Altarpiece and organ of Parish of the Immaculate Conception
The main altarpiece and the organ were located in the parish church of the Immaculate Conception, the main church of the town and the origin of the village of Galaroza.
Baroque altarpiece (17th century-1936)
The baroque style altarpiece was divided into three sections by Solomonic columns. In the central section there was a niche with the image of the Immaculate Conception. Next to it, to the left, there was a carving that we do not recognize and to the right another one of San Antonio Abad that is still conserved in the present altarpiece.
On the exterior streets, inside niches with grotesque motifs, it is possible that on the left side, there was an image of St. Joseph with the child in his arms and a slender rod. On the right side, there was a carving of a bishop carrying a miter and a pastoral crosier.
Above the titular, the Immaculate Conception, the monstrance display can be seen. The attic had three levels of lunettes. The two upper ones contained scenes of the life of Christ and the lower one a representation of Calvary.
This sculptural ensemble was destroyed and partially burned on July 25, 1936.
Old organ
Another of the missing elements is the old organ, located to the right of the altarpiece.
In 1765 an organ made by Gonzalo Sousa Mascareñas, designer of this type of instruments in other towns such as Aroche and Jabugo, arrived at the parish.
The Sevillian organ builder Antonio Otín Calvete “el menor” was in charge of making the pertinent modifications to the instrument. According to the musical expert García de Luna, the Sevillian organ builder “gave the instrument a new case, as well as some registers, having to increase the height and depth of the keys, for the liturgical-musical use that this parish must have had in those years.” Thanks to Dr. García de Luna’s study of the organs preserved in Seville, Cadiz, and the Canary Islands, the date of this old organ can be estimated to be 1857.
The instrument was priced at 16,000 reales and was based on the model made by the master organ builder of the Royal Chapel of the Seville Cathedral.
However, this magnificent architectural and musical work disappeared from the life of the Cachoneros, as it had the same fate as the previous altarpiece.
Current altarpiece
The current altarpiece is in the baroque style, made of carved wood in white and gold. It was brought from the town of Estepa, to replace the original one, damaged in 1936 and arrived in Galaroza thanks to María Teresa Vázquez de Pablo, a great philanthropist to the municipality and the parish. In 2019, the restoration of the piece was finally completed.
The altarpiece was adapted and placed in the apse by local carpenters and on the arch, it reads “YOU ARE THE GLORY OF JERUSALEM, YOU ARE THE JOY OF ISRAEL. YOU HONOR OUR PEOPLE”.
The altarpiece is divided into three sections by stipites and is amply decorated with garlands, rockery, and leaf litter. In the central section, in a niche, is the Immaculate Conception, an image made by Juan Bautista Patroni in 1798. On the section to the left is the image of San Antonio Abad, donated by Arias Montano, and on the section to the right is a carving of San Diego de Alcalá.
Above the stipes, we find an architrave with grotesques and the figures of St. Michael and St. Raphael, located in the curved pediment. Between both images, there is the sculpture of St. Francis of Assisi at the moment he receives the stigmata.
The main altarpiece and the organ were located in the parish church of the Immaculate Conception, the main church of the town and the origin of the village of Galaroza.
Baroque altarpiece (17th century-1936)
The current altarpiece is in the baroque style, made of carved wood in white and gold. It was brought from the town of Estepa, to replace the original one, damaged in 1936 and arrived in Galaroza thanks to María Teresa Vázquez de Pablo, a great philanthropist to the municipality and the parish. In 2019, the restoration of the piece was finally completed.
On the exterior streets, inside niches with grotesque motifs, it is possible that on the left side, there was an image of St. Joseph with the child in his arms and a slender rod. On the right side, there was a carving of a bishop carrying a miter and a pastoral crosier.
Above the titular, the Immaculate Conception, the monstrance display can be seen. The attic had three levels of lunettes. The two upper ones contained scenes of the life of Christ and the lower one a representation of Calvary.
This sculptural ensemble was destroyed and partially burned on July 25, 1936.
Old organ
Another of the missing elements is the old organ, located to the right of the altarpiece.
In 1765 an organ made by Gonzalo Sousa Mascareñas, designer of this type of instruments in other towns such as Aroche and Jabugo, arrived at the parish.
The Sevillian organ builder Antonio Otín Calvete “el menor” was in charge of making the pertinent modifications to the instrument. According to the musical expert García de Luna, the Sevillian organ builder “gave the instrument a new case, as well as some registers, having to increase the height and depth of the keys, for the liturgical-musical use that this parish must have had in those years.” Thanks to Dr. García de Luna’s study of the organs preserved in Seville, Cadiz, and the Canary Islands, the date of this old organ can be estimated to be 1857.
The instrument was priced at 16,000 reales and was based on the model made by the master organ builder of the Royal Chapel of the Seville Cathedral.
However, this magnificent architectural and musical work disappeared from the life of the Cachoneros, as it had the same fate as the previous altarpiece.
Current altarpiece
The current altarpiece is in the baroque style, made of carved wood in white and gold. It was brought from the town of Estepa, to replace the original one, damaged in 1936 and arrived in Galaroza thanks to María Teresa Vázquez de Pablo, a great philanthropist to the municipality and the parish. In 2019, the restoration of the piece was finally completed.
The altarpiece was adapted and placed in the apse by local carpenters and on the arch, it reads “YOU ARE THE GLORY OF JERUSALEM, YOU ARE THE JOY OF ISRAEL. YOU HONOR OUR PEOPLE”.
The altarpiece is divided into three sections by stipites and is amply decorated with garlands, rockery, and leaf litter. In the central section, in a niche, is the Immaculate Conception, an image made by Juan Bautista Patroni in 1798. On the section to the left is the image of San Antonio Abad, donated by Arias Montano, and on the section to the right is a carving of San Diego de Alcalá.
Above the stipes, we find an architrave with grotesques and the figures of St. Michael and St. Raphael, located in the curved pediment. Between both images, there is the sculpture of St. Francis of Assisi at the moment he receives the stigmata.
