C0117

Panel of Saint Peter Claver (Verdú)

Ref Num.: C0117

Date: ca. 1919-1920

Typology: Ceramics

Technique: Painted ceramics

Dimensions: 96 x 70 cm.

Signed: Unsigned and undated

Ajuntament de Verdú

The mural depicts Saint Peter Claver, the Jesuit missionary in Cartagena de Indias, baptising enslaved Africans in the early 17th century. Revered as the patron saint of the Jesuits of Catalonia, Peter Claver is also one of the most eminent sons of the town of Verdú, in the Urgell region. In 1916, the Catholic Patronage of Saint Peter Claver acquired the most iconic part of Verdú’s medieval castle. To save the building from falling into disrepair, the organisation transformed it into its headquarters. The castle was a cultural and religious centre and also served as the premises of the farmers’ union. The architect Cèsar Martinell adapted the complex by converting the former wine cellar into an oil mill. His intervention was largely technical in nature and, as Martinell himself noted: “The only element intended for artistic purposes was a panel of painted ceramic tiles depicting the institution’s patron saint, Saint Peter Claver, born in Verdú, painted by Xavier Nogués and probably the artist’s only work on a religious theme” (p. 72). This ceramic mural panel is indeed the only known religious work by Xavier Nogués. It was originally placed in the centre of the porticoed gallery overlooking the castle’s parade ground. In 1988, Verdú Town Council acquired part of the building and began a restoration project, focusing particularly on the keep. During conservation work carried out in 2004, the mural was removed and, in the process, was broken into fragments. It was subsequently restored and, since 2007, has occupied a prominent place in the council chamber of Verdú Town Hall.

We would like to express our gratitude to Verdú Town Council for its assistance in cataloguing this work.

Pati d’armes del Castell de Verdú

Cèsar Martinell Brunet, Construcciones agrarias de Cataluña, La Gaya Ciència, Publicaciones del Colegio de Arquitectos de Cataluña y Baleares, Barcelona, 1975, p. 72.
R. Boleda i Cases, “El Patronat i sindicat de Pere Claver” in Xercavins, Revista independent de Verdú, year IX, 2009, no. 37, pp. 16-19.