Mondragon chapel

[Rosina Lila]

Hello you all,
Pilgrims in Santiago visiting the Cathedral during the last six months will
have noticed that the Mondragon chapel (the rather large one to the right as
one turns towards the Platerias door coming from behind the altar) was curtained
off.  The chapel, famous because of its Pieta bas relief, was undergoing
extensive renovations which have been completed and is now open.
       The Pieta bas relief was created in the sixteenth century by a French
master sculptor, Miguel Perrin,  and was commissioned by Juan de Mondragon,  a
canonical priest.  The work was sent to Santiago in pieces which were later
assembled and reinforced with an iron web.  After four hundred years the iron
rusted and caused considerable damage, already perceived in 1998 when  measures
were taken to minimize the humidity in the chapel.
       After a series of x-rays of it were taken, the entire relief was taken
down and its pieces were minutely examined and restored by "art surgeons" who
used scalpels to remove debris, smoke residues,  and the various layers of
paint that had been added during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The
work was done by a group of experts from Madrid financed by the Spanish Culture
Ministry.
       The bas relief has been reassembled and put back, and its original
soft colors, of Flemish origin,  have been restored.
       The scene depicted shows the body of Jesus after being taken down from
the Cross.  His  head is held by Joseph of Arimatea, Mary is by it  and Mary
Magdalena kneels at its feet.   There are eight other figures standing around
the body in various states of grief. The  three crosses are shown with
Jerusalem in the background,
       The Archdiocese announced in 1993 its intention to renovate not only
the chapels around the altar,  but all images and paintings in the Cathedral
that have been damaged throughout the centuries.  The Mondragon chapel is the
first major effort to be completed.
       Warm regards,
Rosina
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