Sometimes, it is exciting to see the way in which some facts and some characters, remain for centuries in the memory of the people, as an existential paradigm in which the general content is altered but not the underlying message in the background. An example of what I say, can be found here, in this chapel added to the church of San Bartolomé, in Campisábalos, and in the character with whom he relates: the gentleman Galindo or, in his beatific degree, the knight San Galindo.

Taking into account that Spain is a country where the circumstances of its history meant that not everyone had access to culture until relatively recent times, it meant that this, or better said, that intimate and visceral part conformed by myths, experiences and beliefs, and summarized in the word folklore, was transmitted orally, from parents to children, for generations. Undoubtedly, we are talking about a wealth that is much underestimated by orthodox historians, but fortunately survives in the reviews of researchers who are working hard, putting all the means at their disposal - effort, time and money, mainly - in their study and compilation , contributing, to a great extent, to rescue it from oblivion.

The best source of information, undoubtedly, are people of a certain age, such as the Septuagenarian Mr. Severino Simón -which I had the honor to present in the previous post- whose memories constitute, in fact, a small key that can help us to argue a hypothesis that, during the course of the conversation, we may intuit.

Moving, then, in the slippery universe of the hypothetical - everything must be said, at least, in an attempt to be honest - we can discover, if not the exact identity of the mysterious gentleman Galindo, yes at least some details that put us on the track of its possible origin and origin.

Don Severino tells us, and he does it with the seriousness that the respect gives, that the gentleman in question, that is, Galindo, had the approval of the royalty, under whose favor - interesting to ask us why - he received large tracts of land, as well as abandoned towns and villages, in order to proceed with their repopulation. Notoriously, it is recognized - I will add, at this point, that Don Severino's insistence is interesting - the creation of numerous hospitals. For this reason, during a good part of the conversation, this sympathetic septuagenarian will use the word hospitable when referring to one of the main activities of the gentleman in question. I think it is important to highlight this aspect, in order not to advance suspicions.

Part of the land donated by royalty to such a peculiar gentleman, make up places whose content, in times, we find very interesting, as may be the case of the Navas de Jadraque, place where the existence of silver mines and of gold, possibly already exploited in times of Roman domination. Other places, because they still carry today the identity of the knight who was its founder: Casas de San Galindo, a town located 13 kilometers away from the historic town of Hita, and a kilometer, more or less, away of Miralrio. All this has its meaning, in full expansion of Reconquista, if we add, likewise, that if not all, at least some of these places, it seems, were part of the path that, starting from Cuenca, also passed through Albendiego, Campisábalos and Ayllón, joining in Burgos to the so-called French Way of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Up to here, broadly speaking, what popular folklore referred to at the beginning, has preserved in memory in relation to the activities of such a singular character.

The history, evidently, continues now with the curious chapel that shelters -or housed in times- the mortal remains of the knight. The first thing that has to call the attention of this chapel, added, as it is known, to the main body of the church of San Bartolomé, is its rectangular shape with vaulted ceiling; so that, symbolically speaking, we could compare it with an ark or a chest, an element without doubt useful, if not essential, to keep or receive something.

The second, despite being an element common to many Romanesque churches, both in the province and in other provinces, is the agricultural calendar that is located in the main body of the nave; calendar that everybody talks about, but it hardly highlights their belonging to the chapel and not to the church, and that, in some way, introduces us into a modus vivendi or way of life. Form or way of life, which Don Severino understands perfectly: sowing, gathering, hunting, fighting ... typical details of the time, it is true, but also, let's not forget, model of an eminently organized social structure.

The coiled snake, is another of the symbols that, in the shape of a canecillo, draw attention, located in one of the ends of the portico of access, being the canecillo of the opposite end, a head, probably of a monstrous or animal nature. The degree of deterioration makes it difficult to describe accurately the remaining corbels that are in the middle, although one of them undoubtedly represents a human figure.

Inside, and motivated by the restoration of the church, there are some elements that originally belong to it. Among them, two figures, of indeterminate age, representing San Bartolomé and María Magdalena, respectively.

Very curious figures, to my understanding, that under a partly orthodox appearance and of course pious, hide, however, some peculiarities worthy of being discussed. Both, in this case, have in common an element that relates them, precisely, to one of the symbols we have mentioned before: the snake. Known is the story of San Bartolomé, who was flayed alive but whose skin regenerated again. The serpentine element, in the figure of Mary Magdalene, we have to place here - a license of the artist? - in the curious dress; a dress that, if we look closely, is covered with scales, like the skin of a snake. Element associated with evil by ecclesial orthodoxy, but also representative of wisdom and renewal, in heterodox thought. And both, St. Bartholomew and Mary Magdalene, saints of special devotion to the most heterodox of the medieval cavalry orders: the Order of the Temple.

Wisdom, in this covert case, was also used among stonemasons guilds, who never lost the opportunity to unfold their knowledge in a completely veiled way to the neophyte, using, for this, keys and identity signals that were only known by other guild brothers or adepts. Perhaps for that reason, they might decide to use a decoration - the border, let's say it, that in the higher stages runs through the four corners of the nave - made up of a interlacing of fleurs de lis, this being, in addition, one of the hidden forms of the so-called rune of life or, more simply known, pata de oca. Signal that, in addition, if we have to pay attention to the assertions of the French researcher Louis Charpentier (1), was the symbol that identified one of the main guild companions who left record of its passage to all the length and width of the Jacobean roads ; concretely, to that one guild denominated like Sons of the Teacher Jacques. Another trace of this symbology is found, along with other elements of the quarry brotherhoods -the wolf, emblematic animal and companion of the Celtic god Lug- in the shield that supposedly belonged to the knight.

A fine cross divides it into four equal parts, in such a way that in the upper part we find three lily flowers that, by their position, make up a triangle, and at their side, a tower; at the bottom, under the fleurs de lis, the wolf, and at its side, another tower. Unfortunately, the inscription that is immediately below the shield, does not offer any date that can be taken as a reference, and even some researchers doubt that it has not been altered at any time in history, for interests that would be too extensive to explain:

'In this chapel where the iron gate is, the body of the knight San Galindo is buried and the said chapel and hospital and his property and rents are patrons of the Justice and Regiment of the town of Atienza. It was done by mandate of the illustrious Lords Alvarez, Mayor by his Majesty of the said town and Don Gr. De Medrano Bravo Alferez Mayor, Francisco del Castillo, Juan de Riveros, Grd. Pinedo, Br. De Hijes, López de Guzmán, Francisco Guerrero.

The iron gate to which the inscription refers, in effect, indicates the place where the knight's tomb is located. A tomb that, a priori, and contrary to the famous painting by Nicolás Poussin (2), does not seem to contain an inscription or symbol. Above it, one of the best preserved capitals of the Romanesque of Guadalajara, shows a set of clear silense influence, formed by two harpies riding beasts, and at the ends, two centaurs-sagittarians in attitude of asaetearlas.

The small window of the apse, immediately recalls the Mudejar influence akin to other religious buildings in the area, such as the aforementioned church of Santa Coloma de Albendiego, and apart from compiling references of marked esoteric and even alchemical origin (3), it constitutes a allegation, synarchic, in my opinion, that alludes or contains symbols of the three main religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

Even at the risk of criticism and disagreement, I am of the opinion that here, in reality, we are venerating -very distorted over the centuries- what we could describe as a Templar saint. Another of many examples distributed by our geography, which involves the memory of some gentlemen whose actions left their mark on the memory of the people, and who, even pampered by ecclesial orthodoxy, generate a heterodox environment difficult to ignore.

To anyone interested in learning more about the Templar saints, I recommend reading the book by Rafael Alarcón Herrera, La soirpe de Lucifer (4).

Notes, References and Bibliography:

(1) Louis Charpentier: The mystery of Compostela, Editorial Plaza & Janés, 1976.
(2) The painting by Nicolás Poussin that is referred to in this literary license is that entitled Le bergiers d'Arcadie (The Shepherds of Arcadia) and the inscription Et in Arcadia ego, I am also in Arcadia, which is located in the tomb that the shepherds read so intently and is part of the mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau.
(3) The cross, for example, of the type called eight-beatitudes or beatitudes would contain, according to various authors, the secret alphabet of the Order of the Temple. The superimposed triangles of the Star of David or Seal of Solomon, would describe, also and according to the position towards where it points its vertex (upwards, downwards or to the sides) the four basic elements of Alchemy: Earth, Water, Air and Fire.
(4) Rafael Alarcón Herrera: The race of Lucifer, Ediciones Robinbook, S.L., 2006.

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