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Refojos · art and architecture

Two organs, one of them mute

Organ with tubes and golden cut, on carved figures and decorative faces.
View of the organ and the decoration that sustains it, photographed in 2016. The image does not determine which of the two organs is the mute.
Photography: Joseolgon · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Date given at source: . Source consulted in 2026-11-07. EXIF orientation, proportional resizing and WebP conversion; no retouching or clipping of the file.

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Organ tubes at different heights, surrounded by golden cut and light sculptures.
Details of the tubes, cut and sculptures of the organ in 2016.
Photography: Joseolgon · CC BY-SA 4.0
About this photograph

Date given at source: . Source consulted in 2026-11-07. EXIF orientation, proportional resizing and WebP conversion; no retouching or clipping of the file.

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A figure carved with horns, pointed ears and fur-covered legs between golden elements.
Details of a figure carved under the organ in 2016.
Photography: Joseolgon · CC BY-SA 4.0
About this photograph

Date given at source: . Source consulted in 2026-11-07. EXIF orientation, proportional resizing and WebP conversion; no retouching or clipping of the file.

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An invitation to look beyond the facade.

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The municipal description identifies two lateral organs, being a mute. The visual symmetry of the church does not correspond, therefore, to two sound instruments. Next to the entrance appear frowns; later, the wood creates another surprise effect.

The two pulpits are painted brown to imitate marble and partially golden. The fountain places the execution in 1777–1780 and the painting and browning in 1786–1789. Shape, material and finishing count different stages of the same work. This patrimonial description does not confirm the current functioning of the organ.

The choir adds another reading of the wood: the Municipality describes a brown chair, of 1767–1770, organized in two levels and in the shape of U. São 45 seats, with the place of the abbot to the center. The disposition helps imagine a community gathered, instead of looking at each chair separately.

At the top, the circular zimbarium is accompanied by interior and exterior balconies. The description identifies the twelve apostles and, on the top, St. Michael. From furniture to silhouette, they change the scale and the observation point. The photographs of this reading show details of the organ; they do not document all these elements.

The pulpits had more than one step.

It opens every moment and discovers what the date represents.

  1. 1777–1780 · Brown

    The description places the two pulpits in this range.

  2. 1786–1789 · Painting and browning

    The finish mimics marble and includes golden parts.

The dates are those of the municipal description of the pulpits, not those of the construction of the whole church or those of the organs.
See Fact sheet: Mosteiro de São Miguel de Refojos
Source and context

Municipality — history and art of Mosteiro de São Miguel de Refojos

Accessed: . Editorial summary; the date of consultation is not the date of the facts.

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