Casa-Museo Sorolla - A Sherman Adventure into Madrid

One of my favorite museums in Madrid is the one built around the paintings by Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863-1923). His style is soft and composed of a blend of beautiful blues, whites, and earth tones. A large percentage of his works reflect the peasant life of those residing along the sea coast in-and-around Valencia.

His home is a marvel. His paintings and personal effects occupy every room. When you enter you feel at home, in fact at the entrance that most guests would enter the home you find this arched entry with the word "Salve" (meaning "Welcome" in Latin). Sorolla was known for his hospitality.

So let's take a tour of the property and museum. Once you leave the bustling street, you enter a beautiful, walled garden space filled with fountains and sculptures.

Visitors are allowed to take pictures, so I have provided you with a few of my favorites:

"Instantly, Biarritz" (1906)

"Madre" (1895): The paintings is of Sorolla's wife and newborn child

"The Arrival of the Boats" (1905)

"Playa de Valencia" (1908)

"Bajo el toldo, Playa de Zarauz" (1910)

"Pescadoras valencianas" (1915)

"El baño del caballo" (1909)

"El bote blanco, Jávea" (1905)

I also took the liberty of taking a number of interior shots of the home. The first pictures are of his studio and the small bed where he would rest after long hours working.

In an alcove near the bed are many of Sorolla's "bosquejos" (sketches or previews) of his works. They are fascinating and often as beautiful as his full-sized works.

Finally, I could not help but take this picture of the many paintbrushes that he used to create his works. It was just too artistic in-and-of itself.

Trip #4 (Part V) - LA RIOJA (MONASTERIOS DE YUSO Y SUSO)

So, this is the final post for this trip. Sorry for so many "parts" but there was so much to see and so much variety. I wanted to dedicate a single entry to these two monasteries because of their importance in the linguistic history of Spain. Here is the story...

Suso was a visigothic monastery built around the hermitage belonging to Aemilianus (Millán) o Emiliano who died in 574. Millán was the son of a local shepherd living in Vergegium (known today as Berceo). Originally the monastery was composed of a series of caves in the mountainside that were excavated in the late 6th and early 7th Centuries. Over the years additions / amplifications were added reflecting Mozarabic and Romanesque architectural styles. It was on this site that an unidentified monk wrote the "Glosas Emilianenses" that constitute the first translation of a Latin text into "Romance" (early Castillian) and into Basque ("Euskera"). It was also in this spot where the poet Gonçalo de Berceo lived and wrote. He is considered to be the first poet to employ "Romance" as the voice for his poetry.

Suso is also the resting place of the "Siete Infantes de Lara" (The Seven Princes of Lara") and three queens from the Kingdom of Navarra (Toda, Ximena, and Elvira) as well as that of don Tello González.

Below are some interior shots.

Above is the niche (cave) where the saint was buried.

Above are the Mozarabic arches that constitute part of the nave of the chapel.

Over the years many of the monks were buried in the monasteries caves. Here you can see some of the tombs.

These are the Romanesque arches from a later phase of the monasteries construction.

The monastery is located on a hillside above the Monastery of Yuso (construction began in 1053). It is nestled among pine trees and overlooks the beautiful valleys in and around the small town of Berceo.

And sits a short distance from the Monastery of Yuso.

Instead of taking the bus to return to the valley we decided to walk along the path leading from Suso to Yuso. I could not help but imagine the introduction to Gonçalo de Berceo's "Milagros de Nuestra Señora" where he talks passionately of the beauties of the natural world around him and his desire to escape the world and enter into a more Edenic existence.

Trip #4 (Part IV) - REGION DE LA RIOJA

La Rioja is traditionally known for being one of Spain's most important wine producing regions. However, given our penchant for being "clean and sober," wine was not our reason for going to this area. What did bring us here was the chance to visit one of the most beautiful regions of Spain and to visit some of the sites along the Santiago Trail. Our first stop was Santo Domingo de la Calzada.

We wanted to see the Cathedral there with its unusual history.

Inside the Cathedral are two interesting sites. First, the tomb of Santo Domingo García. In a simple crypt rests the saint...

Notice the decoration on the side of the tomb. It is of a hen and rooster. We will get the meaning in just a minute. Immediately above the tomb is a more elaborate structure with an effigy of the saint. 

Here you will see a beautiful detail that I have not seen anywhere else. At the foot of the effigy you will see two small angels. Each one holds tightly to a covering that they reverently pull up over the saint who appears to sleep. I find the detail to represent a loving respect that mimics God's love.

Now, let's talk a little about the hen and rooster on the side of the saint's tomb. Here is the legend:

"Legend tells of a German Pilgrim called Hugonell who was walking to Santiago with his parents, when they decided to rest at an inn in Santo Domingo de la Calzada. The owner of the inn´s daughter immediately fell in love with him; however her feelings were not reciprocated, so the girl, angered, placed a silver cup into his luggage and accused the boy of theft. Thieves at that time were punished by hanging, and this was the fate of Hugonell. His parents, saddened by his death continued the pilgrimage, and upon arriving in Santiago de Compostela, began their return journey to visit the grave of their dead son. When they arrived in Santo Domingo however, they found their son still hanging in the gallows but, miraculously alive. Hugonell, excited, said to them: “Santo Domingo brought back me to life, please go to the Mayor´s house and ask him to take me down”. Quickly, the parents arrived at the Mayor´s house and told him of the miracle. The incredulous Mayor, who was preparing to have dinner with friends, responded: “That boy is as alive as these two roast chickens we are about to eat,” and suddenly, the chickens came to life, sprouted feathers and beaks and began to crow, and so, to this day there is a saying about the town which goes: “Santo Domingo of the Way, where the roosters crow after being roasted”.

In front of the Mausoleum there is a stone, polychrome and gothic Henhouse, which was built in the middle of the XVTH century to keep alive a hen and a rooster in memory of the most famous of Santo Domingo´s miracles. There are documents from Pope Clemente VI dated 1350 allowing these live animals inside the cathedral. Below the cage is a representation of the pilgrim being hanged painted by Alonso Gallego. Above the cage there is a piece of wood from the gallows.

De ahí el dicho:

“Santo Domingo de la Calzada
donde cantó la gallina después de asada”

So... at the foot of the tomb is an altar...

... and in the lighted cage atop you will find a hen and a rooster. The space is never without these two reminders of the miracle.

And that is Santiago de la Calzada!

Next on our trip was a visit to a small mountain town called Ezcaray. The only reason we spent a couple of hours here was because it is so beautiful and typical of this region. Here are some pics:

And, of course my kids couldn't help creating their own version of the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album cover!!

From Ezcaray we swung over to Nájera, another city on the Santiago Trail. This is the river that flows through the city.

Some of the students decided to take advantage of the beautiful river and its surroundings and just rest for a short time:

Others climbed a nearby hill to get an overview of the city:

While exploring, some enjoyed the wild flowers!

Soon we made our way to the Cathedral.

The main altar is beautiful.

Opposite the altar is a cave and just outside the cave are the tombs of kings and queens...

The cave forms the nucleus of the Cathedral's origin. According to legend Rey Garcés was out falconing when his bird flew into a cave where a small chapel had been built. When he entered the cave he found a statue of the Virgin Mary and at her feet a lantern, a bell, and a bouquet of lilies. From that point on the king began to win his fight against the moors. As a result he ordered that the monastery and Cathedral be built.

We spent the night in a nearby city, Navarrete. Interesting story: We were told by our friend who set up the hotels for us that there wasn't anything in Navarrete of interest. It was just a place to stay. Well, we discovered a real jewel in the local church. 

We decided to go out, get some food, and explore. When we got the church and went in we found this...

Probably one of the most beautiful local altars that I have seen.

Needless to say, we did get our food...

 And some of the students took the time to play a little soccer in the field near the hotel: