Zaragoza
has two cathedrals, virtually side by side. Both of them are
staggering in their opulence and their craftsmanship but the Basilica
of the Virgin of the Pillar
is somewhat larger than La
Sea.
The pillar in question is one which the Virgin Mary is said to have
alighted on in a vision of St James (I think). My guidebook said this
very pillar was in the Basilica and that the faithful were prone to
crowding round it with a view to touching it. I couldn't find a
pillar with a virgin on top of it but I did see a small 'window'
through which – to my astonishment – people were urged to kiss a
bit of the true pillar. And to contribute some coins.
There
was also a museum of tapestries in La Sea, provoking the
thought – What on earth is the Catholic Church doing retaining
these when they should be in a lay museum? Anyway, I passed up the
opportunity to see the Treasury, as I know from experience how
stuffed these are with gold, silver and jewelled pieces that could be
put to rather better use than demonstrating the (useless) wealth of
the Church.
Another
question which occurred to me as I walked round slack-jawed at the
splendour of the places – Why did it take God so long to make
himself known to Man? I mean, He first told the Jews about Himself
about 3,000 years ago – I'm guessing – and then he came down to
kick off the Christian church 2,000 years ago. Then the Muslims 1300
years ago; the Bahais about 500 years ago and then, more recently
people like the Mormons, the Christian Scientists, etc. etc. This is
quite a lot of revealing in the past 3,000 years, compared with very
little in the previous 197,000 years of human existence. I mean, the
Greeks weren't given the honour of revelation. Neither were the
Romans. Or the Zaroastrians. To quote a few. So, what's going on? Why
did God decide to go into overdrive after many, many thousands of
years of inactivity? And why did He do it in such a way that all
sorts of people think they have a different God to everyone else? And, in some cases, believe this to be sufficient reason to slaughter
them? Doesn't exactly shout clarity of revelation, does it? Or perhaps it does, if you read both the Old Testament and the Koran. Personally, I have God down as a bit of (cosmic) joker. With a sadistic streak. And a fair bit of masochism in the case of The Son.
Anyway,
as an ex-Catholic, ex-Deist, ex-Agnostic and now fully-fledged
Atheist, I don't consider it my job to answer these metaphysical
questions. But I'd be interested in the answers of others.
Zaragoza
also boasts a remarkable fort – El Aljafería
– which originally served the Muslim rulers of this part of Aragón,
then later their Christian conquerers. Who, naturally, destroyed most
of the beautiful mezquita,
or mosque, installed inside the fort. But enough is left of the
original artistry to give one an idea of what a stunning place it
must have been.
Zaragoza
is an elegant city and they really want you to stay. Putting this
another way, they make it hard for you to leave. There are none of
the usual signs to nearby cities or autopistas.
Nor the ubiquitous Todas
Direcciones
sign. In fact, there's nothing in the centre of the city to guide you
out of it. Meaning that I and my satnav had a most frustrating time
trying to exit. Especially the satnav. Which, being in Spanish,
doesn't say anything like “U-Turn” when I need it to. By the time
I figure out it's given me a long-winded Spanish alternative, I'm past the
place where I should have made the turn.
In
contrast, Palencia – where I am tonight – makes it hard for you
to find either the city centre or any hotels. There's one of those
little concentric circles signs for the centre as you enter the place
and then zilch until half a frustrating hour later you chance upon it
and some yellow signs for hotels. By this time you've negotiated
about a thousand sets of traffic lights and are ready for bed.
And
things are not helped by the fact the sign to your hotel is
completely masked by tree branches, as I told the receptionist on
checking in.
Finally
. . . The word 'Gothic' is used today to designate a particular
architectural style, inter alia. But I think I'm right in saying it originally meant 'ugly'. I suspect in relation to the Romanesque
style which preceded it. Someone can always check on Wikipedia.
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