Els claustres prefabricats

·54 min·5 clips

Between the 13th and 15th centuries, Girona produced prefabricated cloisters shipped to Valencia, Aragon, and Mallorca.

The episode begins by introducing the historical phenomenon of prefabricated cloisters made from Girona's local limestone, known as 'Girona stone' or blue marble, during the Gothic period. These elements were exported widely across the eastern Iberian Peninsula. The first clear evidence is the cloister of Sant Cugat del Vallès, commissioned around 1200 from master sculptor Arnau Cadell. Host Enric Calpena is joined by regular contributor Josep Maria Solís Sabater and guest Francesca Espanyol, a doctor of Art History and former professor at the University of Barcelona. Espanyol explains that this serial production was a unique, internationally significant aspect of Catalan Gothic art that had been overlooked in general art histories until her 2002 publication. The conversation traces the origins of serialization back to Roman practices, like using Carrara marble, and discusses the economic resilience it provided stonecutters during crises like the Black Death. A scripted dramatization depicts Arnau Cadell receiving the order for 144 columns for Sant Cugat. The episode examines why Cadell signed his work at Sant Cugat—as a form of advertising for distant commissions—while local works often went unsigned. It details the logistical challenges of transporting tons of stone via cart paths and ports, and how merchants avoided tariffs by making Sant Feliu de Guíxols a 'street of Girona.' The discussion covers the variety of products from Girona's workshops, including baptismal fonts, boundary crosses, liturgical furniture, and mortars for both construction and domestic use. A 1401 contract read aloud shows picapedrers being paid for columns, capitals, and bases for Ripoll monastery. Espanyol notes the industry's decline in the 15th century due to civil war and remença conflicts. Finally, she compares Girona's industry to similar medieval centers in Tournai (Belgium) and Purbeck (England), highlighting its international reach with pieces found in Rhodes, Sicily, and Naples.

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