Stirring Up – Haiku 2022 #ThursdayDoors

Posted bySuzette BenjaminPosted inPoetry
Middle door of three doors West Entrance Burgos Cathedral, Image credit: © Underworld | Dreamstime.com

breaking wooden moulds

casting the future bronze

stirring up the pot

****

Built atop the ruins of a demolished Roman Cathedral in the 12th century (1261 A.D), in a kingdom once ruled by Catholic Kings, warlords, and knights, rest Santa María Cathedral, also known as Burgos Cathedral, Castilla y León, Spain.

The centuries-old wooden doors featured above have been scheduled for replacement.

Burgos city residents are in an uproar over church authorities’ decision to replace these wooden doors to commemorate the cathedral’s 800th anniversary (2021).

Three massive bronze doors by artist/sculptor Antonio López are slated to replace them. The cathedral’s West facade porticos three doorways. The two smaller entrances will feature bronze doors with raised sculptures of Mary and the young Jesus.

In the middle and largest bronze door, artist Antonio López will enshrine his four-meter-tall self-portrait as the face of God, The Father (See an illustration of the three proposed bronze doors’ virtual rendition below)

virtual rendering: Burgos Cathedral Main West Entrance proposed bronze doors -credit: liturgicalartsjournal

The proposed doors’ “artistic and theological interpretation,” along with their whopping £1.2 million price tag have incited a flurry of discontent, underscored by a 31,000-signature petition. Even the usually impartial behind-the-scenes UNESCO, has dipped into the murky fray politely hinting to church authorities that replacing the doors would nullify the Cathedral’s World Heritage Site status.

Trivia: Rumor has it that although the situation continues to sour on the public front, plans still appear to be moving forward to replace the wooden doors.

Burgos Cathedral is the final resting place of the legendary Castilian knight/warlord, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid— immortalized in print and in film.

Wider angle, Burgos Cathedral – West Main Entrance below:

West Entrance Burgos Cathedral – Image credit: © Pere Sanz | Dreamstime.com

Written for #ThursdayDoors – Dan Antion @ No Facilities

Published by Suzette Benjamin

Positive thinker, inspirational, writer, faith

64 thoughts on “Stirring Up – Haiku 2022 #ThursdayDoors”

  3. 👨‍🎨Three massive bronze doors by artist/sculptor Antonio López are slated to replace them. 👨‍🎨

    Oh this is quite a story
    .the sculptor is quite an age already
    86 years old.
    Lots of mixed emotions going down
    One feels the political, historical and religious allegiance going down.
    So the author is immortalised for centuries to come
    Maybe another 800 years to come
    One can never tell what goes down in the hearts and minds of the old country…
    Oh but we do….their doors always expose their stories

    Beautifully expressed here

    Liked by 2 people

    1. You say it well! So much socio-political religious mores floating to the surface out of passion for the church building. But thr doors as you say quite beautifully, are thr mirrors that seems to tell their stories in the light of day. .

      Liked by 2 people

      1. So true
        And it is quite something for an artists to be commissioned at that age.
        One can only wonder at the dialogue
        Misunderstandings
        Judgements
        And compassion
        Surely someone younger
        Not so?

        Very interesting chapter on the church and her doors.

        Out discussions of renaming streets and places mostly ugly and distasteful

        Liked by 1 person

  5. That doors, built, maintained and preserved for 800 years would be replaced by a modern interpretation (and a self-portrait???) is upsetting, to say the least. I’ll spare you the words I’d like to use. These treasures are ours to care for. If we choose to maintain and preserve them, we have a duty to the past, to the people who raised the money and worked with their hands to create that cathedral and those marvelous doors. I’m sure that money would be better placed in a trust dedicate to insuring that this building survives another 800 years. Thank you for sharing the story of these doors, along with your lovely poem, with us Suzette.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I agree wholeheartedly Dan. The wooden doors have stood the test if time as a testimony to the church itself. Bringing in the new is not always the best choice. And I agree that the funds could be better spent on matters of more importance ( my opinion ) to the cathedral and the community.
      Thank you for your always insightful comments, and, for hosting.
      Happy Thursday.

      Liked by 2 people

  8. I would be signing that petition as well. I hate when there is an outcry and the folks in power wait for it to die down a bit and just carryon…nullifying everybodys protest. A good post as always.

    Pat

    Liked by 1 person

  11. So very interesting, and apt poetry. The new face of the three doors is quite impressive, much more so than the wooden ones. But the wooden doors are beautiful and this seems like terrible timing for such actions.

    Liked by 1 person

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