The transfer of the Kings of Navarre in Pamplona Cathedral (1865-1866). Art and artists for a ceremony frustrated

Abstract

In 1865 and 1866, coinciding with the announcement of the visits of Queen Elizabeth II to Pamplona, the Provincial Government of Navarre tried to move to the Cathedral the mortal remains of the ancient Navarrese monarchs, buried for centuries in the Monastery of San Salvador of Leyre, to which the vicissitudes of the nineteenth Century had led to a state of ruin. With this purpose in mind, the Provincial Government organized a civil-religious function, in which art played a fundamental role in creating the conducive atmosphere. The scenic decoration of the Cathedral, the construction of a funerary urn, and the erection of a catafalque in mourning clothes, were the major works of art planned, for whose execution Navarrese institutions contacted renowned artists in Madrid and Catalonia, including the cabinetmaker Juan José Muñoz, the sculptors Venanci and Agapit Vallmitjana, and the painter Antoni Caba i Casamitjana. Finally, the suspension of royal visits, and the approval by the Academy of San Fernando of the architectural restoration of Leyre, derailed the project.