Between Legend and Reality - Saint Francisco of Assisi and Saint Dominic of Guzman in Madrid

The story about the visit of these two prominent religious leaders to the city of Madrid weaves between myth and reality. Saint Francisco of Assisi and Saint Dominic of Guzman (Santo Domingo), both were travelling in the effort to grow their religious communities and to impulse their respective organizations’ projects, both arrived virtually at the same time to Madrid, and both contained huge importance to the city, as they left behind massive influential communities of respective religious orders; both friars contributed to the appearance of architectural and historical monuments in the city, with the only difference that only one of them will inspire the evolution of  a simple monk’s lodging into a monumental piece of art preserved through the centuries, while the creation of the other will vanish into the dust of times.


Source: Catalogo del Gabinite del Estampas de Madrid
Painter: F. Zurbaran


 Francisco of Assisi, later Saint Francisco, made it to Spain around 1213-1214, and since tradition recalls there are plenty of traces of his influence that stayed preserved through the times, however his arrival to Madrid is covered so densely with myths and legends that at this point it is difficult to separate them from real fact.  What we know is that around those times is constructed a small hermitage which was used by Saint Francisco and later it grows to become a Convent of San Francisco el Grande. With time it transforms into the amazing and monumental Basilica of San Francisco el Grande one of the most representative jewels of XVIII century architecture in the city, which used to be a humble housing chosen by San Francisco during his stay in Madrid. It is definitely well worth the visit regardless of your religious believes as it contains impressive works of Goya and Zurbaran among others.




Source: Catalogo del Gabinite del Estampas de Madrid
Painter: Jose Antolínez
As to Saint Dominic of Guzman (Spanish: Santo Domingo), apparently he will make it to the city a few years later, around 1219, following two years after two of his monks failed on a mission of founding a monastery for the community of Santo Domingo (Dominicans) in Madrid. Assuming the failure of friar Pedro de Madrid and friar Miguel de Ucero the father of the order himself will come and lead the construction to its glorious result in the shape of the Monastery of Santo Domingo de Guzman. Later, after the issue of Bula Excommunicamus dictated by Papa Gregorio IX in 1231, which established the Saint Inquisition, this monastery will become the center of the Inquisition matters in the city. As Dominicans were famous for their educational activities, they will be chosen to direct Inquisition, making this monastery the very center of the city of Madrid of that time.

During the expropriation of Christian Catholic church in Madrid, major properties were destroyed, and during the period from 1836 to 1852 the Monastery of Santo Domingo will be wiped off the face of the city. On the modern map of Madrid the Monastery would be located in the Plaza of Santo Domingo in Madrid.

'La Plaza de Santo Domingo', por Louis Meunier (1665-68)
Source: Passion for Madrid
Curiously, the destruction of the monastery gave birth to numerous dark rumors and legends, as workers that were involved in the demolition claimed to find several tunnels with horrendous amounts of skulls and bones buried into the walls. I say “dark rumors” as one of the possible explanation to these “findings” could be the known fact that sometimes monks of an order were buried this way by their communities. However, of course, another explanation that insists on coming to mind is related to the inquisition being known for inhuman torturing of their prisoners, which more than once accelerated their encounter with the God, you can let your imagination do the rest....

Author:
Enrique Gonzalez
MadSnail Travel Guide
Madrid Walking Tours


Leonardo Alenza, Scenes of Romantic Madrid

Contemporary painting in the style
of Costumbrismo

During the first quarter of the nineteenth century and with the appearance of the Napoleonic Empire there will be a great influence in Europe from French artists like J.L David. Among others disciples of David was Jose Madrazo and through his works, neoclassicism starts approaching our peninsula, which will drive the bourgeoisie into neoclassical style, and will cause the situation when in Spain little by little wealthy Spaniards start forgetting their roots - that is the moment when Costumbrismo begins.

The exact origins of this artistic style are not very clear, but most likely it was at random, partially related to the nationalism and the idea of preservation of our traditions. Originally the concept was developed in literature, but soon it will be delivered to fine arts: watercolors, oils, lithography etc... 


La Sopa Boba, L. Alenza y Nieto,
Museo Lazaro Galdiano, Madrid
Costumbrist paintings and drawings usually depict Spanish habits and local scenes, which
probably had influenced foreign travelers of the time, as they were the ones purchasing most of this type of  considereded “minor art”. Costumbrists' works represent popular facts and people like “Majas”, “Dancers”, “Buñoleros” (confectioner), “Street Merchants” or Bandoleers” among others.

Costumbrismo varies depending on the region of the artist: either Andaluz or, like the one we’ll be looking at later, Madrileño. This genre was greatly influenced by the works of Don Francisco de Goya and the Lithographic Establishment and was normally practiced by autodidacts, all of them posterior to the Independence War and most were “artists for pleasure”, who died poor, like Leonardo Alenza, the costumrist artist the author of this article would like destinguish among others. These ladies and gentlemen did not want to be part of the “establishment”, they would never participate in National exhibitions and refuse any awards given, which in turn sent them in to the oblivion.

Suicide for Love, L. Alenza

The expression of Costumbrismo Madileño was very different, if compared to the one in Andalucia: here the themes were more grotesque, bitter and critic, in general a lot more dramatic, and in Andalucia was the opposite.

In Madrid one of the most distinguished artists of this artistic genre, was the genius Leonardo Alenza, born in the city in 1807, son of a poet. His step mother made an unfortunate decision of selling “wrongly” a great collection of Leonardo’s own drawings anonymously. Most of them can be found today at the National Library in Madrid and in one of the hidden jewels of the city, the Museum of Romanticism.



Alenza worked with a vast variance of themes, including portrait, religious painting, Costumbrismo, drawings and others. He was apparently a quite person, not very communicative and of a weak nature; he had a tendency to be depressed and get ill easily.

El Sacamuelas, L. Alenza
Leonardo studied in the School of Fine Arts of San Fernando and among his teachers were such renowned artists as Juan Antonio Ribera and Jose Madrazo. Alenza was just an observer of Madrid, its life that happened on the streets, in stores and cafes, and this is what would inspire the art he made. His lithographies and drawings would be published in those nineteenth century papers and magazines. Even if he was not a very active of the literary cafes gatherings, some of them were decorated with his art work, like Cafe de Levante unfortunately gone today.

L. Alenza, Satire al suicidio romantico,
Museo del Romanticismo, Madrid



Amongst Alenza’s art works I would like to draw your attention to the three of them:

Suicide for Love: A satire of the habits going for the romantic idea of the grotesque and sarcastic.

La Sopa Boba: Represents a charity meal given by priest to the ones with needs.

El Sacamuelas: Small casacón painting, portraying a normal day in everyone’s life – everybody needs a tooth to be pulled out.





Leonardo Alenza

Unfortunately Alenza died alone and with no money at all. His friends had to collect money, so he could be buried on a common burial; also his friends were the ones who managed to save some of his art work, and this is how today I can be writing about this incredible Madrileño artist.


PS: 
In Memory of 
Leonardo Alenza
(6/11/1807 - 30/07/1845),
The protector of our traditions 
Author:
Enrique Gonzalez
MadSnail Travel Guide
Madrid Walking Tours


La Tarasca, the Dragon, from Medieval Madrid

La Trasca (source: Protocols de Madrid)
The legend claims that this monster, called La Tarasca, was originally found in France on the Provence-Alps region and has always been connected to Saint Martha, who was able to dominate the mythological beast, but once it was controlled, the locals decided to kill the monster at night and this is when this part of France will be Christianized.
For the people of Madrid la Tarasca was once a unique thing related to the procession of the Corpus Christi, when the figure went on the streets to entertain and amuse the locals, and was well known for its ugliness and rudeness:

“There was like a massive snake fully covered by scales, monstrous belly, long tale, horrible eyes and open jaws” it will be the horrible ugliness versus the great beauty, the greatest deformity against the glorious body.

On top of the monster there would be a woman riding with gorgeous elegant clothing representing the whore of Babylon. Interesting fact was that this clothing would work as an anticipation of the fashion to come. 
La Tarasca for the procession Corpus Cristi in Madrid, 1675
 “If you are going to Los Madriles (old reference to Madrid), bring from La Tarasca the best fashion, and do not get hypnotized or you will be smashed in your face by mojigones” (Mojigones were a sort of short sticks with inflated bladders traditionally used in national parties to hit children).

Every theme in La Tarasca for Corpus Christi was different and beard special message: one year it was the whore of Babylon playing the flute, another year there were four women on top of the monster with whips, punishing the flesh of other sinner women... The artist who created La Tarasca would make a drawing for the town hall so they could get the money to build it, so this creature becomes a gadget, a machine on top of a platform with wheels in which interior some men now and then activate some springs so the snake would grows its neck and steal the hats from people.

Commoners of Madrid had a blast with this procession; for them it was a moment of joy and fun, a moment of grotesque and criticism at same time, a moment to laugh or to imagine the supernatural.  Monsters like Tarasca or dragons through medieval ages were something people would chat about and would pass the stories about from one to another.


In 1722 other times arrive in Spain, especially with our King Carlos III, which decide, that this medieval tradition should be removed as profane – no more dances in front of our Lord, no more mystery plays and then no more Tarasca, the joy and colorfulness return to the deepest orthodoxism and significance of the liturgy.

Sources:
- Cronicas de Madrid, 1990
- Biblioteca digital del Patrimonio Histórico del Ayuntamiento de Madrid



Madrid Through the Almodovar´s Prism

Pedro Almodovar on Gran Via, Madrid
PEDRO ALMODÓVAR was born in 1949, in a little town in the middle of Castile-La Mancha, Don Quixote’s land. At the age of 8, he moved to a religious boarding school in Cáceres. That was his first contact with the cinema. Later, he said: "Cinema became my real education, much more than the one I received from the priest". He was influenced by Buñuel, Bergman, Fellini and many others.

He moved to Madrid in 1967, with the intention of studying at the School of Cinema, but it had closed recently, so he got a job, and in his free time had to be completely self-taught.
In the early seventies, Almodóvar collaborated with a vanguard theatrical group where he met Carmen Maura. He also wrote articles, stories and comics for some fanzines. He shot his first short film when he was 22, with his first camera, a Super-8.


KEEP READING HERE




PICTURES:
http://todopedroalmodovar.blogspot.com.es
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ibercine/almobio.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepi,_Luci,_Bom


Hot Summer Afternoon Formula for Madrid

Eureka! We found it! We found the perfect formula for the hot Summer afternoon in Madrid for locals and visitors! This magic formula will snatch you out of the afternoon laze, will paint a smile on your face, will fill your lungs with laughter and fresh air and will expand your horizons without having to go to remote corners of the world. As every genious discovery it is simple and a lot of madriders will exclaim the traditional "how come it has never occured to me!". Well here it is, finally uncovered.

Summer + Retiro + Karts + FrEEky Guide = Perfect Summer Afternoon in Madrid

It might look freaky, but rather from the word "free", that is free to explore and run wild like a kid in the welcoming shades of the Retiro park following and racing with your friends (or strangers) and our fascinating guide who challenges you to paddle like you never did before and to dare taking crazy turns and slopes. In between the action time he shares the stories and curiosities of the park. I am not going to brag about how many curious facts there are, as it seems that there is one hidden behind every leaf, but I can tell you one thing, you will feel like in an adventure park with sets and scenarios changing in a kaleidoscope mode. Our karts-riding tour covered most of the vast 350 sq. acres of the park, which is impossible to do by walking in one day or even in two. Well, in my case, I never managed to do it in five years of living in Madrid, as I always gave in to the laze and ended up laying down somewhere in a sunny quite corner, doing anything else but exploring.

Added bonus: jealous gazes of the kids and the passerbys wishing to be part of the craze! Doubles the fun!

We are up for it every Saturday and Sunday and tt is easy to join here or contact us for the private tour.
PS: The tour ends with one of those classic ice-creams in the park. :)


Author
Natalia
Madrid Enthusiast
www.madsnailtravel.com



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