The task of carrying out the inventory of books belonging to an ancient fund always represents a unique opportunity to discover treasures that have remained hidden for years, and even centuries. In this sense, during the process of preparing the inventory of the books belonging to the Old Fund of the Library of the Parish Archive of Santa Maria d'Ontinyent, we have had the privilege of finding numerous literary and documentary gems that have significantly enriched our cultural heritage. After weeks of hard work, during which we examined and cataloged nearly 300 volumes, we are pleased to share with you some of the most outstanding discoveries we made during this work.
It is important to emphasize that our work was not limited solely to identifying old or peculiar books, but we also came across various objects and documents that lay hidden between the pages of these books, offering us valuable perspectives on the past. However, before delving deeper into this aspect, we will proceed to list some of the most curious and ancient specimens that the archive library still preserves.
Highlighting the historical and cultural importance of our bibliographic heritage, it is relevant to mention that the oldest copy preserved in the library is “Various Moral Resolutions of the Holy Scriptures and of the Saints, arranged by the Gospels of Lent", work by Agustín Osorio, printed in 1634 and bound in parchment. It should be noted that this book is part of a set of works dated in the 17th century, all bound in parchment. This set, in its entirety, represents the oldest and most valuable part of the bibliographic collection of the archive.
Within the mentioned collection of books, it is worth noting the presence of numerous notes and handwritten drawings from the time, which confers an added value on these copies, being considered witnesses of special esteem due to their uniqueness and historical authenticity. Among these, the volume entitled "Desagravios de Christo, nuestro bien sacramentado, in satisfaction of the many offenses committed against His Majesty", work by the author Miguel Àngel Pasqual, published in 1687.
Within the framework of the handwritten annotations present in the book collection, a small volume entitled "Compendium of Valencian grammar", the work of the renowned Valencian intellectual Lluís Fullana Mira (1871-1948), this being his first edition. Inside this copy, there is a dedication written by the same author addressed to a person identified as Irene Albert, which reads as follows: To Irene Albert as a testimony of cordial friendship, he dedicates this copy. The author.
Given the historical and cultural relevance of the Church of Santa María as an outstanding center for the promotion of music throughout its centuries of existence, it is not surprising to find among the copies in its library some dedicated to musical themes. Among them, the volume entitled "Principles of solfege and singing for use by the students of the Colegio Real de San Pablo de Valencia", a work printed in 1849 by the famous Valencian composer, organist and pedagogue Pascual Pérez Gascón (1802-1864). In addition, inside, there is a short handwritten ownership note that states: “For the use of Don Juan Bautista Cabanes, Presbyter“, which adds additional value to the specimen.
As a final example of curious books in the library, there is a book unrelated to religious themes titled: “Elementary course in mechanics and construction", written by Francisco Gascue and published in 1887 by the School of Foremen of Mines, Furnaces and Machines of Asturias. This copy, which belonged to an individual identified as Elías Velasco Fernández according to an annotation dated during his time as a mechanical student in the course of 1897, is remarkably enriched with numerous annotations and drawings throughout its pages, both in the margins as in additional documents inserted between them. The information provided by the name of the owner reveals that Elías Velasco held the position of carpenter responsible for the restoration of the Liérganes and Pámanes schools, as well as the rehabilitation of the Town Hall, among other works, during the period between 1925 and 1930
We continue with the second section of this article, where we will focus on the most outstanding findings within some of the books we have inventoried. Although we have found a large amount of material, mainly religious prints that span the entire 20th century, below we will examine some of the documents that, due to their antiquity or uniqueness, we consider to be of greater relevance.
In the previously mentioned book "Desagravios de Christo, nuestro bien sacramentado, in satisfaction of the many offenses committed against His Majesty” from 1687, we find a short handwritten note on a piece of paper. From the content of this note, we can infer that it is a notification that informs about the death of Juan Avellan, who was rector of the Parish (although we cannot confirm if it refers to the Parish of Santa María, although it is a plausible assumption), at a date yet to be determined. However, it is likely that this note is from the 18th century.
In volume III of “Compendium of the history of the Church adapted to the famous work written with this title by HE Cardinal Hergenröther, and adapted to the study of said subject in the seminars” of 1889, there is a receipt dated May 7, 1899. This receipt corresponds to the payment of the fees for the Ascetic Theology and Pastoral Theology exam taken by the Ontinyentí student Justo Nadal Valls at the Conciliar Seminary of Valencia during course 1898-1899. Considering the date of this document and that of the book, it is plausible to infer that this copy was used by Justo Nadal during his studies at the Seminary.
In the book "The reign of Jesus Christ", work by Santiago Llambrega Márquez printed in 1890, a peculiar document was found related to the collection of Sant Pasqual corresponding to the month of April 1899. This document consists of a receipt detailing the collection of alms of the masses during a period of 20 days in the month of April, made by Vicente Martínez. The total amount collected amounts to 60 pesetas.
As the final document we have selected, within the 1858 book entitled “Long live the virtues and wonders of the Holy Sacrament, San Pasqual Baylon”, there was some joy at the Child God of Health, venerated in the Convent of Religious and Franciscan Discalces in Cieza, Murcia. Although there is no date of printing, we can almost safely deduce that it is from the 19th century.
And so far we reach the end of this small compilation of curiosities. We hope you enjoyed and stay tuned, because we'll see you again in the future with more exciting things to share.
Parish Archive of Santa Maria d'Ontinyent
Raúl Calatayud - Ximo Tormo Soler
