Burguillos / Burguillos del Cerro

The catalogue of the Gabinete de Antigüedades of the Academia de la Historia for Extremadura (Celestino, 2000) lists a drawing of the Visigothic baptismal font at the Visigothic basilica of Burguillos [i.e., Burguillos del Cerro]; the drawing is dated 1898/03/26 and the name of the author/artist is given as Matías Ramón Martínez in the source [NB: this is the same drawing that appears on p. 59 of his article (cf. infra)] . Mélida (1925), citing an article published in the Boletín de la Real Academia de la Historia [t. XXXII, Cuaderno V, mayo 1898, p. 353-363) by Matías Ramón Martínez, an academic thereof, describes a baptismal font of quatrefoil shape [="de figura cuadrifolia"] made of rubble stone ["de mampostería"] and coated with concrete [="revestida de duro cemento"]. The size and volume of this baptismal font confirm the practise of baptism by immersion, adds Mélida (ibid., v. 2, p. 48-49). Martínez' article actually describes the font as a small cruciform pool or basin, made of rubblework and coated with a very hard concrete apparently made of lime, cement and granite dust [="pequeño estanque en forma de cruz, hecho de mapostería y recubierto por una mezcla durísima que se resiste á [sic] los golpes de martillo y parece de cal, cemento y moledura de granito." (Boletín..., p. 358). He identifies it as a baptistery of the 7th century and adds that the above ground edge [="pretil de escasa altura"] is lost. He was also unable to determine the drainage system because the actual drain hole of the font, situated a little off-centre, towards the NE arm of the Greek cross-shape, was obstructed with debris. The font is described and illustrated in Palol (1967), who reproduces the same BRAH drawing. [NB: the font has a general Greek-cross shape but the ends of the arms are rounded, hence Mélida's description as "quatrefoil"]. In Kahtchatrian (1982).