FUNDACIÓN COLEGIO Nª Sª DE LA ANTIGUA.

It’s no secret that today we possess a wealth of knowledge that was unthinkable two centuries ago, and its transmission was extremely difficult because it wasn’t readily available to everyone.

Therefore, I’m going to share a curious fact, which can be explained by ignorance, albeit in a minor way. More than two centuries ago, certain disciplines, such as art history, were not common knowledge. Today, we are surrounded by books full of images, television documentaries, and video clips about just about anything, but more than two centuries ago, this was not the case.

In the FCNSdlA archives, among many documents, there is a detailed inventory of everything that was in the Sacristy, Church, and Chapel of Relics. A treasure trove of documents. Since the painting of Our Lady of Antigua was in Madrid for restoration, it occurred to me to look into how this magnificent painting had been included in that inventory. Upon closer examination of the inventory, which lists at least 218 items, some of them collective, such as item 154, which reads: “Fourteen wooden saints, gilded half-length, with their pedestals and relics with glass in front,” I was greatly surprised not to find the painting of Our Lady of Antigua. I thought I might have missed it because the manuscript, with its dense script, made it difficult to read. I began the search again, reading more slowly, but found nothing.

On the third review, a lightbulb went off, leaving no room for doubt. I couldn’t find the painting because it was so poorly described. I found the following in item 160: “A painting of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of Mexico.” I said to myself, “This is it.” To untrained eyes, and probably not very cultured ones, as must have been the case with Licenciado “Lenze” who recorded said inventory, it would have been easy, at that time, to confuse the painting of Our Lady of Antigua with that of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Both were large canvases… Everything was amiss; it wasn’t an Immaculate Conception, nor did it come from Mexico…

I can find no other explanation.

I illustrate this comment with the image of item 160 and with the images of both Virgins that led that good Licenciado to such a grave error.

J.A.G

After many attempts, we see the fulfillment of our desire to restore the painting of Our Lady of Antigua. Today it left for Madrid to be restored in the restoration workshop of the Casa de Alba Foundation.

This painting dates from the last quarter of the 16th century and is in a considerable state of deterioration. Father Esteban referred to it in his book on the history of the school with these words:

“In the niche on the left is the painting of the Virgin of Antigua, which the Cardinal had in his oratory in the episcopal palace of Seville and which is a copy of the Patron Saint of the Cathedral.”

The restoration team will be led by Ana Isabel Ortega Díaz, a certified restorer from the Higher School of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage of Madrid, specializing in Painting Restoration, and a graduate in Fine Arts, specializing in Restoration. The restoration is estimated to take about four months, and it is expected to be back in its place by the end of July. J.A.G.

Next to the sacristy door of our church, there is a marble plaque dated 1923, which commemorates the re-consecration of the altar. The plaque itself indicates that this re-consecration was due to two reasons: 1) Deterioration due to the passage of time, and 2) Restoration to its liturgical form.

From this, we can deduce two things:

1) The deterioration of the altar; perhaps deterioration that began with the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. But to this significant factor, we must add the three hundred years that the altar had already accumulated by 1923. This deterioration necessitated the placement of a new stone—a slab—to replace the old one.

2. The inscription on the plaque regarding the “restoration to the liturgical form” indicates that, for whatever reason, the previous altar no longer met the requirements of the liturgical reforms that had been implemented in the Church since the Council of Trent. The reforms closest to the date of the consecration were those of Pope Pius X. We understand, therefore, that the altar had become obsolete.

As an additional point of interest, next to the transept doors that open onto either cloister, two granite stones with red crosses can be seen, commemorating the two consecrations of our church.

J.A.G.

Last Wednesday, the restored portrait of Bishop Lamadrid was installed in the upper cloister of the school. The portrait of the Bishop of Lugo, José de los Ríos y Lamadrid, is an oil on canvas by the painter Luciano Sánchez Sataren, belonging to the 19th-century tradition of ecclesiastical institutional portraiture. The composition depicts the prelate seated in a sober interior. He wears a violet cassock with cardinal’s buttons and an episcopal zucchetto of the same color. The treatment of the textile textures and the contrast between the areas of shadow and the points of light that fall on the face and hands are particularly noteworthy. The figure is slightly offset from the central axis and acquires a certain monumentality through the interplay of diagonals created by the resting arm and the posture of the body.

J.A.G.

Last week, the oil painting copy of the image of Saint Francis and Brother Leo was installed in the altarpiece of Saint Joseph, replacing a photographic copy that had been placed there to fill the space left by the original when it was moved to the art gallery of this Royal College.

The result is magnificent, and we invite you to see the Saint Joseph altarpiece-altarpiece, which has turned out absolutely magnificent, when you have the opportunity.

J.A.G.

On May 19, 2023, I published a post on this page titled “A SPEAK FOR ONE” in which I described a gift I received from a resident of Monforte: two uniform buttons, undoubtedly from students of the school.

Now we have a photograph showing a two Piarist priest surrounded by students, dated 1888, which allows us to date the existence of said uniform with photographic evidence.

J.A.G.

Where the two El Greco paintings once stood, poor-quality photographic reproductions were placed to fill the empty spaces. Now that all the altarpieces have been restored, these copies desperately needed to be replaced with something of better quality. The oil copy of Saint Lawrence has already been placed in its position on the altarpiece of the Holy Christ of Cioli, and the photographic copy of the painting of Saint Francis of Assisi with Brother Leo will soon be replaced by an oil copy on the altarpiece of Saint Joseph.
JAG

This work, of considerable dimensions (204 x 123 cm), is a portrait of José de los Ríos y Lamadrid, Bishop of Lugo, painted by Luciano Sánchez Santaren. It is currently being restored by the company TAU Restauración.

José de los Ríos y Lamadrid was appointed Bishop of Lugo on September 25, 1857, and died in Lugo on March 8, 1884. He is of particular importance to the people of Lugo because he obtained from Pope Pius IX the concession of a plenary indulgence for any day of the year, which could be obtained by those faithful who, after confession and communion, visited the Blessed Sacrament exposed in the Cathedral of Lugo. He communicated this to his faithful in a pastoral letter dated August 5, 1867.
JAG

These days they are removing the scaffolding from the restoration work carried out by the Galician Regional Government’s Department of Culture, at a cost of over €550,000. This work was much needed, as water was leaking through the dome every time it rained. The problem appears to be solved, although it will require regular maintenance, especially to prevent the growth of plants, lichen, etc., which can gradually damage the dome.

The scaffolding for the elevator used to transport restoration materials and dome scaffolding elements still needs to be removed from the rear.

JAG

This week, a new oil painting will be hung in the Art Gallery of the Royal Piarist Fathers’ College, following its restoration. Its unique feature lies in its subject matter. It is an anonymous work from the 17th or 18th century. The theme is quite original: we have decided to title it “Monks Looking at Plans.”

“In a vertical format, this painting depicts a group of four monks dressed in dark habits and pointed hoods. These religious figures are gathered around a table in an austere interior space, presumably belonging to a monastery. Two of the figures are seated while the other two stand, subtly leaning towards the center of the composition, thus directing the viewer’s attention to something that appears to be displayed on the table.

The light, which enters from the left side of the composition, falls obliquely on the figures, selectively highlighting the folds of their habits and their partially illuminated faces. This lighting treatment suggests a natural light source located outside the picture plane. The resulting chiaroscuro not only emphasizes the monks’ concentration on their task but also lends a spiritual dimension to the scene, as if their activity were imbued with a transcendent purpose.

From a compositional point of view, the closed arrangement of the figures around the table creates a space The painting is hermetic and intimate within the frame. This spatial configuration thematically reinforces the representation, which can be associated with monastic activities such as the study of sacred texts, the copying of manuscripts, the observation of architectural plans, or deliberations on matters concerning the monastery itself.

The painting technique employed is oil on canvas, with brushstrokes that combine precision and freedom, lending a restrained dynamism to the figures and objects depicted.” (From the THAU restoration report)

P. Javier Agudo García Director Gerente de la FCNSdlA