La escultura románica y sus problemas de interpretación: el llamado sepulcro «de Mudarra» procedente del Monasterio de San Pedro de Arlanza

Abstract

The legendary traditions created in monasteries during the Middle Ages and revitalized in modern times have often led to mistaken interpretations of their oldest remains, both architectural and in the minor arts. One of these remains is the mural monument today in the cloister of the Cathedral of Burgos and originally from the Monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza. Known as the «Tomb of Mudarra» (hero of the County of Castilla), in the traditional historiography it came to be considered a work of the early Romanesque or even a falsification from the seventeenth century. This article attempts to delve into the process by which the mural monument acquired its mythic meaning. A stylistic analysis will resituate the mural monument in the historical context of the late Romanesque in which it was created.