Interpretation of the remains of the church of the monastery of San Jerónimo de Buenavista (Seville) based on a multifocal approach and the creation of a digital model

SCIentific RESearch and Information Technology Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologie dell'Informazione Vol 13, Issue 2 (2023), 43-60 e-ISSN 2239-4303, DOI 10.2423/i22394303v13n2p43 Open access article licensed under BY-NC- CASPUR-CIBER CASPUR-CIBER Publishing, http://www.sciresit.it INTERPRETATION OF THE REMAINS OF THE CHURCH OF THE MONASTERY OF SAN JERÓNIMO DE BUENAVISTA (SEVILLE) BASED ON A MULTIFOCAL APPROACH AND THE CREATION OF A DIGITAL MODEL José María Guerrero Vega*, Roque Angulo Fornos*, Francisco Pinto Puerto* *Universidad de Sevilla - Seville, Spain Abstract After the French invasion and the disentailment of ecclesiastical property in Spain in the 19th century, the monastery of San Jerónimo de Buenavista in Seville fell victim to neglect, looting and ruin. Archaeological prospections begun in 1988 yielded evidence of the foundations and some of the paving of the lost areas, but the parts of the monastery’s church that are still standing today have barely received any attention beyond establishing certain spatial relationships with the underlying remains. To examine the construction and spatial characteristics of the building, we developed a digital model based on a photogrammetric survey, a stratigraphic interpretation of traces, a spatial analysis based on the geometric systems of formal control that were used at the time, and the identification of typological references. The aim of these overlapping approaches was to obtain the most objective understanding possible. Keywords: Archaeology, church, photogrammetry, vaults, geometry. 1. Introduction The surviving remains of the monastery of San Jerónimo de Buenavista comprise most of the structure of the galleries in the main cloister, some of the adjacent wings, the wall panel corresponding to the Epistle side of the church, a bell tower, and parts of the perimeter wall. (Fig. 1). Fig. 1: Aerial view of the complex (Google Earth) and situation of the monastery with respect to the city of Seville Today, the monastery is integrated into the urban structure of the San Jerónimo district in the northern sector of the city of Seville, at approximately half a league (2.3 km) from the city centre to the closest gate in its walled enclosure, on the road that connected the city to the centre of the Iberian Peninsula via Extremadura. Known as the Vía de la Plata (“Silver Road”), this was one of four routes which the court used to travel to Seville in the 15th and 16th centuries, according to the records and the map drawn up by the Valencian cartographer Juan de Villuga in 1543 (Ferreira- Lopes, 2020). This road was also the umbilical cord with the main Hieronymite monastery located in Guadalupe, from which its first prior was sent, Brother Diego Martínez de Medina. The most detailed study of the monastery, carried out by the historian Antonio Sancho Corbacho (1949), makes reference to the main written sources: the chronicles of the Hieronymite Father José de Siguenza (1595/1907); the brief account of Fernán Arana de Valflora (1766), which merely indicates that the church was Gothic; the account of the origin of the complex included in the Anales Eclesiásticos y Seculares de la ciudad de Sevilla of Ortiz de Zúñiga (1795); the description of the complex provided by Felix González de León (1844, pp. 491–194), who saw the finished building; and the later description provided by (2023), n. 2 J.M. Guerrero Vega, R. Angulo Fornos, F. Pinto Puerto 44 José Gestoso (1892), who visited the monastery in ruins. Our knowledge of the church is further assisted by the relationship established between the Hieronymites and the Ponce de León family during the 15th and 16th centuries (Carriazo, 1998), and the inventories and records of assets that existed before the looting in the 19th century, since they refer to specific spaces in the building (Fernández, 2009). To these written sources we must also add the iconographical references that offer images of the building before and after it fell into ruin, such as the lithograph by Mariani from 1859, the drawing by Díaz from 1869 (Sancho, 1975), and the photograph by Nadin from 1924, recorded by José García-Tapial (1992). That study and the reports of various archaeological interventions carried out by the archaeologists Florentino Pozo and Miguel Ángel Tabales (1991, 1992) furnished the first architectural interpretation of the monastic complex. 1 While the archaeological surveys revealed the exact shape of the apse, the base of the walls corresponding to the Gospel side and the sacristies, and the height of the flooring at different points, they did not provide a stratigraphicconstruction interpretation of the enormous wall corresponding to the interior longitudinal elevation of the church. In a later monographic study of the monasteries of the Hieronymite order, Ruiz Hernando (1997) provided a detailed inventory of all such monasteries founded in the Iberian Peninsula, shedding considerable light on typographical considerations that have proved extremely valuable for filling in some of the gaps in our interpretation of the construction and the documentation pertaining to the Buenavista monastery. He examined several recurring spatial elements in the architecture of these monasteries from 1415, the year in which they were constituted as free-standing, centralised constructions that obeyed a set of rules designed to control the monastic organism. One of these characteristics was the spatial link between the choir loft and the chancel for the exaltation of the liturgy through the influence of vocal and instrumental music, and the configuration of flows and spaces that allowed the shared use of the church by the dignitaries who helped fund the monastery, royal visits, and the daily activity of the monks. 1 The excavations were carried out between September 1988 and May 1990. Based on this same typological approach, recent advances in the knowledge of the systems of geometric and formal control applied to Gothic and Renaissance vaults (Palacios, 1990; Rabasa, 2000; Moreno 2017) have provided a more rigorous appreciation of the form likely adopted by the lost vaults in this monastery since we have been enable to link the surviving stone remains with the geometry and proportion of their plan. From an archaeological point of view, we have a methodology that has been well contrasted, based on the work of Harris (1991), the methodological bases proposed by Caballero (1995) and the systematization of paramental analysis proposed by Tabales (2002). 2. Methodology This study is based on a holistic approach to the subject matter, drawing on different disciplinary fields such as historiography, archaeology and architectural analysis. Our aim was to seek solutions to the issue of knowledge through the margins and commonalities shared by these disciplines, using the appropriate strategies in each case: - Graphic surveys based on photogrammetric data capture enabled us to develop a digital model of the remains with a sufficient degree of accuracy to analyse the form and dimensions of the construction elements. - The identification of differentiable units and their topological and temporal relationships shed light on the stratigraphic sequence derived from the construction process and the subsequent transformations. - A document review furnished the background information that enabled us to establish a logic and rationale for these processes and define reasonable time frames. - The study of the geometric framework offered a spatial structure that cast more light on the architectural design and its formal references. - The typological analysis highlighted the recurring formal elements that enabled us to view the building as part of a set of buildings with shared characteristics. This article describes all these analyses and culminates in a reasoned, scientific perspective that contributes to our knowledge of the spatial structure of the monastery’s church. The threads (2023), n. 2 Interpretation of the remains of the church of the monastery of San Jerónimo de Buenavista 45 that link the different stages of this journey are the graphics and infographics, conceived as instruments and vehicles of knowledge as well as efficient media for visualising the processes of transformation and the abstract geometric systems of formal control adopted in the architectural design. The result is offered as a model of the analysed reality and a reasoned interpretation of the preserved remains. 3. Execution of the work 3.1 Massive capture of metric data and survey The aim of the metrics capture was to be able to survey the remains of the elevation corresponding to the Epistle side of the church, and to do so with a degree of accuracy that would enable us to document the dimensions and forms of the construction elements, the heights of cornices and the traces of vaults. This would then enable us to match all these new data with the survey of the floor plan conducted after the archaeological excavations (Fig. 2). It was particularly important to obtain geometric information about the tas-de-charge elements of the vaults and the sections of the Gothic pilasters and their Renaissance overlays since these are the only surviving witnesses of the lost aerial structures. Equally essential were data about the curvatures of the wall arches in the choir and the section of the vault corresponding to the tower. In addition to the elevation, we needed information about the cross section of the church and the variations in thickness of the preserved wall. Fig. 2: Floor plan of the church obtained from the archaeological excavation. (Pozo & Tabales, 1991) To obtain all this information, we used convergent photogrammetry (Martín, 2014) from a total of 164 photographs of 7952x5304 pix taken with a Sony ILCE-7RM3 camera and Sigma 14- 24mm F2.8 DG DN lens, with a focal length of 24 mm. For the shots, we have worked with an approximate Ground Sampling Distance (GSD) between 0.10 and 0.25 cm. (this was not an aerial photogrammetry work, but a terrestrial one, so the concept of GSD is not significant, but it can help to know the level of definition of the capture). Agisoft Metashape software generated a dense point cloud and then a 3D mesh which we overlaid with a texture obtained from the original photographs. To ensure the correct orientation and scale of the photogrammetric model, we calculated the coordinates of 23 control points which then allowed us to use a common coordinates system both for the model and for the plans we consulted. The coordinates were obtained using topographical methodology with a manual total station Leica TS02. The relative accuracy of the model, after correct scaling and orientation, was ±1 cm. The model enabled us to generate orthophotographs of the most significant elevations of the complex. These then formed the basis for the graphic survey that aimed to supplement the archaeological floor plan (Fig. 3). Fig. 3: Photogrammetry workflow: orientation of the photographs, control points and orthophotograph generated. (2023), n. 2 J.M. Guerrero Vega, R. Angulo Fornos, F. Pinto Puerto 46 3.2 Inventory of special elements In this section we highlight a series of special architectural elements which, in addition to forming part of the stratigraphic analysis, offered valuable chronological indicators due to the significance of their form and position as parts of vaults, arches, walls and openings, showed with letters in the figure below (Fig. 4): - Beneath the robust Doric demi-columns we identified the Gothic ones with fillets that Sancho Corbacho observed. Although considerably degraded due to the ruinous state of the church, these fillets appear almost intact in certain points such as the springing blocks of the vault tas-de- charges and where the pilaster meets the front arch of the choir. Through the point cloud we were able to draw the horizontal section of the two overlaid states with a sufficient degree of accuracy, verifying that some of the Gothic fillets were reduced to achieve the Renaissance semi-circle (Fig 5). The bases of these pillars could be located beneath the current height of the floor since this was originally situated at a depth of 0.75 m, although we are currently unable to check their condition and configuration. This type of pilaster first appeared in Seville with the construction of the city’s cathedral around 1440–50, having originated in the Norman Gothic area and then been exported to the south of the Iberian Peninsula through masters such as Isambart, Carlín and Normán (Jiménez, 2013). - The jambs and archivolts that form the entrance arches to the side chapels display ornamental remains that were refashioned to be clad and form smooth planes (A). The decoration of these elements was usually in the form of thistle leaves. Meanwhile, between the fillets on the Gothic pilasters we identified the remains of pommels or hemispherical pearls. Thistle leaf ornamentation is documented in Seville from the late 15th century, notably on the envelopes of the chapels of San Pedro and San Pablo in Seville Cathedral (Fig. 6) and on the rose windows of the rear walls of the two arms of the cathedral. Pommel ornamentation is less common in Seville, appearing most frequently in the work of the Castilian master Juan Gil de Hontañón, who appears to have borrowed these motifs from other masters of European origin associated with works sponsored by the Catholic Monarchs, such as the Colonia in Burgos and Juan Guas in Toledo. - We identified two remains of door chambranles, one in the chapel under the tower and the other in the section adjacent to the entrance (B). In both cases, all the Gothic decoration has disappeared, leaving only a pitted effect on the wall (Fig. 7). The first one represents the remains of a fleuron concealed by the ledge on which the organ rests, over a basket-handle arch that was subsequently reworked into a semicircular arch. The other is a curved gable that has practically vanished entirely, leaving only the imprint of its upper section. Fig. 4: Elevation indicating inventoried elements (2023), n. 2 Interpretation of the remains of the church of the monastery of San Jerónimo de Buenavista 47 Fig. 5: Orthophoto of the photogrammetry of the pilasters and floor plans of the state before and after the Renaissance adaptation. Fig. 6: Left: Traces of ornamentation on the chapel jambs; right: typological reference in the window of the chapel of San Pedro in Seville Cathedral. Late 15th century Fig. 7: Chambranle traces in the chapel under the choir - The vaults above the choir loft and the ground-floor choir rest on robust corbels, thus leaving the perimeter walls free of pilasters to accommodate the choir stalls (C). These corbels have an ornamental coating and bosses around a hexagonal base, forming a canopy, which in turn rests on a thistle leaf corbel (Fig. 8). Although greatly deteriorated due to their transformation in the 16th century, it is still possible to discern a configuration similar to the models found in buildings of the late 15th century sponsored by the Catholic Monarchs, such as San Juan de los Reyes in Toledo. - A pair of tas-de-charges on Doric capitals has survived, maintaining a direct relationship with the aforementioned filleted pilasters (D). These remains are sufficient to confirm that they correspond to the tas-de-charge which in each of the pilasters serves as the springing block for two vaults with diagonal ribs and tiercerons, because they form a total of nine ribs whose directions on plan can be obtained from the flat projection of the point cloud. Two of these ribs correspond to the wall arches, another to the transverse arch, another two to the diagonal ribs, and the remaining ones, all with a smaller section, are the tiercerons. This type of vault is documented in Seville from the late 15th century. The brick bonds in the ashlar courses that form each tas-de-charge, and the curvature of the ribs, shed light on the form these vaults adopted, and also on the cross section of the church. - At the point where the west pillar of the tower meets the choir there are five undressed courses of masonry in the shape of the pilaster envelope (E), as well as the section of the cornice that would have formed the choir front in the nave (Fig. 9). The undressed part of the pillar would have been concealed in the haunches of the choir vault and furnishes information about the envelope of the Gothic pilaster and contemporaneous nature of the dressing of this pilaster and the choir vaults. At this point a new tas-de-charge emerges to receive the ribs of the choir vault, which would also have been composed of diagonal ribs and tiercerons. - The last of the special elements are two giant Doric Order demi-columns composed of a fluted shaft, which corresponds to the cladding of the previous Gothic shaft. This overlay explains the absence of entasis (F). The flutes in the lower third of the shafts adopt a different form, acquiring a torus that coincides with the height of the cornices on the chapel entrance arches, which in turn (2023), n. 2 J.M. Guerrero Vega, R. Angulo Fornos, F. Pinto Puerto 48 corresponds to a third of the height of the column. Meanwhile, the collar around the top of the shaft continues on the wall in the form of a cornice. All of these articulations, and the ornamental traces on the arches and jambs of the side chapel entrance arches, confirm the existence of a global project to translate the church’s formal elements into a sufficiently evolved Renaissance language, which was completed with the operations carried out in other spaces, such as in the passing points between the cloister galleries and the choir, and the construction of a monumental staircase. Fig. 8: Left: corbel in the choir loft; right: tas-de-charge over one of the pilaster capitals Fig. 9: Joint between the mouldings on the choir front and the vault with the pilaster The first six elements likely formed part of a Late Gothic project that may have comprised two building phases. The first two described above, located in the lower part of the wall, likely date from around 1480, the date to which we ascribe the thistle leaf and pommel ornaments; the other elements take us to the end of the 15th century, coinciding with the expansion of the church and the sealing of the vaults. The appearance of these elements coincides with the time when the monastery was increasingly used as a temporary residence for the Catholic Monarchs and the place from which they organised their regal entries into the city, beginning in 1477. The later elements correspond to the high point of the community in 1491, when the monastery achieved its largest congregation and the liturgical celebrations acquired their most splendorous moment, thanks to the royal presence. The adaptation of the church pilasters, chapel entrance arches and walls to a more Roman-style language may be viewed as a transitional operation that suppressed all Late Gothic ornamentation. Given the presence of the tas-de-charges, we believe that this adaptation did not affect the vaults, which were preserved because of their structural nature. This operation occurred at a time of formal and spatial change in the second half of the 16th century, although it had begun with the work of the great cloister, around 1526, according to the design of the Cantabrian master Diego de Riaño. Similar adaptations are found in the churches at the Carthusian monasteries in Jerez de la Frontera and Granada, albeit dating to a later period and using a Baroque language. In these cases, the modifications also affected the wall elements but spared the vaults, where only the surface ornamentation was altered. 3. 3 Stratigraphic interpretation The starting point for the stratigraphic analysis of the visible remains of the church was the aforementioned archaeological campaigns, which yielded many of the underlying structures. The excavated remains are currently concealed but the graphical documents associated with these interventions enabled us to determine their position and situate them both on the floor plan and elevation, comparing them with the graphic survey conducted as part of this project. We began the analysis process by identifying the different stratigraphic units (SU) and recording their main material and building characteristics, as well as the discontinuities between them. For each of these units we established whether they were earlier, contemporaneous, or later than the adjacent units based on their physical relationships: both direct (2023), n. 2 Interpretation of the remains of the church of the monastery of San Jerónimo de Buenavista 49 (joint, support, abutment, covering, cut and filling) and indirect (equivalence and equality). We then created a graph with the identified stratigraphic relations to show the chronology of all the elevations analysed (Harris matrix), considering six building phases based on the available historical data. The key method followed was the one proposed by Caballero Zoreda for the stratigraphic analysis of historical constructions (Caballero Zoreda, 1995) (Figs. 10 and 11). It is also important to note that due to the degree of destruction of the original building following the secularisation of the monastery, which for practical purposes resulted in the demolition of all the wall elements that did not compromise the structural stability of the cloister and adjacent towers, we made the decision to exclude most of the negative stratigraphic units consisting in the loss or elimination of the claddings and decorative elements, whose existence we determined from the pitted effect of the stone or from historical photographs (Murillo & Utrero, 2004). The inclusion of these units in the elevations would have overlapped with the other units which these claddings conceal and which, in our opinion, sheds light on the chronology of the building elements. The negative stratigraphic units identified are represented by a linear mesh over the colour indicating their chronological phase. As our initial stratigraphic unit we took the construction of the church apse, materialised in the preserved remains by means of a mortar and stone rubble filling between an interior layer of brick and an exterior layer of ashlars (SU 100) (Fig 12). We detected the relationship between these Fig. 10: Plans based on the stratigraphic interpretation. Church floor plan with numbered zones: 1. Chancel; 2. Founders’ chapel; 3. Arcosolium of the tomb of Leonor Nuñez; 4. Screens in front of the chancel and choir; 5 Staircase leading to the roof over the chapels; 6. Ante-sacristy; 7. Church nave; 8. Side chapels; 9. Choir; 10 Choir library. (2023), n. 2 J.M. Guerrero Vega, R. Angulo Fornos, F. Pinto Puerto 50 elements and the ones visible today in the springing line of the ashlar-stone pilaster, which defines the outer boundary of the chancel and would have supported the now lost arch of the adjacent chapel. The change in the building system and the use of stone in this support, analogous to the following modules, led us to situate at this point the beginning of the next stage, which likely consisted primarily of the construction of the following three chapels. Judging from what we can see in the chapels, the construction of these spaces combined the use of ashlar stone on the pilasters, the entrance arches and the wall between them and the nave, with brickwork for all other walls and the webbing of the vaults (SU 101) (Fig. 13). Stone was also used for the ribs in the vaults, which likely rested on corbels that have since been lost. Except for the pilaster between the two chapels still standing, which does not project from the church wall, the other pilasters were formed by a series of fillets along their full length, like the ribs in the vaults. Fig. 12: Church apse after the archaeological excavation (Pozo & Tabales, 1990) This is clearly observed in the two preserved pilasters, as explained in a previous section of this article, and judging from the elements visible in the floor plan derived from the archaeological excavations we may deduce that the lost pilaster, at the edge of the rear facade, would have had a similar configuration. This entire phase was subsequently severely impacted when the original decoration of the architectural elements was replaced with a classical programme. This would have consisted in filling in parts of the pilaster fillets and removing some of the mouldings on the arch imposts. We also identified the pitted traces of what we believe to have been decorative elements, located in the oblique zones of the chapel entrance arches, both interior and exterior, and on the arches and jambs (SU 111,107) (Fig. 6). Of particular note is the severe deterioration of the lower part of the pilasters, which has led to the disappearance of practically the entire bases of these elements, although we were able to identify a fragment of a horizontal moulding next to the pilaster adjacent to the entrance from the cloister. The tiny dimensions of this sample and the partial filling in of the adjacent surface make it difficult to visualise its configuration, beyond confirming the existence of an element that in any case we would expect to find in the lower part of Gothic supports. We were also able to identify the breakage of the intermediate arches connecting the chapels (SU 173). The masonry differs on one side and the other of these walls, which suggests that these elements would originally have formed arcosolia facing the worship area of the church and that they were subsequently opened up and converted into through-arches. Alternatively, they may have incorporated smaller through-openings on the interior side of the original arches. Fig. 11: Resulting Harris matrix (2023), n. 2 Interpretation of the remains of the church of the monastery of San Jerónimo de Buenavista 51 Fig. 13: Left: preserved chapels on the Epistle side; right: detail of U163 The next phase, which likely completed the construction of the initial church, offers relative continuity with respect to the materials used on the pilasters and walls. Although it is difficult to identify a clear interface between these two phases, we were able to establish the boundary between them based on two types of criteria. In the first place, the change of material on the outside wall of the two preserved chapels in the section we defined as the “crossing” in previous parts of this article, where ashlars were used up to the height of the vaults over these chapels and thereafter a continuous brick wall (SU 102 and SU 104). The height where this change of material likely occurred would have ensured the structural stability of the side chapels and delimits the two phases. Meanwhile, in the space under the tower we clearly identified a change in the design of the building. The east pilaster is visibly engaged with the wall that separates the last chapel from the transition space between the cloister and the church, which is plain to see from inside this space. However, also visible is the abutment of the outer wall facing the church, which at certain points reveals the inclination of the planes that would have formed the pilaster jamb. This, and the moulding fragment identified in the lower section, confirms that the configuration of this pilaster would have been similar to the previous ones and conceived to receive the support of an arch like the ones in the preserved chapels. On the other side, the interior brickwork of the side wall of the vestibule is visibly imbricated with a small section to the east. Thereafter, an ashlar-stone elevation would have accommodated a door with a baskethandle or ogee arch, where the more prominent pitted effect in the alfiz frame around it suggests the elimination of the chambranle decorative elements that we mentioned in an earlier section of this article. We therefore situate at this point a change of criteria in the development of the floor plan and elevation before the completion of the section currently occupied by the tower. The next two sections, corresponding to the church entrance, would each have been covered by a vault that supported the choir loft; above this it is still possible to see the stone moulding and supports of the ribbed vaults. The wall displays homogeneous brickwork with alternating courses of stretchers and headers and reveals the traces of the putlog holes used in its construction (SU 166) (Fig. 13). The lower part incorporated a throughopening in an ashlar panel, now greatly altered, which judging from the traces of its elimination would have culminated in a small gable (SU 148). The last section had two niches or openings, of which the larger once sported a brick segmental arch that was subsequently sealed. The next phase, which we consider to be contemporaneous with the construction of the tower, resulted in the modification of the interior appearance of the building following the replacement or concealment of the Gothic decorative elements with a classical programme. We can ascribe the following operations to this phase: - Disposition of Doric demi-columns with fluted shafts on the stone filleted pilasters. The volume of these elements likely contained the previous ones, although at certain points some of the original fillets would have been partly filled in. In the lower third of the complete demi-columns, with the exception of the one at the edge of the choir, the flutes have toruses coinciding with the impost line of the chapel arches. - As already indicated, the decoration of the jambs and entrance arches to the side chapels was likely removed and replaced with a smooth cladding. Similarly, the Gothic horizontal mouldings were overlaid with classical ones. In the upper section, preserved in the area near the church entrance, a brick fillet was inserted at the same height as the joint between the capital and shaft. - Also dating to this phase are the remains of the wall claddings that have been preserved in different areas and appear as larger surfaces in photographs from the 19th century. - Associated with the construction of the tower, the arch of the organ opening was reinforced with (2023), n. 2 J.M. Guerrero Vega, R. Angulo Fornos, F. Pinto Puerto 58 4. Results of the work Cross-referencing information from different documentary sources and knowledge strategies enabled us to develop a model of the building that answers the questions posed, at least as far as permitted by the facts known for certain. For this reason, the model is also at the precise point that enables us to assign value to fragments in relation to a now lost complex. The recurring formal elements are sufficient to gain an idea of the spatial structure and imagine multiple final solutions which the model cannot furnish as facts. Despite those gaps, the model enables us to view the ruin from a new dimension that makes sense of the preserved fragment (Fig. 18). This model depicts the church at the end of the process of completing its nave, in what is known as the Late Gothic period, between 1480 and 1500. After the completion of the church, and a few years later, a Renaissance reform took place that did not affect, as already mentioned, the spatial structure of the church, only the ornamentation of the surface elements of the walls. The level of reliability of the resulting image is based on the adoption of a vaulting system consistent with the period in which its construction is documented, basically tercelet vaults whose traces have remained. But, as mentioned in previous sections, there are no material or documentary testimonies that allow a reliable approximation to the final solution, so we remain in the configuration of the tercelete that is always the geometric base of this type of vaults. The church building actually represents a series of overlaid realities, as revealed by the ruin. The Renaissance remodel reveals the shared elements between the Gothic and Renaissance languages, and the points where they diverge. The abandonment of vegetal decoration and Late Gothic ornament, and the acceptance of tierceron vaults in the classical discourse, shed further light on this fragmented organism. In this work, the preserved remains analysed with archaeological methodology have been as important as the available documentary sources, and the interpretation that can be made of them, especially the iconography. The degree of reliability was assigned according to the role the drawings play and the representational methods and intentions in the configuration of each image. We treated the photographic images in two ways: as a graphical document, and as a device from which to obtain a rigorous three-dimensional model of the object of study through photogrammetry. The resulting model contains fragments of all of these sources: stratigraphicconstruction interpretation, photographs, drawings, descriptions, etc. We combined all of these to create a chronological discourse that explains, as far as possible, a destructured synchronic reality. The final image reflects this flow of information, leaving room for future contributions that may bring greater certainty. Acknowledgements This research forms part of R&D project “DR Workshop: Master Diego de Riaño and his stonemasonry workshop. Architecture and ornament in the context of the transition to the Renaissance in Southern Europe” (Ref. PID2020 - 114971GB-I00), funded by the Science and Innovation Ministry of the Government of Spain. Fig. 18: Visualisations of the interior of the church after the construction of the nave at the end of the 15th century. (2023), n. 2 Interpretation of the remains of the church of the monastery of San Jerónimo de Buenavista 59 REFERENCES Arana de Varflora, F. (1766). Compendio historico descriptivo de la mui noble y muy leal ciudad de Sevilla, metropoli inclyta de Andalucia. Sevilla: Imprenta de Manuel Nicolas Vazquez. Caballero Zoreda, L. (1995). Método para el análisis estratigráfico de construcciones históricas o “lectura de paramentos”. Informes de la construcción, 46(435), 37-46. Calvo Serraller, F., Carrete Parrondo, J., Lleó, V., Valdivieso, E., & Portús, J. (1991). Iconografía de Sevilla 1790-1868. Seville: Ediciones el Viso. Carriazo Rubio, J. L. (1998). El monasterio de San Jerónimo de Buenavista y los Ponce de León. Archivo Hispalense, (246), 75-100. Díaz Alonso, J. (2017). 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