4/5 José Julio M. 1 year ago on Google • 2804 reviews
In
the
vicinity
of
the
hermitage
there
is
an
epigraph
in
which
we
can
read:
"...According
to
the
testimonies
of
the
people
who
visited
"El
Capricho",
the
hermitage
or
hermit's
house
produced
in
the
viewer
a
feeling
of
surprise
due,
above
all,
to
the
automaton
that
lived
inside.
This
doll
was
placed
the
year
1816
to
replace
the
former
hermits
who
had
lived
there.
The
name
of
two
of
these
hermits
is
known,
one
of
them,
Brother
Arsenio,
lived
in
the
hermitage
until
1802,
the
year
of
his
death.
Apparently
the
hermit
was
buried
in
a
tomb
in
the
shape
of
a
pyramid
that
was
built
next
to
the
hermitage
and
the
following
epitaph,
now
missing,
was
placed
on
his
tomb:
"Here
lies
Fray
Arsenio
resided
in
this
region
for
26
years
in
this
hermitage
in
the
Alameda
de
Osuna
which
was
donated
to
him
in
charity
for
his
merits
constantly
dedicating
himself
to
prayer
and
to
the
most
sublime
pious
practices".
Fray
Arsenio
was
succeeded
by
his
friend
Eusebio
who
from
then
on
until
he
was
replaced
by
a
doll
dedicated
himself
to
prayer
and
pious
practices.
Tadey
wanted
to
give
this
building
an
appearance
of
ruin
and
aging,
for
which
he
painted
the
cracked
exterior
walls
covered
in
moss
paste.
The
painter
used
the
pictorial
technique
of
"trompe
l'oeil"
or
visual
deception
by
reproducing
false
cracks,
non-existent
windows
and
fake
furniture
with
paint
on
the
exterior
and
interior
walls.
Inside
the
hermitage
you
can
see
the
original
decoration
again
as
the
layer
of
plaster
that
hid
the
trompe
l'oeil
has
been
removed.
These
paintings
reproduce
the
interior
of
a
church
also
in
ruin,
a
torn
painting
of
Saint
Anthony,
an
altar
table
with
the
prayer
booklet
and
a
small
niche
where
the
mass
wine
is
kept.
On
the
sides
of
the
altar
there
are
two
false
windows,
symmetrical
to
the
authentic
ones
on
the
main
façade
where
the
bells
were
installed.
The
ceiling
is
decorated
with
lunettes."
