Don Gil Rodríguez de Junterón: Committente Architettonico e Artistico tra Roma e Murcia

Abstract

This article underlines the influence of the orderer, a prelate of Murcia's cathedral, who plays a fundamental role in the history of renaissance architecture in Spain as he encourages the slow process of introduction of this style after his stay in the court of Julius II in Rome. We have tried to reconstruct the life of D. Gil Rodriguez de Junterón, (1480?-1552), archdeacon of Lorca and apostolic protonotary and his stay in the Roman court of Julius II della Rovere (1503-13) during one ofthe most florid decades of this city. When he came back to Spain he was appointed "fabriquero mayor" (The officer in charge of all construction and maintenance works) of the cathedral of Murcia. He ordered a revolutionary burial chapel in the cathedral of Murcia, one of the first buildings "in the ancient style" in Spain. He linked his name to Julius II who had given him important sinecures. Then he opposed the institution of a new diocese in Orihuela, he joined the revolution of the communities and founded a rich entailed state in the irrigated region of Murcia (Beniel, Azeneta, Villoria) which stood until the XVIIIth century. Research at the Secret Vatican Archives, and other archives in Murcia, Madrid and Valladolid permitted us to reconstruct the biography of Junterón summed up in this article and shows the importance of the person who orders a work in the history of art and architecture.