Juan Romero de Figueroa
Encyclopedia
Juan Romero de Figueroa (Gibraltar
, September 16, 1646 - id. July 7, 1720) was a Spanish
Roman Catholic priest
, in charge of the Parish Church of St. Mary the Crowned
(Santa Maria la Coronada y San Bernardo) during the last years of Gibraltar's Spanish period and first ones of the British period, until his death. He remained at his post even after the territory's capture by an Anglo-Dutch fleet in 1704
on behalf of the Archduke Charles
, pretender to the Spanish throne in the War of the Spanish Succession
, when most of its population abandoned Gibraltar (only about 60 out of 4,000 remained).
in 1661, and was appointed deputy chancellor of the Seminary of Cádiz
in 1674. Since 1682 he had its parish in Gibraltar, and was the priest of the Parish Church of St. Mary the Crowned on August 4, 1704 when the city capitulated to the besieging Anglo
-Dutch
forces. Along with his curate
and the bell ringer he successfully protected his church from the plundering
soldiery which sacked the town after the surrender
. Other churches in the territory were desecrated
.
The Terms of Surrender of Gibraltar and the definite phrasing of the Treaty of Utrecht
allowed for the practice of the Catholic Faith
, so Romero de Figueroa went on as the priest of the Catholic population of the town until his decease, in 1720. In order to facilitate and stabilise ecclesiastical governance, the Bishop of Cádiz y Ceuta
, who had jurisdiction over the church in Gibraltar, made him the first Vicar General
of Gibraltar. The altar of the Blessed Sacrament
in the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned
keeps a marble tablet with the initials of Juan Romero de Figueroa. His mortal remains lay buried in there.
Romero de Figueroa was an eye-witness to the capture of Gibraltar. His accounts of the incident and the first years of Habsburg and British dominion over the town are notable, as some of the very few primary sources available. Two main works were produced by him: the annotations in the Gibraltar baptismal records which are currently kept in the Church of St. Mary the Crowned ( in San Roque (a municipality
in Gibraltar's township
where most of the villagers settled down after the 1704 Anglo-Dutch siege), and a manuscript portraying the events he beheld, which went missing in the midst of the Peninsular War
. However, the manuscript was verbatim quoted at length by Ignacio López de Ayala, author of Historia de Gibraltar (Madrid, 1782).
As soon as the Franco
-Spanish siege (1704–1705) was lifted, Romero de Figueroa begun to secretly send files, religious jewelry, pictures and ornaments to the settlements established in the Campo de Gibraltar. He was also responsible for the safekeeping of the statue of Our Lady of Europe
of the shrine of the same name
. Upon the capture of Gibraltar in 1704, the shrine was sacked and stripped of all its valuables by the troops who ran amok in direct contravention of the orders of their commanders. The statue was mutilated and flung onto the rocks below, to be found by a fisherman who took the remaining pieces to Romero de Figueroa. The priest remitted the statue's leftovers to neighbouring Algeciras
, where it was repaired and placed in a small chapel dedicated to St. Bernard
, which was later renamed to the Chapel of Our Lady of Europe
. It was eventually returned to Gibraltar in 1864, at the request of John Baptist Scandella
, Vicar Apostolic of Gibraltar
.
}}
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, September 16, 1646 - id. July 7, 1720) was a Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
Roman Catholic priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
, in charge of the Parish Church of St. Mary the Crowned
Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned
The Cathedral of Saint Mary the Crowned is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Gibraltar. It is the primary centre of Catholic worship in the Diocese of Gibraltar.-15th Century:The original building of the current cathedral was built during the Spanish period...
(Santa Maria la Coronada y San Bernardo) during the last years of Gibraltar's Spanish period and first ones of the British period, until his death. He remained at his post even after the territory's capture by an Anglo-Dutch fleet in 1704
Capture of Gibraltar
The Capture of Gibraltar by the Anglo-Dutch forces of the Grand Alliance occurred between 1–3 August 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession. Since the beginning of the war the Allies had been looking for a harbour in the Iberian Peninsula to control the Strait of Gibraltar and facilitate...
on behalf of the Archduke Charles
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
, pretender to the Spanish throne in the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
, when most of its population abandoned Gibraltar (only about 60 out of 4,000 remained).
Capture of Gibraltar
Juan Romero de Figueroa was born in Gibraltar and baptized on September 16, 1646 in the Church of St. Mary the Crowned. His parents were Álvaro Martín and Leonor Vázquez. He took the minor ordersMinor orders
The minor orders are the lowest ranks in the Christian clergy. The most recognized minor orders are porter, lector, exorcist, and acolyte. In the Latin rite Catholic Church, the minor orders were in most cases replaced by "instituted" ministries of lector and acolyte, though communities that use...
in 1661, and was appointed deputy chancellor of the Seminary of Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
in 1674. Since 1682 he had its parish in Gibraltar, and was the priest of the Parish Church of St. Mary the Crowned on August 4, 1704 when the city capitulated to the besieging Anglo
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
-Dutch
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
forces. Along with his curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
and the bell ringer he successfully protected his church from the plundering
Looting
Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
soldiery which sacked the town after the surrender
Surrender (military)
Surrender is when soldiers, nations or other combatants stop fighting and eventually become prisoners of war, either as individuals or when ordered to by their officers. A white flag is a common symbol of surrender, as is the gesture of raising one's hands empty and open above one's head.When the...
. Other churches in the territory were desecrated
Desecration
Desecration is the act of depriving something of its sacred character, or the disrespectful or contemptuous treatment of that which is held to be sacred or holy by a group or individual.-Detail:...
.
The Terms of Surrender of Gibraltar and the definite phrasing of the Treaty of Utrecht
Treaty of Utrecht
The Treaty of Utrecht, which established the Peace of Utrecht, comprises a series of individual peace treaties, rather than a single document, signed by the belligerents in the War of Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht in March and April 1713...
allowed for the practice of the Catholic Faith
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, so Romero de Figueroa went on as the priest of the Catholic population of the town until his decease, in 1720. In order to facilitate and stabilise ecclesiastical governance, the Bishop of Cádiz y Ceuta
Roman Catholic Diocese of Cadiz y Ceuta
The Roman Catholic diocese of Cádiz y Ceuta is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Spain. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Seville....
, who had jurisdiction over the church in Gibraltar, made him the first Vicar General
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
of Gibraltar. The altar of the Blessed Sacrament
Blessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament, or the Body and Blood of Christ, is a devotional name used in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, to refer to the Host after it has been consecrated in the sacrament of the Eucharist...
in the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned
Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned
The Cathedral of Saint Mary the Crowned is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Gibraltar. It is the primary centre of Catholic worship in the Diocese of Gibraltar.-15th Century:The original building of the current cathedral was built during the Spanish period...
keeps a marble tablet with the initials of Juan Romero de Figueroa. His mortal remains lay buried in there.
Romero de Figueroa was an eye-witness to the capture of Gibraltar. His accounts of the incident and the first years of Habsburg and British dominion over the town are notable, as some of the very few primary sources available. Two main works were produced by him: the annotations in the Gibraltar baptismal records which are currently kept in the Church of St. Mary the Crowned ( in San Roque (a municipality
Municipio
Municipio and Município are terms used for country subdivisions. They are often translated as municipality.-Overview:...
in Gibraltar's township
Campo de Gibraltar
The comarca of the Campo de Gibraltar is a comarca in the province of Cádiz, Spain, in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia, the southernmost part of continental Western Europe...
where most of the villagers settled down after the 1704 Anglo-Dutch siege), and a manuscript portraying the events he beheld, which went missing in the midst of the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
. However, the manuscript was verbatim quoted at length by Ignacio López de Ayala, author of Historia de Gibraltar (Madrid, 1782).
As soon as the Franco
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-Spanish siege (1704–1705) was lifted, Romero de Figueroa begun to secretly send files, religious jewelry, pictures and ornaments to the settlements established in the Campo de Gibraltar. He was also responsible for the safekeeping of the statue of Our Lady of Europe
Our Lady of Europe
Our Lady of Europe is a consecrated title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Gibraltar, where devotion began, and to a lesser extent in Algeciras, Spain. The entire European continent was consecrated under the protection of Our Lady of Europe in the early 14th century from the Shrine in Gibraltar...
of the shrine of the same name
Shrine of Our Lady of Europe
The Shrine of Our Lady of Europe is a Roman Catholic shrine at Europa Point in Gibraltar. It is the church where Our Lady of Europe, the Catholic patroness of Gibraltar is honoured....
. Upon the capture of Gibraltar in 1704, the shrine was sacked and stripped of all its valuables by the troops who ran amok in direct contravention of the orders of their commanders. The statue was mutilated and flung onto the rocks below, to be found by a fisherman who took the remaining pieces to Romero de Figueroa. The priest remitted the statue's leftovers to neighbouring Algeciras
Algeciras
Algeciras is a port city in the south of Spain, and is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar . Port of Algeciras is one of the largest ports in Europe and in the world in three categories: container,...
, where it was repaired and placed in a small chapel dedicated to St. Bernard
Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian order.After the death of his mother, Bernard sought admission into the Cistercian order. Three years later, he was sent to found a new abbey at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val...
, which was later renamed to the Chapel of Our Lady of Europe
Chapel of Our Lady of Europe
The Chapel of Our Lady of Europe of Algeciras , popularly known as the Small Chapel of Europe is placed in the High Square . It was built as today we know it, in 1769, since the original building was severely affected by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and had to be demolished. The first chapel had...
. It was eventually returned to Gibraltar in 1864, at the request of John Baptist Scandella
John Baptist Scandella
John Baptist Scandella STD was a Gibraltarian Roman Catholic priest of Genoese descent. He was Vicar Apostolic of Diocese of Gibraltar between 1857 and 1880. He spoke fluent English and his native Spanish...
, Vicar Apostolic of Gibraltar
Bishop of Gibraltar
The Bishop of Gibraltar may refer to the ordinary of the Roman Catholic or Anglican Diocese of Gibraltar:*Roman Catholic Bishop of Gibraltar*Anglican Bishop of Gibraltar...
.
External links
| url=http://www.tres-orillas.org/index_archivos/revista/tres_orillas_7_y_8.pdf | format=PDF | accessdate=2008-09-27 | language=SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
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