Potepanja po Granadi 2 / Wandering around Granada 2

Siesta is a time of rest. It seems to be observed rigidly. Everything is closing down so you don’t really have a choice, so we had our siesta. In the afternoon we have returned in the general direction of the Basilica San Juan de Dios. San Juan de Dios is one of the most important Spanish saints. He was born in Portugal in Montemor-o-Novo, as João Cidade on March 8, 1495. What I found, was that he died on the same day, March 8, 55 years later in Granada. He was shepherd and then solder in the army of Charles V. He turned to religion and after he was rescued by Saint John of Avila from mental asylum, he started caring for poor and sick people. He organized his followers in Order of Hospitallers, which still exist and is known today as Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God (http://www.saintjohnofgod.org/). This order apparently runs hospitals and different health and social services. This order has been officially entrusted with the medical and dental care of the pope. San Juan de Dios was canonized by Pope Alexander VIII on October 16, 1690. Basilica was constructed in 1757 in Granada to lodge his grave, and it is cared for by the Knights of Saint John of God. I was fascinated by the fact that this order was established in 2005. Apparently, the remnants of San Juan de Dios had to be hidden two times in history. First time in 1808, it was hidden in a fear from Napoleon army and second time during Spanish civil war. Regardless, Knights of Saint John of God are taking extremely good care of the Basilica. I have never seen a church so clean you could look for dust with the white gloves.

 

Jose de Bada was probably the man responsible for designing the last resting place for the saint, the Latin cross design with side Chapels and Capilla Major at the end of the crossing. Not very large church but decorated in the manner of ripe Baroque (Churriguera maybe?). Paintings and frescos were done by Diego Sánchez Sarabia, Granada painter for whom I could not find much information. The altar is a work of another artist I cannot surf out any information about, José Francisco Guerrero (and he is not famous composer or 20th century painter). Never the less, he did magnificent job. Behind the altar there is room which house reliquary with the remnants of San Juan de Dios. As we were silently trying to absorb as much intricate details as possible, a lady appeared and beckoned us to follow her. She led us up the stairs in the room behind the main altar. This was a very pleasant surprise. We felt privileged, because in most other churches you are treated as annoying tourist.

Siesta je čas počitka. Tu ga očitno zelo rigorozno upoštevajo. Vse se naenkrat zapre, in nisva imela druge izbire kot, da si privoščiva svojo siesto. Popoldan se vrneva po isti poti do že odkrite Basilike San Juan de Dios. San Juan de Dios je eden od najpomembnejših Španskih svetnikov. Rodil se je on 8. marca 1495 na Portugalskem v Montemor-o-Novo, kot João Cidade. Kar se mi je zdelo zanimivo je, da je umrl na isti dan 55 let kasneje v Granadi. Bil je najprej pastir in nato vojak v armadi Karla V. K veri se je obrnil ko a je njegov učitelj San Juan de Avillia reši iz azila za duševno bolne. Pričel je skrbeti za obubožane in bolne. Svoje učence je Red Hospitalierjev, ki obstaja še danes in je znan pod imenom Bratje Hospitalierji Svetega Janeza Božjega (nisem prepričan, da je ta prevod pravilen). Ta red zleda tudi danes upravlja z bolnišnicami in drugimi zdravstvenimi in socialnimi ustanovami. Temu redu so uradno zaupali zdravstveno in zobozdravstveno oskrbo papeža. Svetega Janeza Božjega je kanoniziral papež Aleksander VIII 16.oktobra 1690. Baziliko so pričeli graditi 1757 z namenom, da v njej dokončno pokopljejo ostanke svetnika. Za Baziliko skrbijo Vitezi Svetega Janeza Božjega. Presenetil me je podatek, da je red ustanovljen lete 2005. Posmrtne ostanke Svetega Janeza Božjega so morali pogosto skrivati. Prvič 1808 pred Napoleonovo vojsko in drugič med Špansko državljansko vojno. Ne glede na to je potrebno reči, da vitezi izjemno lepo skrbijo za cerkev. Nikoli še nisva videla cerkve, ki bi bila tako čista, da bi prah lahko iskali z belimi rokavicami.

Človek odgovoren za načrtovanje Bazilike je bil Jose de Bada. Načrt Basilike je v obliki Latinskega križa s stranskimi kapelami in Glavno kapelo. Cerkev ni zelo velika je pa okrašena v stilu prezrelega Baroka (mogoče celo Churriguera ?) Slike in freske so delo Diega Sáncheza Sarabie slikarja iz Granada o katerem nisem uspel prav veliko izvedeti. Oltar naj bi izdelal prav tako manj znan umetnik José Francisco Guerrero (ki pa ni skladatelj iz istega obdobja in ni slikar z začetka 20. Stoletja). Ne glede na to opravil je mojstrsko delo. Za oltarjem je prostor v katerem je nameščen relikviarij. Ko sva v tišini poskusila vpijati čim več detajlov, se nenadoma prikaže gospa, ki nas je povabi, da jo sledimo. Odpelje nas po stopnicah navzgor v prostor za oltarjem. Še eno zelo prijetno presenečenje. Priznam, da sva bila počaščena, saj te povsod drugod obravnavajo kot nadležnega turista. 

Nearby, barely 130 m away (according to Google maps) we have found another Granada jewel – Monasterio San Jeronimo de Granada. Monastery belonged to Hieronymite order. This order or its principal group was founded in Spain in XIV century. They say that nowadays there is only 11 monks left. The monastery itself was founded by Catholic kings at end of Reconquista. The work on the monastery began in1513 under the Jacopo Torni (from Florence) and finished by Diego de Siloé; Church itself and buildings around two courtyards are built in Renaissance style. Interior is richly decorated. The mannerist altarpiece of the main chapel is considered an important point of development of Andalusian sculpture and it is mainly the work of Pablo de Rojas. We have entered the church under the low ceiling which suddenly opened up to a full height and you had to stop and admire intricacy of medieval masters and builders. 

V bližini, niti 130 m daleč (sodeč po Google maps) odkrijemo še en Granadski dragulj – Samostan svetega Jeronima. Samostan pripada redu Hieronimitov. Ta red oz glavna skupina tega reda je ustanovljena v Španiji v XIV stoletju. Zanimivo je da red danes šteje samo 11 menihov. Sam samostan sta ustanovila Katoliška kralja. Na koncu Rekonkviste. Graditi so ga pričeli 1513 leta pod vodstvom Jcopa Tornija iz Firenc. Del je zaključil Diego de Siloé. Cerkev in zgradbe okoli dveh zaprtih dvorišč so gradili v renesančnem stilu. Notranjost cerkve je bogato okrašena. Oltar, ki je delo Pabla de Rojasa je narejen v zanimivem manerizmu, ki ga označujejo za pomembno točko v razvoju andaluzijskega kiparstva in arhitekture. V cerkev sva vstopila pod nizkim obokom, ki se naenkrat odpre v polno višino in moraš se ustaviti in občudovati kopleksnost in mojstrstvo renesančnih mojstrov.