Izanoz / Itzanotz / Izánoz

News of this object were released on 16 January 2011 by Simeón Hidalgo Valencia in his blog pages [http://simeonhidalgo.over-blog.com/article-se-localiza-la-pila-bautismal-de-izanoz-65125491.html]. The quadrangular basin, said to have been the baptismal font of the village church, was rescued when the village was abandoned, and later its ruins bulldozed; it apparently served as planter for some time, until a local person acquired it and now keeps it in a safe location. Like those of two fonts in the area (Ripodas and Turrillas) this basin is rectangular inside and out (outer measurements: 79 x 60 cm) and plain, with a chamfered lower part; there is an odd protrusion low down on one of the narrow sides of the basin, in the shape of a handle with a hollow in it; it would be in the wrong location to serve as rest for the chrism, oils, or any of the ancillary elements used in the baptism ritual; they are also not functional as handles either. The basin is now raised on a pedestal base consisting of two circular stones. If the object was not originally a font, but a farm trough, for instance, the 'handle' would make sense as a tethering post for beasts. Hidalgo Valencia finds this font somewhat related in shape and period to those at nearby Turrillas y Rípodas. The font is now [January 2011] in the care of the Grupo Cultural "Valle de Izagaondoa".