Church at Hontanos

freetobe · Apr 17, 2018

Can anyone tell me the names of the 16 (left to right) 'saints' 'remarkable beings' on the church wall at Hontanos.
Excuse my ignorance but I can only name 4 with certainty.

freetobe · Apr 17, 2018

Kathar1na said:
Do you have a photo? Are they inside? I don't recall anything particular about the church in Hontanas at all but I didn't go inside. It's the large church on the left side of the path in the middle of the village as you walk through, correct?

One needs to go inside. It was very moving.

Bradypus · Apr 17, 2018

This could be a fun game! I think I can recognise 8 out of 16.

Mahatma Gandhi (row 1, far right)
Brother Roger of Taize, Martin Luther, Saint Teresa of Avila (row 2, 1-3)
Malala Yousafzai and Martin Luther King Jr. (row 3, 1&2)
Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Archbishop Desmond Tutu (row 4, 2&3)

Kaiur · Apr 17, 2018

Row 1, 2 San Francis of Assisi

Bradypus · Apr 17, 2018

Top left might be our own @VNwalking If not perhaps she can help us out with that one.

Kaiur · Apr 17, 2018

Row 3,3 Irena Sendler

Bradypus · Apr 17, 2018

Kaiur said:
Row 3,3 Irena Sendler

Thank you. Just looked her up on Wikipedia. Sounds as if her place in that company is well deserved.

VNwalking · Apr 17, 2018

Bradypus said:
Top left might be our own @VNwalking If not perhaps she can help us out with that one.

Hahaha. Nice thought, @Bradypus, but I think you've been in Japan with the cherry blossoms too long.

Bradypus said:
perhaps she can help us out with that one.

Unfortunately I'm useless. It's a distant blurry photo - and whomever it is is in a Tibetan lineage (which I am not), and there are literally hundreds of possibilities out there. It does not look like the Dalai Lama or the Panchen Lama. I don't know.

Purky · Apr 17, 2018

Photo 1: Ani Choying Drolma from Nepal
Photo 3: Prof. Dora Akunyili from Nigeria
Photo 8: Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai from Kenia
Photo 12: Iqbal Masih from Pakistan
Photo 13: not found, I'll keep looking...
Photo 16: Charles de Foucauld from France

Kaiur · Apr 17, 2018

Iqbal Masih , what a story....brave boy

Purky · Apr 17, 2018

Kathar1na said:
How did you manage to do that???

Photoshop, Tineye and Google Reverse Image Search. I still can't find nr 13 though, which bugs me a bit...

Kathar1na · Apr 17, 2018

VNwalking said:
It's a distant blurry photo

Here's a better version of this photo of Ani Choying Drolma:

naplesdon · Apr 17, 2018

I was ready to suggest that No. 3 is Anne Nnenna Nnaji a Nobel Prize winner in literature from South Africa. However the clothing would definitely suggest a woman from West Africa.

Kathar1na · Apr 17, 2018

Update: 15 out of 16 found, only one missing:

Purky · Apr 17, 2018

Kathar1na said:
I'm thinking Latin America but get no further.

Funny, I had the same hunch, but the more I look at the photo, the more I'm thinking Mongolia or China...

VNwalking · Apr 17, 2018

I'm seriously impressed.
And that's hard to do.
Well done, @Purky - and all!
This last person looks South-east Asian to me.
Sombath Somphone from Laos?

Purky · Apr 17, 2018

VNwalking said:
Sombath Somphone from Laos?

Too recent, I think. The photo looks older. I just know this search is gonna drive me crazy...

VNwalking · Apr 17, 2018

Purky said:
I just know this search is gonna drive me crazy...

Haha! (Go to bed, @Purky. Tomorrow is another day. )

Purky · Apr 17, 2018

VNwalking said:
Haha! (Go to bed, @Purky. Tomorrow is another day. )

You're right. I'm like a dog with a bone with these things. I'll let it go. (For now)

Bradypus · Apr 18, 2018

Kathar1na said:
I sort of regret this now, in particular since it looks like this inside (see below) ... not something you see everywhere and I don't mean the altar space / retablo

I went in when I stayed overnight in Hontanas in autumn 2016. Can't recall seeing the photos then so they may be newer or perhaps I was just not very observant. I do remember being impressed by the effort made to make it a welcoming and prayerful place for speakers of many languages. With so many churches along the Frances being locked or apparently neglected it stood out in my mind.

freetobe · Apr 19, 2018

All I can say is - you lot are brilliant and thank you so so much. I sat in the church and meditated. It was beautiful. One of those rare moments on the camino. Beautiful space for contemplation. I neglected to get the literature on these remarkable sentient beings. Now I am giving a talk at Probus and thought I had better know all thwir names!!!! Great work and keep me posted if you get number 13. Is there a message here? I wonder .....

Helen Ogden · Apr 21, 2018

freetobe said:
Can anyone tell me the names of the 16 (left to right) 'saints' 'remarkable beings' on the church wall at Hontanos.
Excuse my ignorance but I can only name 4 with certainty.

Hi there, I'm Helen, I did the Camino last fall with my husband. The shrine at the church (Parish of the Immaculate Conception) in Hontanas was very moving. I picked up the brochure and still have it. The person you are looking for is Bai Fang Li. He was Chinese. The man's story is told in the brochure but it is quite long. Long story short: he was a pedicab driver who lived a spartan life in order to give his earnings to an orphanage in his city. He died at the age of 90 in 2005, having given about 60K euros (equivalent) over the years. He was declared as one of the ten people who 'most touched the heart of China' by Central China Television in 2004.

Bradypus · Apr 21, 2018

@Helen Ogden Many thanks for posting this information. Great to have the jigsaw complete at last! Even better to at last be able to look up this man's story and learn what earned him his place in that distinguished company.

Purky · Apr 21, 2018

Thanks Helen! Colossal sigh of relief here...

Rebekah Scott · Apr 21, 2018

The person behind this welcoming church and photo display is Fr. Fran, the parish priest in Hontanas. He is a true camino guy, he´s walked the Way several times, and has now turned the parish house into a donativo "Casa de Acogida" for pilgrims who want or need to stop and stay a while.

freetobe · Apr 21, 2018

Thankyou Helen - puzzle solved. I am giving a talk for Probus on my trip and just wanted to be positive I had the names right. Wish I had picked up the brochure. I think I was travelling light and mean!!!

larry1948 · Nov 5, 2022

Helen Ogden said:
Hi there, I'm Helen, I did the Camino last fall with my husband. The shrine at the church (Parish of the Immaculate Conception) in Hontanas was very moving. I picked up the brochure and still have it. The person you are looking for is Bai Fang Li. He was Chinese. The man's story is told in the brochure but it is quite long. Long story short: he was a pedicab driver who lived a spartan life in order to give his earnings to an orphanage in his city. He died at the age of 90 in 2005, having given about 60K euros (equivalent) over the years. He was declared as one of the ten people who 'most touched the heart of China' by Central China Television in 2004.

Hi Helen. Are you saying that the man in the lower left photo is Bai Fang Li? Who is left column second from the top? I think I’ve got the others. Thanks

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Church at Hontanos

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