Art and History
Valencia Cathedral
My passion for art and history led me to start a History of Art degree at the Madrid Complutense University in 2002.
After graduating in 2008, I set out on a PhD at the same university, at the Department of History of Art I (Medieval) of the College of Geography and History, with the Doctoral Programme “The Sacred and the Profane in the Medieval World”.
Since September 2015, I am a Doctor in History of Art with the Thesis: Approach to the study of gargoyles of the Gothic cathedrals of Castilla y León, a PhD thesis directed by Prof. Dr. D. Santiago Manzarbeitia Valle, Staff Professor of the Complutense University, the viva voce presentation of which was delivered on 18 September with the grade of Excellent Cum Laude.
While I was at university, I discovered my fascination for medieval art and I embarked on the PhD, I reconciled my studies with other activities connected to my work.
In October 2010, I attended (not-for-credit), the Seminars entitled “Monsters in Literature and Art”, organised jointly by the Department of Classical Philology and Indo-European Linguistics (College of Philology) and the Department of History of Art I (College of Geography and History) of the Madrid Complutense University.
Zamora Cathedral
Dengfeng Monastery (China)
Batalha Monastery (Portugal)
CONFERENCES
November 2023
Animales fantásticos en las gárgolas medievales (November 10, 2023). Presentation in the Seminario “Animales fantásticos en la Edad Media: nuevas investigaciones”. Grupo de Investigación CAPIRE (UCM). The conference took place at the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain).
October 2023
A look at the gargoyles of Nossa Senhora da Conceição de Beja (Portugal): Case study (October 19, 20 and 21, 2023). Presentation in the 4th International Conference “Architectures of the Soul. Religious Heritage. Understanding the past, shaping the future”. The conference took place at the Batalha Monastery (Portugal).
October 2023
La gárgola en el mundo medieval (October 11, 2023). Presentation in “Sede Interuniversitaria de Alajuela”. Costa Rica University.
November 2022
La gárgola en el mundo cristiano-musulmán de la Edad Media (November 2, 2022). Presentation in the IV Seminario Interdisciplinar “La diversidad en al-Ándalus: nuevas investigaciones sobre el agua, sus usos y sus conductos”. The conference took place at the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain).
September 2022
Las gárgolas de la Lonja de Valencia (September 8, 2022). Presentation in Casa de Cultura (Altea, España).
June 2022
Tipologías de las gárgolas de la Catedral de Burgos (June 27, 2022). Presentation in the X International Medieval Meeting Lleida. University of Lleida (Spain).
June 2022
Iconographic reading of the gargoyles and the respective hydraulic system in the Cathedral of Burgos. A topic of study (June 13, 2022). Congreso Internacional VIII Centenario Catedral de Burgos “El mundo de las catedrales”, Burgos (Spain).
October 2021
Las gárgolas de la Catedral de Burgos (October 21, 2021). Presentation in the II International Congress “A Hidráulica em Edifícios Monumentais”. Palacio de Santo Antão do Tojal (Loures, Portugal).
September 2021
Las gárgolas (September 1, 2021). Presentation in Casa de Cultura (Altea, España).
March 2021
Tipología de las gárgolas en España (March 18, 2021). Presentation in “A Hidráulica Monumental: história, técnica e iconografia”. Organised by the Associação Portuguesa dos Amigos dos Castelos (Lisboa, Portugal).
January 2021
Las gárgolas (January 19, 2021). Presentation on-line in HispaniaNostraContigoEnCasa.
December 2020
Las gárgolas del Monasterio de Batalha. Una interpretación, un catálogo (December 10 and 11, 2020). Presentation in the International Congress “Nodos del Conocimiento”.
April 2019
Proyecto de Investigación AquaMafra. Las gárgolas del Palacio Nacional de Mafra [Research Project AquaMafra. The Gargoyles in the National Palace at Mafra] (April 17 and 18, 2019). Presentation in the Congress Projecto AquaMafra: “A Água no Real Edifício de Mafra: Circulação de Conhecimento” which was held in the National Palace at Mafra (Portugal).
February 2019
Las gárgolas del Monasterio de Batalha [The Gargoyles in the Batalha Monastery] (February 22 and 23, 2019). Conference paper presented during the International Congress “A hidráulica em edifícios monumentais” which was held at the Batalha Monastery (Portugal).
November 2018
Fantastic Animals in Gargoyles (2018, November 12, 13, 19 and 20). Presentation at the International Seminar “Animales fantásticos y dónde encontrarlos en la Edad Media [Fantastic animals and where to find them in the Middle Ages]”. CAPIRE Research Group, Complutense University of Madrid. Given on November 20 in the Faculty of Geography and History of the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain).
October 2018
The Gargoyles at the National Palace in Mafra. Research Project (October 25, 26, 27, 2018). Conference paper presented during the 3rd International Congress on Water which was held at the University of Vigo (Spain).
June 2018
Las gárgolas del Palacio Nacional de Mafra [The Gargoyles in the National Palace at Mafra] (June 21, 2018). Presentation in the 22nd National Congress of Art History – CEHA (Spanish Committee of Art History) – (June 19-22, 2018): “Vestir la Arquitectura”. The congress took place at the University of Burgos (Spain).
April 2018
Las gárgolas del Palacio Nacional de Mafra: El diseño geométrico como ornamentación [The Gargoyles in the National Palace at Mafra: Geometric Design as Ornamentation] (April 26, 2018). Presentation in the 1st Seminar Projecto AquaMafra: “A Água no Real Edifício de Mafra: Circulação de Conhecimento”, organised by ARTIS – Institute of Art History at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Lisbon and by the Palacio Nacional de Mafra – General Directorate of Cultural Heritage. The seminar was held in the National Palace at Mafra (Portugal).
October 2016
Las Gárgolas [The Gargoyles] (October 7, 2016). Presentation given in the 5th Conference on Urban Art, Literature and Gothic Culture organized by the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the Autónoma University of Madrid, The Besarilia Cultural Association and the Mentenebre Cultural Association. The conference took place at the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain).
June 2015
Las gárgolas de la Catedral Nueva de Salamanca [The Gargoyles in the New Cathedral at Salamanca] (June 26, 2015). Presentation given at the 5th International Medieval Meeting Lleida. University of Lleida (Spain).
National Palace in Mafra (Portugal)
Altea (Alicante)
Batalha Monastery (Portugal)
Lisboa (Portugal)
Altea (Alicante)
PUBLICATIONS
December 2022
“Las gárgolas de la Catedral de Astorga”, Ateneo Leonés, Número 9 (2022), pp. 89-114.
December 2022
“Animales fantásticos en las gárgolas medievales”, Las imágenes de los animales fantásticos en la Edad Media (2022), pp. 231-248.
November 2022
Herrero Ferrio, Dolores y Rodrigues Alho, Patrícia, “Lectura iconográfica de las gárgolas y del respectivo sistema hidráulico en la Catedral de Burgos. Un tema de estudio”, El mundo de las catedrales. Pasado, presente y futuro. Actas del Congreso Internacional VIII Centenario Catedral de Burgos, 2022, pp. 317-324.
March 2021
“Gárgolas, lo que esconde la piedra”, El Día de Soria (Newspaper article published in March 20 and 21, 2021), pp. 42-43.
January 2021
Herrero Ferrio, Dolores y Alho, Patrícia, “Las gárgolas del Monasterio de Batalha. Una interpretación, un catálogo”, Historia, arte y patrimonio cultural. Estudios, propuestas, experiencias educativas y debates desde la perspectiva interdisciplinar de las humanidades en la era digital. Dykinson, S. L., 2021, caps. 48 y 49, pp. 1062-1101.
December 2020
“Las gárgolas de la Catedral de León”, Ateneo Leonés, Número 7 (2020), pp. 91-123.
November 2020
Herrero Ferrio, Dolores y Alho, Patrícia, Catálogo das gárgulas do Real Edifício de Mafra. Ficha de síntese e localização, Mafra, Cámara Municipal de Mafra, 2020.
November 2020
“Catálogo de las gárgolas del Palacio Nacional de Mafra”, AquaMafra (2020), pp. 192-201.
December 2019
Herrero Ferrio, Dolores y Alho, Patrícia, “Las gárgolas del Palacio Nacional de Mafra”, Vestir la Arquitectura. XXII Congreso Nacional de Historia del Arte, Vol. 1, Universidad de Burgos, Servicio de Publicaciones e Imagen Institucional, 2019, pp. 220-225.
December 2019
Herrero, Dolores y Alho, Ana Patrícia, “Las gárgolas del Palacio Nacional de Mafra. Proyecto de investigación”, Perspectivas del agua. Arquitectura del agua y territorio en la época moderna, Coordinadores: Yolanda Barriocanal López y Ángel Domínguez López. Universidad de Vigo, Madrid, Editorial Dykinson, S. L., 2019, pp. 155-172.
September 2019
“Aproximación a los orígenes y concepto de femme fatale desde la visión de la mujer en la Edad Media”, Herejía y Belleza. Revista de Estudios Culturales sobre el Movimiento Gótico, nº 7 (2019), pp. 58-68.
July 2019
“La mirada pétrea de las guardianas de la Pulchra”, Revista Catedral de León, Año IV, nº 7 (2019), pp. 24-35.
April 2019
“Las gárgolas de la Casa de las Conchas”, Revista Atticus, Número 9 (2019), pp. 109-114.
La gárgola y su iconografía, Madrid, Universo de Letras, 2019.
March 2019
“Las gárgolas del Palacio Nacional de Mafra”, Os percursos da água no Real Edifício de Mafra (2019), pp. 49-66.
December 2018
“Gárgolas del Bajo Aragón (III). Valderrobres”, Aragón turístico y monumental, Año 93, nº 385 (2018), pp. 31-34.
June 2018
“Gárgolas del Bajo Aragón (II). Torre del Compte”, Aragón turístico y monumental, Año 93, nº 384 (2018), pp. 28-30.
December 2017
“Gárgolas del Bajo Aragón (I). La Fresneda”, Aragón turístico y monumental, Año 92, nº 383 (2017), pp. 20-22.
July 2017
“Las gárgolas”, Herejía y Belleza. Revista de Estudios Culturales sobre el Movimiento Gótico, nº 5 (2017), pp. 68-82.
December 2016
“La gárgola en el mundo hispano bajomedieval”, Revista de Iconografía Medieval, vol. VIII, nº 16 (2016), pp. 67-99. e-ISSN: 2254-853X.
RESEARCH
Research Project AquaBatalha (2018-2019). Sponsored by the Batalha Monastery (DGPC) and CEPAE (Centro de Património da Estremadura).
Research Project AquaMafra – “A Água no Palácio de Mafra: Olhares sobre 300 anos de História” (FCG 209399) (January 2018 – July 2019).
Burgos Cathedral
El Burgo de Osma Cathedral
OTHER ACTIVITIES AND INFORMATIONAL PROJECTS
Radio Interview: “Los secretos de las gárgolas de la Catedral de León” (personal interview, May 10, 2022). Radio León-Cadena Ser.
Radio Interview: “Tipologías de las gárgolas” (personal interview, December 26, 2021). RTPA.
Personal Interview: “Un café con… Dolores Herrero” (December 2021). Revista Digital Antoniorrobles. “Las gárgolas de Robledo”, nº 10, pp. 25-30.
Television Report: “Animales en las fachadas de Madrid” (September 28, 2021).“Madrid Directo” (Telemadrid).
Radio Interview: “Las gárgolas” (personal interview, May 15, 2021). RTPA.
Radio Interview: “Las gárgolas” (personal interview, January 12, 2021). Radio 3 (RNE).
Since March 2020: Member of the Academic Committee of Herejía y Belleza Magazine. Asociación Cultural Besarilia.
Radio Interview: “Gárgolas en la Catedral de Salamanca” (personal interview, January 9, 2020). Radio Círculo – Mistérica Radio Secreta.
Since 2011: Member of ICMA (International Center of Medieval Art).
I Literature and Art Conferences: “Monsters in Literature and Art” (conference attendee, October 19 and 26 and November 2, 2010). Department of Classical Philology and Indo-European Linguistics (College of Philology) and Department of History of Art I (College of Geography and History) of the Madrid Complutense University.