The Main Altarpiece of the Sacro Monte Abbey of Granada and his Sculpture set of Domingo Cabrera (1746-1748). Dating, Document and Historical Contextualization

Abstract

In this article, I provide unpublished documentary data about the main altarpiece constructed as from 1746 in the Sacro Monte Abbey of Granada (Spain), the Counter-Reformist institution funded in 1610. The main findings attribute the authorship to Domingo Cabrera, an unknown sculptor. Other findings worthy of mention are the evolution of the construction and placement of the altarpiece as well as its historical contextualization. The latter is part of a set of texts known as defensorios whose principal function was to restore prestige to Sacro Monte, and which were called into question when their libros plúmbeos were considered heretics. Additionally, the defensorios were closely linked to new discoveries that took place in Alcazaba Qadima in Albaicin quarter in the middle of the eighteenth century and that were supported by Luis Francisco de Viana y Bustos, one of the main altarpieces promoters.