Benegorri

Described in the Catálogo Monumental de Navarra (1990?-) and in Domeño (1992): Romanesque baptismal font probably of the date of the original church, ca. 1200; the large polygonal (hemispheric) basin has an arcade of irregular round window-like arches all around its side; some of the arches are blind, others are occupied by crudely carved human beings [L->R]: a woman holding a baby in her arms, a man with his arms akimbo (these arches are larger than the others); then, three blind arches, followed by two more, obviously warriors, armed with shields and spears; the rest, if any, are hidden on the side against the wall; the cylindrical stem of the base has a protruding human figure crouching (?) on its side. The lower base is round-to-square and has heads at 90-degree angles [two of them broken off and missing now]. An article by Javier Intxusta in the Amigos del Romanico web site [www.amigosdelromanico.org], 'El románico y el entorno' (May 2005 [2006?]) informs that, after the collapse of the parish church in Benegorri, the font was taken by the Archbishopric of Pamplona and moved to Ujué ["La iglesia románica de Benegorri (Valdorba) se hundió. La Pila bautismal -bella muestra del arte románico con figuración humana en relieve- quedó enterrada bajo los escombros. El Ayuntamiento de Leoz negoció con el Arzobispado de Pamplona el hacerse cargo de la ruina y utilizó sus recursos humanos para desescombrar el edificio y rescatar con éxito esa obra de arte. El objetivo se cumplió, se conservará la planta del edificio y la pila apareció intacta, el antiguo espacio de la sacristía se convierte en la nueva Iglesia (en Benegorri viven menos de seis personas) y en él se pretendía guardar la Pila… Pero el Arzobispado no ha entendido ni la labor del Ayuntamiento, enfatizada por los AdR de la zona, ni la voluntad de los vecinos del pueblo, ni del Valle, y se ha presentado con un camión y una pluma y sin mediar palabra se la ha llevado se supone que al adecuado lugar de Ujué."]. Intxausti's article criticises the decision and requests that the font be returned to the newly arranged church in the village of Benegorri [NB: information confirmed from a local source -- cf. e-mail of 1 June 2006 from local source (AdeR Navarra)]. A later communication appeared In 'Diario de Notcias' (Pamplona, Spain) (issue of 27 January 2009) informing that the municipality of Leoz wants the font back in the Benegorri church, now restored. [NB: as of December 2012 the font is still in Ujué -- the font now bears a label that gives the date of the move as 2010].