery constructed notions of community in order to shape belief and behavior, promoting cohesion and stability during an era of transformation. As a parish church, Santa Maria offers an opportunity to reorient scholarly discourses of image theory and reception to focus on the major, but little-known, lay viewership of the medieval town. With this in mind, the present study examines visual strategies of communication between clergy and laity, which emphasized the role of the individual within the community at large.