Rendering Uqlīsh: virtual reconstruction of the architecture of the Order of Santiago in the territory of Uclés through the Order’s inspection records

Abstract

At the end of the Middle Ages, in the Iberian Peninsula, history was the driving force behind the evolution of architecture towards more rational and efficient solutions. Among the driving forces behind this change were military orders, which managed to solve a problem whose solution had been impossible to find for centuries: the vast plains of the peninsula's plateau that had been unconquerable for Christians until then. Among these, the Order of Santiago stood out because it managed to configure fairly homogeneous architectural models in a very large territory. This Order’s inspection records (‘libros de visita’) included many texts with information that allowed multiple analyses.

This article studies the medieval architectural heritage of the Order of Santiago in Uclés, developed as a historical account of the architecture built in medieval times. Due to the historical and architectural breadth, defining a more modest and concrete context has been necessary: the conquest by the Order of Santiago of the territory of Uclés, nowadays an area in the current Spanish provinces of Cuenca, Madrid, and Toledo; it comprised the lands in which the town and villages of Uclés were located, with the addition of nearby villages or places related to the history of the Order and Uclés (defining the so-called territory of Uclés). This area was framed within the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in the 12^th and 13^th centuries.

The architecture of the Order included all types of constructions, regardless of their form, function, or typology; their common characteristic was that they were the node where all the socio-economic variables plus hierarchical and organizing aspects of the political space converged: this study takes into account the symbolic function that constructions acquired in relation to the territory occupation. The first image of this architecture is that of the military buildings followed by religious constructions (those that have survived); the civil architecture and town planning are also studied, all of which were initially understood as defensive tools. They later became fundamental pillars on which the territorial organization was based.

This research is focused mainly on improving the historical and architectural reality knowledge of the territory of Uclés; its history and evolution are analysed from its conquest to its consolidation through the architecture built there. This is supported by previous studies, with the bibliography and documentation found.

From the very beginning, it was advisable to study the contents of the inspection records, as the main source for learning about the Order's architecture, although the first preserved descriptions date back to the second half of the 15^th century. Therefore, the architecture study of the territory of Uclés, can only be done in the context of the 12^th and 13^th centuries, by looking back to the architecture described from the end of the 15^th century onwards.

The proposed methodology was based on the historical-archaeological vision of architecture, relying both on documentary information gathered from written sources, and also on archaeological reality. The authors encountered many limitations with regard to the history and archaeology of this architecture, and only in specific situations was it possible to develop the proposed method; the reasons were the scarcity of writings or remains, as well as the texts and vestiges lack of coherence).

To elaborate on the graphic hypotheses of the constructions, it was necessary to filter out those texts that presented a certain confusion in the descriptions development, or those that contained scarce architectural details.

Most of the buildings studied have not been totally preserved and/or have even completely disappeared. The passing of time, alterations, and changes in use, make it difficult, if not impossible, to find a correspondence between what these buildings were and their exact current location. In addition, another difficulty found in making the drawings was the way in which the visitors described the buildings, which the authors tried to alleviate: when it was possible to confirm or determine certain aspects, this was done by studying the inspection records in different years.

This study has not provided all the expected usefulness, especially in terms of facilitating graphic analysis. Even so, other interests have been more than covered by the research. The inspection records turned out to be sources for historical study, providing information beyond what is imagined; they are sources for hypothesizing construction drawings thanks to their descriptive richness and for their analysis, because they include various descriptions; they are also sources for enriching the historical and architectural lexicon.

The integration of digital technologies into this architectural environment allows us, on the one hand, to extend our knowledge of it by creating a building registration list; on the other hand, it is also possible to carry out a broader analysis that delves deeper into floor plans and volumes, thus completing a renewed architectural catalogue that favours interest in studying a legacy that, until a few years ago, was destined to be lost.