Villabuena No. 3

Described and illustrated by Rodríguez Montañés in Soria románica (2001) as a baptismal font of the Romanesque period, from the end of the 12th or the early 13th century. Noted in García Gómez (2007) as ["Villabuena 3"] a Romanesque font decorated with varied motifs and an inscription [cf. infra] [NB: García Gómez (ibid.) remarks that the lettering of the inscription is Gothic, rather than Romanesque, and should be taken into account when dating the font]. Large hemispherical basin without a base; the upper rim has a roll moulding all around; the upper basin side has an inscription in large foliage-like characters that include an alpha-and-omega as well as the name of the carver: "Benedictvs me fecit" and an interlace motif [NB: García Gómez (2007) also notes another font, "Villabuena 1", that he describes as practically identical to the one in Pedraza de Soria, but anonymous, i.e., not inscribed]. Rodríguez Montañés (ibid.) describes the contents of the concave arcade below the inscription: pine cones, rosettes, a leaf, geometric cross-like motifs, striated baculum, a spear, a spear tip, a chalice or font, a fish and a coiled snake. [an image and the description of this font can be found at the FSMLR's web site http://inicia.es/de/FSMLR/ktalogo1.htm#]. This same source informs that the font is originally from the ruins of Sta. Eulalia, in the abandoned site of nearby Rueda.