About a month ago, I went to Ávila and didn't go inside the Cathedral. But the Toros de Guisando are not too far away from Ávila, so we stopped there for lunch and then I got the chance to duck inside the Cathedral.
It's your typical cathedral. The retrochoir (marble frieze behind the choir) is pretty cool.
I find it fascinating how there is always one black Magi in all representations of the Nativity that I've seen in Spain. There's always one black Magi surrounded by boatloads of pasty white people, and his name is Balthazar. Apparently, there's a historical tradition in Europe of illustrating Balthazar with dark skin and a dark beard, because of a description that the Venerable Bede wrote down in the 8th century.
During the Epiphany parades in Spain, the three Magi throw candy to children. One of them is invariably in blackface to represent Balthazar. It's caused quite the controversy, but who knows whether it will change any time soon...
The Cathedral in Ávila actually forms a part of the external wall of the city. It makes sense--an efficient use of resources--even if it seems strange to think of archers standing on the cathedral's roof, firing shots at potential invaders.
There's also a secret passage somewhere that they're not sure where it was supposed to lead to. But it exists, and I took a picture of the wall explaining it.
Sometimes I wish I knew more about Catholicism so I could better understand the iconography. But studying celebrities has helped me understand why there are so many saints (you never know whose life will speak most directly to one's situation) and why images and visual representations are so powerful.
It's your typical cathedral. The retrochoir (marble frieze behind the choir) is pretty cool.
I find it fascinating how there is always one black Magi in all representations of the Nativity that I've seen in Spain. There's always one black Magi surrounded by boatloads of pasty white people, and his name is Balthazar. Apparently, there's a historical tradition in Europe of illustrating Balthazar with dark skin and a dark beard, because of a description that the Venerable Bede wrote down in the 8th century.
During the Epiphany parades in Spain, the three Magi throw candy to children. One of them is invariably in blackface to represent Balthazar. It's caused quite the controversy, but who knows whether it will change any time soon...
The Cathedral in Ávila actually forms a part of the external wall of the city. It makes sense--an efficient use of resources--even if it seems strange to think of archers standing on the cathedral's roof, firing shots at potential invaders.
There's also a secret passage somewhere that they're not sure where it was supposed to lead to. But it exists, and I took a picture of the wall explaining it.
Sometimes I wish I knew more about Catholicism so I could better understand the iconography. But studying celebrities has helped me understand why there are so many saints (you never know whose life will speak most directly to one's situation) and why images and visual representations are so powerful.
I've learned a lot about Catholicism in studying Spain, but sometimes I think not knowing more puts me at a disadvantage.
I don't understand why they don't just find someone with dark skin to be Balthazar. There is a simple solution . . . But maybe I am missing something.
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