What's "Camel from San Baudelio de Berlanga"?

The first half of the 12th century Camel from San Baudelio de Berlanga, frescoes converted to canvas, speakers from San Baudelio de Berlanga, Spain (Met Cloisters, New York): Dr Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank, Dr Steve Zucker.

In eleventh century, in the border region of Islamic and Christian territory in Spain of today the Romanesque hermitage of San Baudelio de Berlanga was built. Although it may seem remote today, it was built on an old Roman road in the 11th century that was buzzing with activity, coming from Southern France. They took vendors and pilgrims to the early Christian martyr St. Baudille' relics in Nîmes. They visited him. Mozarabic, a name used for representing Christians living under Muslim rule and borrowing from Arabic viewing tradition, is also considered an architectural form of the hermitage.

More than a century back, with beautifully painted frescoes, the interior of the house was revamped. Scenes from Christ's life are located at the top floor. The scenes of wildlife, hunting and the illusionist silk tapestries are more secular, and painted on a broader scale. A camel in a profile is included among the animals shown. The animals indicate medieval Spain's complicated history as they are based on Islamic luxury animals (such as ivories, metal objects, ceramics, and textiles).

During a significant period in medieval Spain, one which saw borders changing between sects and rulers, the imitation and the mural paintings took place. Since 711, the omeya caliphate has been ruled by a great part of the Iberian Peninsula (today Portuguese and Spanish). The umayyads is the legacy of Muhammad who in the sixth century started to spread the religion of Islam. The Umayyads built a large empire, which spread across much of the Mediterranean world from the eastern and southern part of the world and entered the Iberian peninsula in 711. Seven years later, the Christian Visigoths conquered all of it. The name of these new Muslim lands was al-Andalus. The Umayyads were then replaced with the Abbasid in 750. The last Umayyad king fled to Andalus and established a new dynasty with Cordoba. The Caliphate of Córdoba was appointed. Al-Andalus will develop rich and diverse artistic practices - the product of various traditions.

Nevertheless, Christians attempted in the so-called Spanish Reconquest to reconquer the Iberian peninsula after 711. The intervening years meant a change in the frontier between al-Andalus and Christian Iberia. Initially, San Baudelio de Berlanga was founded in a border region and then in a monument to christianity. In 1085, when King Alfonso VI captured the important city of Toledo, there was a hint that Christians were winning ground when it gained lands.

In 1031, Umayyad rule was terminated, after the subsequent defeat of the dominant caliphate by Christian armies. What was left of southern Andalusia was split into taifas (independent principalities). There was an error (Despite the downfall of the Umayyads, other Muslim rulers would establish themselves on the Iberian Peninsula until 1492). However, mural artists appear to focus on Islamic court arts - which would have been painted if the hermitage were more closely identified with the Christian empire.

Today, much of the walls of the ermitage have been dismantled, installed in canvas and purchased by numerous museums in the 1920s, including the Prado (Madrid), the Cloisters (NYC) and the Indianapolis Museum of art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, rather than in their original location.