| What makes it beautiful? |
Founded in the 6th century on the monastic models of Saint Fructuosus of Braga and the same Saint Isidore whose remains I met in León, the monastery waxed Benedictine in the following 400 years, just one of many dramatic shifts. It’s a hard-knock life for monks! They were first persecuted by the Moors, then by Napoleon’s troops, prompting the departure of the senior clergy and ultimately, the expulsion of all remaining monks in 1835! The whole monastery burnt to the ground twice, first in 1533 and again in 1951!
Because of its history of destruction, the murals covering the interior of the monastery all appeared to be brand new. By brand new, I mean the faces of the depicted monks were almost photographic in detail! Also, I noticed something that I’d never seen before in any religious painting: a dark cherub! That, I thought, was revolutionary for Catholic art, but maybe this is just my first exposure! |
