La taxonomía morfológica en la interpretación iconográfica de los animales fantásticos: el bestiario pétreo de San Salvador de Oña (Burgos)

Abstract

This chapter examines the sculptural iconography of fantastic animals carved into the stonework of the Monastery of San Salvador de Oña (Burgos), proposing a methodological framework grounded in morphological taxonomy. Departing from traditional symbolic or allegorical readings, the study emphasizes a systematic analysis of visual forms—such as anatomical features, compositional structures, and spatial arrangements—as a means to interpret the semantic function of these creatures within their architectural context.

Through a comparative classification based on morphological traits, the chapter reveals coherent patterns and visual correspondences among the representations of fantastic beings, which serve to reinforce or contrast their intended symbolic roles. These formal relationships, far from being decorative or incidental, are shown to carry intentional iconographic meaning, embedded in the liturgical and narrative structure of the sacred space.

The application of morphological taxonomy thus enables a renewed interpretative approach to Romanesque sculpture, facilitating a deeper understanding of how medieval audiences may have perceived and deciphered the presence of hybrid and monstrous figures within ecclesiastical architecture. This approach ultimately contributes to the broader discourse on medieval visual culture and the epistemology of the fantastic in sacred art.