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Of all the minuscule villages in Ibiza,
Santa Agnès is truly the most minuscule. It is composed
of nothing more than one round plaza: neat, self-contained
and about the size of a playground. The village hasn't even
a paved street to its name, for its tiny hub is held within
the spokes of a sleek motorway and two dusty country roads
that lead off into semi-wilderness. The church that presides
over the plaza is, in fact, the smallest on the island, not
to mention one of the simplest. But, despite its dwarfed dimensions,
Santa Agnès church is steeped in centuries of ancient
lore. As if to compensate for its lessened material status,
a rich air of mystery adds spiritual largess to the village.
What's In A Name?
While many churches in Ibiza were named
after random saints, such is not the case in Santa Agnès.
It is one of the few island churches with an express reason
behind its nomenclature. In the words of the decree of erection,
this house of worship was placed under the patronage of Santa
Agnès "because the people of Corona are very devoted
to her." The roots of this devotion, obvious to Abad
y Lasierra even in 1785, in fact reach back over a thousand
years to the earliest days of Christianity when Ibiza was
still under the Byzantine influence.
Cult To Agnes
Before there were any churches to speak of, an archaic form
of Christianity was practised in natural grottoes made into
shrines. One such grotto, sa Cova Santa (or 'the Holy Cave')
was used from the time of Ibiza's Dark Centuries, throughout
Moorish rule and into the 14th century when the Sant Antoni
church was built. Upon its completion, the relics and icons
that had been used for worship in the grotto were taken to
the new church. One of these icons was a carved figure of
Saint Agnes, a Roman virgin who was martyred in AD 304 and
around whom a fervent cult had grown up in Ibiza. Curiously,
soon after the removal of her figure to the church, the saint
mysteriously reappeared in the grotto. Perplexed, the people
carried her once again to the church of Sant Antoni and placed
her on the altar that was meant to be her new home. Once again,
through unknown auspices, the saint cryptically managed to
return to her original earthen shrine. And so it went for
a while, until the people came to realize that the saint's
will was to remain in the cave where she had always dwelt
and whence she had always watched over her flock. And so it
was done.
Centuries later, when Abad y Lasierra instituted
his church-raising campaign, one of the spots he chose was
Corona, a vénda near the Holy Cave in which the people
had always maintained a fervent love of Saint Agnes. At their
express request, the bishop agreed to name her as the patroness
of the church at Corona. Incidentally, the designation Corona,
as with most other toponyms in Ibiza, derives from a salient
geographical feature, in this case a 'crown' (or corona) of
hills that encircles the area.
The Saint At Work
Ever since the mysterious happenings of the 14th century,
numerous folktales began to spring up around Saint Agnes,
all of which related to her great powers of divine intervention
in times of need. One of the most impressive of these tales*
involves an incident that occurred during the building of
the Santa Agnès Church, circa 1825. The master builder,
Lluc Costa 'Maimó', had gone in his boat to pick up
some large trunks of sabina wood, when a fierce storm caught
him by surprise. Just as the builder was entering Cala Salada,
the boat capsized. As he fought desperately against the waves,
the drowning man felt the protection of his spiritual patroness,
St. Agnes, and found the strength to save himself from sure
death. While still in the clutches of the tempest, he vowed
that, were he saved, he would donate an emprendada (a female
chest ornament of tiered gold chains typical to island dress)
to embellish a figure of the Virgin Mary. Maimó kept
his vow and the emprendada can still be seen today, worn by
the Virgin as she is carried in solemn procession along the
village roads on Saint Agnes' Day. Interestingly, the actual
figure of Sant Agnès, for all the devotion that was
lavished on it, has not come down to the present day, and
its whereabouts are lost to the mists of time.
Low But Not Lowly
Local lore attributes the low height of the Santa Agnès
church to the fact there was a race on between the parishioners
of Corona and those of the neighbouring parish of Aubarca
(i.e. Sant Mateu). An unspecified but exasperated bishop was
supposed to have decreed that, "Whosoever completeth
first thy church shall winneth a prize." Apparently up
to his neck with continual stalemates, the bishop saw fit
to offer the parishioners a material incentive in order to
hasten their progress: the fastest builders would be awarded
a free figure of the Virgin Mary. Legend has it that, in order
to better their chances at winning, the people of Corona cut
corners in the most literal sense! Whether the tale is true
or not is doubtful, but it's good telling all the same.
Sublime Aura
Notwithstanding its petit proportions, the church of Santa
Agnès is thought to possess the greatest spirituality
of all. Historian, Joan Marí Cardona, often refers
in his writings to the mysterious aura that can be found within
it walls. A ceramic engraving in an exterior niche of the
church (designed by Canadian architect Rolph Blakstad bears
the inscription: Agnus Dei = Lamb of God = St. Agnes. According
to Marí Cardona, this epitaph, "invites us to
enter (the church) and take a close look at our own interior,
in sincere contact with divinity." Again, upon leaving
the village, the historian urges us to, "take a backward
glance at the church. One will conceded that its exterior
form as well is nothing if not a monumental prayer, full of
divine serenity offered to any and all who look upon it with
the eyes of spirit open."
Closing
Any time of the year is a fine time for a visit to Santa Agnès,
but for those seeking a quaint country fiesta of a higher
order, try 21st January. You might even pop into the church
and say a prayer for 2002!
*See our LiveIbiza Archive article Weekly Edition 025 of Saturday 18th August
2001 for another of the Santa Agnès tales.
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The Church at Santa Agnès
Picture Copyright © Gary Hardy (November 1990)
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Emily
Kaufman
emilykaufman@liveibiza.com
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