Rehabilitation Church of San Bartolome

The rehabilitation works of the church of Sant Bertomeu in Jávea are advancing and in recent days the archaeological tastings have brought to light an interesting finding linked to the techniques of Gothic architecture.

This is a set of large jugs dating from the 14th to the 15th century and which were used to fill the gap between the vault of the apse –the oldest part of the church-fortress- and the roof. This resource was common in medieval times since it involved a light fill that avoided dead weight on the structures and in Xàbia it was used in the first phases of church construction, prior to those directed by the "mestre pedrapiquer" Domingo Urteaga.< /p>

As explained by the municipal archaeologist, Ximo Bolufer, they are reused jugs –probably made in Paterna- that were originally used to store oil, wine or other products. In addition to the complete specimens, there are also fragments of other ceramics (jars and jugs), among which one has been found that is especially interesting since it has very detailed graffiti that represents a medieval vessel, a typical "nao" like those that sailed the seas. between the 14th and 15th centuries.

The mayor, José Chulvi, has joined today one of the periodic inspections carried out by the General Directorate of Heritage to this unique work and which affects a monument declared BIC since 1931. The mayor has been able to learn the scope of the works directed by the architect Salvador Vila and executed by the specialized company Estudio Métodos de la Restauración (EMR), an emergency project that will serve to clean up the cracks in the roof of the temple and repair the damp and leaks.

The bulk of the work, in which the local company Germans Cholbi Construcciones, is now in the area known as “els muntons”, the terrace with the elevations caused by the vaults and the improvements are already evident in other points such as the bell tower or the spiral staircase through which it is accessed.