At a time when Christmas and everything that surrounds it seems to have been emptied of content on many occasions and has ended up becoming something essentially external, it is important to go back to the origins and turn to disciplines such as … Art and history to understand this celebration in a deeper way. This is exactly what two very important institutions in the city did, such as: Royal Maestranza Seville Cavalry and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in St. Elisabeth of Hungary.
Both entities, which regularly collaborate in implementing various initiatives, have strengthened the cycle “Christmas in Seville”which was held for three consecutive afternoons in the space provided by the Poster Hall of the Real Maestranza in Seville.
In the first appointment as auxiliary bishop of Seville, Teodoro LeonHe toured the life and adventures of Saint Francis of Assisi, considered the promoter of the popular Christmas tradition, as he was the creator of the first living nativity scene, something completed in the 13th century, and an event in which the spiritual dimension of Christmas celebration was mainly revealed. On the afternoon of the second day, attendees of the series were able to understand the depth of the influence of Christmas on the world of art, thanks to the complete and detailed tour of Seville painting by fine arts professor Jesús Rojas Marcos.
Juan Miguel Gonzalez GomezPresident of the Academy of Fine Arts of St. Elisabeth of Hungary, was responsible for the closing of the session on the afternoon of Thursday 4 December, presenting a conference entitled “Nativity Scene in Seville: Sculpture, Iconography and Popular Devotion”.
The three-day course was developed in the Poster Hall facilities of the Real Maestranza de Caballería in Seville
Marcelo Maestre, Senior Brother Lieutenant of the Royal Maestranza de Caballería of Seville, opened the event, using this occasion to conclude this cycle dedicated to Christmas, stressing that “we We feel completely satisfied From the development of the course, which included high-level interventions.
Maester Juan Miguel González Gomez thanked Gómez for his cooperation with the Royal Maestranza de Caballería of Seville since the inception of this path, which began in 2012 and in which “we were able to learn more Many aspects of art And the history related to our city, always from the hands of distinguished specialists.
The person responsible for delivering the last conference noted that he is “the author of countless articles, research and studies.” Regarding the confessions he obtained, it should be noted Medal of the City of SevilleAnd the Alfonso
The nativity scene that came from Naples
Juan Miguel González wanted to start by saying that “Christmas is a ritual festival, but at the same time it is a popular festival, deeply rooted in the history of Seville art.” The spokesman stressed that “We live in a turbulent worldWe are in a moment of crisis, at the end of an era and this translates into an imbalance in the society in which we live, affecting the knowledge and celebration of Christmas in Spain. We are constantly exposed to advertisements and propaganda, and we lose the meaning of things, so we end up entering into a surprising relativism. We cannot forget that Christmas is a celebration of the Son of God.
Regarding the artistic representation associated with Christmas, Juan Miguel González embarked on a journey that began with Saint Francis of Assisi and continued with the Neapolitan nativity scene tradition that extended from the last third of the fifteenth century. “The tradition of the Nativity scene reached Spain via Naples and quickly found support from the Crown. First of all, Philip V and above all his son Charles III “They were the ones who introduced this tradition to Spain throughout the 18th century.”
The tradition that the kings began to cultivate soon spread among the common people, who were infected by this devotion. “And there was something known as… Democratic transformation in Bethlehem. We have news that in the nineteenth century, even in the most modest barns of neighbors, nativity scenes were installed. Gonzalez noted that from the Middle Ages until today, the nativity scene has been preserved with the same care and enthusiasm in Spanish society.
Through various predictions, this specialist revealed little by little details Many works of art that were found in Seville and which relate to various Gospel passages related to Christmas and showed the iconographic richness that the Andalusian capital had in this sense with notable pauses for example in the various sculptural examples found in the Seville Cathedral.