[Gocamino] Change on Webpage. Hooliganism at the Santiago Cathedral

[Blaroli@aol.com]

Hello you all,

The Santiago Archdiocese has changed the system for its webpage. Whereas 
heretofore the page could be accessed merely by going to     
www.archicompostela.org
the electronic access has been changed, and now one must have a special 
program (plus flash ... or something like it) to get to the page.  Fortunately, 
trying to get to the page by the old method one gets a message which allows the 
program to be accessed by a mere click. It does take about three minutes, 
though.  
The face of the home page has also changed ... instead of the former picture 
of the Apostle's tomb, and the flying Botafumeiro (which I liked), the new 
page shows the smiling face of the Archbishop, Msgr. Barrio, in an avuncular mood 
ready to welcome conversation.  In fact, the front page is quickly and 
automatically followed by pilgrims' and readers' comments.

Architects and engineers have found the Portico de Gloria, and the adjacent 
image of a kneeling Maestro Mateo, to be in far worse shape than feared.  In 
addition to the erosion and damage caused by the hundreds of thousands of, 
perhaps sweaty,  hands laid on the central column of the Portico, and by the 
millions of "croques" (head buttings) suffered by the image of Maestro Mateo,  the 
Cathedral's museum curators have also found markings made with a penknife, or 
some such, on the columns in an apparent attempt to carve initials, or a heart, 
or arrows, on the central and side columns.  The bases of the side columns 
have also been damaged by the thousands and thousands of pilgrims who have sat 
upon them  waiting their turn to lay hands on the central column and/or but 
heads with the long-suffering image of Maestro Mateo.
You may remember that the silver cape, erstwhile adorned with precious gems, 
that covered the shoulders of the Apostle's image on the altar (the one that 
we hug) for centuries, was  changed a little over a year ago because it had 
been seriously damaged by people trying to remove the gems from the cape with 
their teeth while hugging, or pretending to,  the image.  The new cape is made of 
much thicker silver and the gems are no longer genuine.
The Portico, however, continues to be exposed to abuse and hooliganism.  
After the Archdiocese announced last year that the Portico would be put beyond 
human touch, there was a howl of protest from everywhere, and the Archdiocese 
relented.  Now that the damage has been found to also include more active and 
nefarious malfeasance, it is likely that some measures will be put in place. I 
certainly would hope so.

There is in Vienna an awesome and dazzling  Cathedral.... different from any 
other that I have seen anywhere, St. Stephen's.  One of the sculptor artists 
was  not shy to include a frieze of his portrait here and there, particularly 
at the base of what he considered his masterpiece: a beautifully intricate and 
delicate pulpit, carved in marble  with the detail and delicacy that one 
remembers from the stunningly beautiful  tomb that Queen Isabel , the Catholic, had 
built for her mother in the monastery of Miraflores in Burgos  (it shouldn't  
be missed); but the pulpit in the Vienna Cathedral is surrounded with a 
bronze fence through which one may admire, but not touch, the dazzling work of art. 
 Surely, the gorgeous work of Maestro Mateo deserves no less protection.  
Best regards,


Rosina

p.s.  The tomb of Queen Isabel's mother (who was a queen from Portugal, and 
also called Isabel) is very well protected, not only by a bronze grilled fence, 
but also by a live guard.