Thanksgiving Musings From Barcelona, Spain

"The Thanksgiving holiday was established as a national day of giving thanks and praise to God". I am going to take profit of the religious mood created with my two previous posts about Pedralbes Monastery, to show you this holy scene which was part of a small exhibition located in the cellars of the building.

The light was dim but the small scale figures, the magnificent set and the illumination were worthy enough to photograph from a very close distance that excluded the framing and created the atmosphere to make it look almost real. Happy Thanksgiving my friends! 

Stained Glass Window. Pedralbes Monastery. Barcelona, Spain

While in Pedralbes Monastery I noticed this beautiful stained glass window. Everytime I see these religious figures pierced by the incoming light I wonder what effect would the colors and scenes have upon the extremely faithful and fearful medieval souls. Then I can't help thinking on how many people have prayed gazing towards the infinite nothingness asking for divine favors through these stained glass panes. All those years of solitude and whispering slowly come and soothe my soul like a monotonous litany. I am not a religious man and I can't really explain what it is. Maybe is just because my father took me to churches just for the sake of art, literally, or so he said. This art with a purpose, the Gothic purpose of impressing parishioners always works, even for me.

Pedralbes Gothic Monastery in Barcelona, Spain

Built in the fourteenth century, the Pedralbes single-nave gothic monastery is located right under the mountains that mark the upper limits of Barcelona city. The impressive religious building was founded in 1326 by Queen Elisenda de Montcada the third wife of James II. In the image above you see the cloister garden under the morning sun full of medicinal plants. A must see besides the Pedralbes Monastery Museum (Bajada del Monasterio, 9, Tel.: 93 203 92 82) is the Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Collection that includes a valuable religious art exhibition from XV and XVII. You can get to Pedralbes Monastery on the sightseeing buses as this is part of the Romanesque and Gothic Route. Check this one in particular: Bus Turistic The Northern Route

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