After a nearly six month absence of new posts, Spanish Nativity is reviving! I have been involved in everything from the establishment of a new local organization to support an historic cemetery in St Augustine (to see it, go to www.tolomatocemetery.com), unpleasant health problems and an almost equally unpleasant move to a different part of town. But most of the unpleasant stuff is finished now, and since we have only six months to Christmas, it’s time to get back to work on Spanish Nativity!
Via Facebook, I recently bumped into an old friend – Porticum Salutis – on the page of another old friend, Nacho Acosta. I was in Spain for Christmas 2005 and the first few days of January, 2006. During the last days of my stay, Cecilia and Jose Cruz were also visiting, and we toured some interesting belenes near Madrid. One place we went was the town of Ocaña, not far from Madrid in the province of Toledo.
It is the home of Museo Porticum Salutis (Gate of Salvation), a fascinating museum run by the Dominican Fathers in a large historic convent building, which is still in use. There are historical exhibits, religious art, and a large permanent belén that tells the history of Salvation.
The Dominicans in this particular house were, like many Dominicans, missionaries, and they seem to have had particular missions to the Far East. Notice that the sign over the door reads, “Misioneros de Ultramar,” Overseas Missionaries. You can read more about them if you click on this link, which will take you to a newspaper article about them (in Spanish).
When I go to Spain again, I plan to visit Porticum Salutis. In the meantime, I have friended them on Facebook…and you can do likewise. They don’t post much on their page, but they have a huge list of friends, and you can follow these back and find some very interesting Nativity organizations, particularly in Italy – and, naturally, in Spain itself.
