Guadalupe / Monasterio de Guadalupe / Monasterio de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

The Enciclopedia Universal Ilustrada Espasa-Calpe (1908- ) describes and illustrates a baptismal font in bronze, the work of Juan Francés, and dates it to 1402, although the same source, in its entry for the artist, describes him as living in Toledo towards the end of the 15th century [="vecino de la ciudad de Toledo en los finales del siglo XV"] and, indeed, most of his work is dated between 1494 and 1532. Garnelo y Alda (1920), who visited the place ca. 1920, mentions a baptismal font made of bronze located in the Capilla de Santa Ana; this author describes it as a superb work of art made in 1402 [cf. infra] by Juan Francés under the supervision of Padre Yáñez, and originally part of the 'lavatorium' fountain that stood in the gazebo-like structure located near the entrance of the refectory of the monastery here. The font consists of a shallow hemispherical basin mounted on a round pedestal and a round lower base; there are a number [10? / 12?] of protrusions on the outer sides of the basin, the type of motifs used to lead the water out in fountains and cloister fonts. In May 2003 the font was still located inside the monastery, in the Capilla de Santa Ana, by the altar. A May 2010 photograph shows it, set up back as a fountain in a covered patio or recreational area of the monastery. Several sources inform that the object was originally the fountain of the Mudejar cloister of the monastery [cf. Garnelo y Alda supra], and was brought here in 1841, a time when this chapel served as parish church to Guadalupe. There have been claims that the baptismal font at the monastery was used to baptise the first natives brought across the Atlantic by Columbus in 1496. The bronze vessel claimed as a font by some sources was probably not used as a baptismal font in the 15th century; there probably was a font in the monastery church and it may very well have been used to baptise the American natives in 1496. One explanation is that the real baptismal font of the monsatery is now serving as basin of the public fountain in the square that opens on the south side of the monastery; this 'plaza' is the traditional centre of town, surrounde on all the other sides by homes and businesses; it is a hemispherical basin decorated with a ribbed pattern all around, with a moulded upper rim-side; although the basin sides have four perforations with inserted tubes for drainage, such basin may well have been originally part of a baptismal font, although the date of this basin would have to be corroborated to support such claim. Did this basin belong to the monastery church? Was it part of the font there in the late-15th century? [NB: if Garnelo y Alda [cf. supra] is correct in assigning the authorship of the 'lavabo' fountain to Juan Francés, and it was done during the incumbency of Padre Yáñez as prior of the monastery (1389-1412), 1402 could very well be the date of the bronze vessel -- it is not clear whether or not a replica of the bronze vessel was made at some point so that the original continued to be used as baptismal font and the replica was installed outside the refectory].