Entrance door to the Sacristy of the Sacra Chapel of El Salvador in Úbeda. Geometry of the passage and analysis of a functional solution

Abstract

One of Andrés de Vandelvira's most singular pieces is the sacristy of the Sacred Chapel of El Salvador in Úbeda. It is also notable for its connection with the church. This connection is made through the left chapel, which was originally intended to fulfil these functions, leaving this small chapel. This article analyses the causes and reasons that led the author to place the sacristy door in the corner of the left side chapel. Its plan geometry and the reasons for its three-dimensional geometry are analysed. Some of the reasons are related to the shape of the sacristy, a typical Spanish Renaissance structure. Others are related to the necessary proximity of this space to the volume of the church. Finally, it solved the problem of the lack of contact between the adjoining walls of the sacristy and the left chapel. There is no doubt that the solution proposed by Vandelvira was logical if it is understood from the origin of the project, which does not detract from the great mastery with which he developed this unusual corner passage.