The last few weeks have been occupied with trivia, ranging from my actual paying work (translation) to my garden, and I’ve rather fallen behind on the posts. But I’m planning ahead: the last few days have been spent trying to get a wire transfer to Spain for the Congreso de la Federación Española de Belenistas which will be held in October, 2009, in the city of Guadalajara. The bank in my small town doesn’t send many international wire transfers, and the process went slowly, although Miguel Ángel Martínez Fernández, the President of the Association, was extremely helpful. Perhaps the crowning glory in the episode was that the bank complained that the Swift number was wrong. I investigated and found out that this was because the bank wanted to send it to Guadalajara MEXICO rather than Guadalajara SPAIN! But I finally got it straightened out and all is well.
Guadalajara, Mexico is, of course, named after Guadalajara, Spain, which is a small city located 54 km (about 35 miles) to the northeast of Madrid. Guadalajara (Spain!) has a website that can give you an idea of some of its places of historical interest and tourist attractions. I was there once several years ago but didn’t have much time to tour around, so I’m really looking forward to visiting the city.
Other than that, I have a couple of random photos of Niños forwarded to me by someone who knows of my interest. They are both photos by Gregor Kollmorgen, author of an article about Bamberg, Austria on the blog New Liturgical Movement. The article is full of great photos of what is clearly a fantastic town for Baroque churches and has one of interest to belenistas: The Niño above is in the rococo Church of the Fourteen Holy Helpers (Vierzehnheiligen). He is seated on the edge of a replica of the Star that is in the center of the Nativity Grotto in Bethlehem. The star here is located in a crypt under the altar, and you can see through to the earth under the church, because the church is built on the site of a 15th century apparition of the Holy Child, accompanied by 14 other saints, to a shepherd.
There is also a Divine Child at the top of the altarpiece. In the original apparition, the Child had a red cross on his chest, which you can almost make out in the photo. Read more about it on New Liturgical Movement! The article is very interesting and the other photos are great.
