I was doing some googling around to learn more about the extension of the Holy Year (which, it turns out, has been done once before, during the Spanish Civil War), and I came across some very interesting news.
After years of battling with the heirs, just this past December the Spanish government won its lawsuit to confiscate the Franco summer palace Meirás and all its contents.
It turns out that among many other priceless things, the palace contains two statues from the original Pórtico de la Gloria, those of Isaac and Abraham, which were allegedly bought by Franco from the City of Santiago in the 1950s. But there is no documentation to support this, and the legal dispute had been going on for quite a while.
english.elpais.com
If you are wondering how the statues ever were removed from the Pórtico de la Gloria, in 1521 the size of the original Pórtico was decreased, removing two lateral doorways and a foyer, with sculptures of prophets and kings. Of all of those original figures, only 9 are left — 4 in the Cathedral museum, 2 in the provincial museum in Pontevedra, one in a private collection, and these two. If you read some of the Spanish press, many people are quite jubilant about this, what a nice way to start a Holy Year.
Please remember this is not an invitation to discuss politics, it is an invitation to rejoice at the return of the two lost prophets. It will be interesting to see where they wind up.
www.vidanuevadigital.com
After years of battling with the heirs, just this past December the Spanish government won its lawsuit to confiscate the Franco summer palace Meirás and all its contents.
It turns out that among many other priceless things, the palace contains two statues from the original Pórtico de la Gloria, those of Isaac and Abraham, which were allegedly bought by Franco from the City of Santiago in the 1950s. But there is no documentation to support this, and the legal dispute had been going on for quite a while.
Why do these 800-year-old statues belong to a Franco-owned real estate agency?
The local government in Santiago de Compostela says it is the real owner of the invaluable sculptures, which once graced the cathedral but are now kept in the summer house of the Spanish dictator’s family
If you are wondering how the statues ever were removed from the Pórtico de la Gloria, in 1521 the size of the original Pórtico was decreased, removing two lateral doorways and a foyer, with sculptures of prophets and kings. Of all of those original figures, only 9 are left — 4 in the Cathedral museum, 2 in the provincial museum in Pontevedra, one in a private collection, and these two. If you read some of the Spanish press, many people are quite jubilant about this, what a nice way to start a Holy Year.
Please remember this is not an invitation to discuss politics, it is an invitation to rejoice at the return of the two lost prophets. It will be interesting to see where they wind up.
¿Volverán las esculturas del Pazo de Meirás al Pórtico de la Gloria de la catedral de Santiago?
Después de que el Juzgado de Primera Instancia nº1 de La Coruña haya fallado a favor la Abogacía del Estado y condeno a la familia Franco a devolver el
