June 12, 2014 WALKS IN HISTORY: La Virgen de la Escalera Story by J. A. Pilares
Replica of the icon found in the sea wall of the old convent. Photo by Manuel Fernández Prada
T
o study art history in Spain is for the most part, to study the works of religious artists. Sometimes the pieces can be considered true works of art, other times they are mere religious images with little to say for themselves. Today we are going to follow the story of one of these works of art. It is neither big nor fancy, and could easily go unseen by a visitor, but it has had a rich and interesting “life”. The icon we are talking about is the so-called “Virgen de la Escalera” (Our lady of the Staircase) and can be found in a chapel in Rota’s main parish church, “Nuestra Señora de la O”. What we can see today is the product of two centuries of continuous work by different artisans, most of them of unknown origin…. But maybe it is better if we just tell its story. This particular story can be read in the old Annals of the “Orden de Descalzos de Nuestra Señora de la Merced”, the mendicant order of friars that ran the Convent of La Merced in Rota since 1604 until 1832. As we have seen in past issues, this convent used to be where today’s Mercado Central is located, and its only surviving building is the beautiful campanile known as Torre de la Merced. It was built in a strategic place, as it dominated the old harbour, and was right between the two main thoroughfares into Rota: the road to Jerez and the road to Sanlúcar. Anyone coming to Rota would have to go past it. The Convent was not just a place for worship, or where friars could hide from the world and dedicate themselves to contemplation. It rather became the centre of local social life.All types of festivities (religious or profane) where held around the Convent, children would receive free schooling in Grammar,Theology, Arts, Latin and Philosophy, and a hospital cared for all the sick in Rota. We must consider that at the time these services were carried out as a charity, or “for the greater Glory of God”, hence no payment was expected in return. Of course… the rich would be pressed to make donations to the Convent with promises of a better spiritual life after death. One of the friars in the Convent, Fray Mateo del Santisimo Sacramento, was one of these teachers and doctors. He was considered a very wise and saintly man by many wealthy people in Cádiz, so he would go there often to treat the sick or help the dying in their final days. In 1629 he was called to Cádiz for just that by a friend of his; this person had taken into his home an ill Italian merchant and Fray Mateo could be just the man to help out. Sadly the merchant died after two days, but thankful of Fray Mateo’s dedication he handed over to the friar a painting of the Virgin Mary breastfeeding Jesus. This type of image, so common in the Christian world, can be traced back thousands of years to ancient Egypt where the goddess Isis was often depicted the same way; feeding the baby god Horus. Fray Mateo rolled away the painting and handed it over to the Convent’s Prelate upon his return to Rota.The next year, in 1630, it was placed on the Convent’s staircase so that all (friars, students and visitors) could enjoy it. The students in particular became very fond of the
image; according to the Annals some even bettered their grades because of “Our Lady’s inspiration”. Eventually, the students of the Arts decided to make a more fitting frame for the painting in ebony and plaster. During the design phase the painting had to be taken down so that proper measurements could be taken, here a particularly devout friar offered to guard it until the new frame was made. Instead of just putting the painting away somewhere save, our friar decided to carry it around with himself under his cloak and on top of his shirt. He did not think about the sweating.After a couple of days the painting faded from the canvas because of the sweat. When the friars realized this they all panicked, but then the image’s first known miracle happened. The Annals tell us that the man responsible for the accident began crying on the erased canvas, and as the tears fell on it, the image came back drop by drop to life! Eventually the entire image could again be seen in the canvas; this would become just the first of many recorded events that could be considered if not miracles, at least miraculous. Devotion for the icon that now was known as Mater Scalae, Our Lady of the Staircase, spread throughout the region and the Convent began being frequented by pilgrims from as far as Lebrija or Arcos de la Frontera. By 1643 the number of visitors crowding at the staircase to see the icon was such that it became a necessity to build a new chapel to house it. This chapel was built at the top of the stairs, so that the icon could be seen just walking up the steps that led to it. It was paid for by an army officer of Flemish origin by name of Juan de Vin. The Annals record that said chapel was built in such a way so that it would be inspiring, yet sober, and that all eyes would go straight to the image of Our Lady. By 1664 another friar, Fray Cirilo de la Concepción donated a new frame for the icon in silver and gold. As we have said before, many devout Christians pilgrimaged to Rota to worship in the presence of Our Lady of the Staircase, many came will different ailments, and many recovered from them. One can read in the Annals many of these miraculous healings.To my eyes, some can be explained by today’s science, others are improbable even if they did happen… but there are some that are just plain unexplainable. For example: the case of a pilgrim from Lebrija in 1653. The man had lost the ability to bend his knees, probably due to arthritis. However, upon arriving to pray in front of the icon of Our Lady with other pilgrims, he knelt down without even realizing it when his companions did so. Or Francisca Bernal of 12 years of age, sick with what seems to me as polio since she was 6. After having some oil from the lamps in the chapel applied to her skin she instantly began recovering; this “miracle” happened in 1674. In 1667 two different dressmakers swallowed some pins they were holding with their lips as they worked. After trying for hours to get the pins out of their throats, these women put themselves in the hands of the oil of the lamps from the chapel, an soon thereafter the pins slipped out of their mouths without so much as a drop of blood. I personal favourite of these “miracles” is one dating back to 1667 and which concerns Francisco Ruíz, a local muleteer and his only means of working: his mule. According to the Annals, Francisco was refreshing his mule in what today we call La Costilla beach after a long and hot day of work. It was almost sunset, and for some time Francisco paid no attention to the mule, letting it roam freely. People in these lands know that farm animals have a tendency to follow the sun into the beach, and into the sea, at sunset if they are not properly tended to; that is exactly what happened to Francisco’s mule.The animal just began swimming into the Ocean after the sun, paying no attention to Francisco, that was seeing his
means of living, and probably also his “friend”, getting lost amongst the waves. Many were present at the beach, but none dared to intervene, in particular the fishermen were afraid of getting close to the pack animal, fearing that it might kick their boats and sink them if they dared approach it.When it was clear that the mule was not coming back to the shore, Francisco and the other witnesses began praying to Our Lady of the Staircase asking for a miracle. None came, and all went to bed.The next day a friend of Francisco’s woke him up and asked him whether he had seen the mule. “Of course not! It must have drowned, and considering the sea currents, if we are ever to find the mule it must have beached in Huelva or even in Portugal by now!” answered back Francisco. His friend told him to head over to the beach opposite from where the mule had gone into the sea, at the foot of the Convent.And sure enough, the mule was just standing there, waiting for its work buddy as if nothing had happened.When I try to find a logical explanation for this story I always find myself thinking the same thing:“it’s impossible”. Considering the currents and the fact that the mule would have swam west, and the fact that the Convent was due east of where the mule was lost, the animal should have never arrived to the Convent. If I have to admit at least one miracle… then it is this story. The icon remained in its place in the Convent until 1836 when the building was nationalized and shut down by the liberal government. By that time, the Convent and the friars had rather become more landowners than social workers… and the State would have none of that. Convents and Monasteries were shut down throughout Spain in what would be known as the Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizabal (the then Prime Minister). In that moment in time the icon disappears from History, no-one is sure where it went and we know nothing about it until almost a century later. In 1923 Manuel López de la Piedra, an educated man from Sanlúcar de Barrameda runs into it in an antique shop in Jerez managed by Francisco Bernal “Relojero”. López did not recognize it at first, but after inquiring Bernal into where he found it he did get an idea of its possible origins. Bernal said he had bought in Rota, but he didn’t know anything else. López bought the painting and put himself to work in order to find out more. After digging through many libraries and talking with many experts, he came across the Annals of the Convent. With them he managed to prove that his painting was indeed La Virgen de la Escalera. In 1958 Manuel López donated it to the town of Rota, allowing the icon to return to the place that was its home for more than two centuries. I like to go every now and then to the Iglesia de la O to stare at the icon. One can never be sure of its age because so little of the original painting is visible. Only the Virgin and her child can be seen, as the rest of the canvas is covered by the gold and silver frame that Fray Cirilo donated to it. No one can even be sure of its origins, it does not seem Baroque, so it could have been made in the Roman cinquecento, the Middle Ages, or even in the Eastern Roman Empire. All we know is that it came to Rota with a dying Italian merchant in 1629… the rest is a mystery. Everything thing about la Virgen de la Escalera is a mystery.
B June 12, 2014
“USS Ross Ar
Text by A.M.Ávila, / Large photo by U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Spe Small photo by U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist
rriving!”
ecialist 3rd Class Jonathan Sundermann. t 3rd Class Colby K. Neal
June 12, 2014 C
T
he pending arrival of the USS Ross (DDG-71) has been officially announced and soon we will be able to welcome the members of its crew and their families to their new homeport. As we did with the USS Donald Cook (DDG-75), I think it is important that we know for whom this ship is named and why. The USS Ross (DDG-71) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer that was named in honor of U.S. Navy Captain Donald K. Ross. Captain Ross was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941. The ship was commissioned on the 28th of June, 1997. Donald Kirby Ross was born on December 8, 1910 in Beverly, Kansas and he died on May 27, 1992 in Bremerton, Washington. Ross was a Machinist Mate when he was assigned to his first ship. By October of 1940, he had attained the rank of warrant officer and was assigned to the battleship USS Nevada (BB-36). On December 7, 1941, during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Nevada was badly damaged by bombs and torpedoes. Ross distinguished himself by assuming responsibility to furnish power to get the ship underway — the only battleship to do so during the Japanese attack. When the forward dynamo room, where he was stationed, filled with smoke and steam, he ordered his men to leave and he continued servicing the dynamo himself until being blinded and falling unconscious. Upon being rescued and resuscitated, he went back to secure the forward dynamo, then worked in the aft dynamo room until losing consciousness a second time due to exhaustion. After waking, he again returned to his duties until the Nevada was beached. His actions kept the ship under power, preventing it from sinking in the channel and blocking other ships in the harbor. Despite his impaired eyesight, Ross refused hospitalization and instead helped with rescue efforts. He entered a hospital three days after the attack, and his vision returned to normal after three weeks. For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor by Admiral Chester Nimitz on April 18, 1942, becoming the first person to receive the medal in World War II. In March of 1942, Ross had been promoted to chief warrant officer and was later commissioned as an Ensign in June of 1942. During the war, he also served aboard the Nevada and participated in the D-Day landings at Normandy beach in Southern France. Throughout his naval career, he rose steadily in rank. In July of 1956, upon his retirement from active duty, and after twenty-seven years' of service aboard every type of surface ship then afloat, he was promoted to Captain on the basis of his combat awards. After leaving the Navy, Ross settled in the State of Washington and ran a dairy farm. He wrote a book about some of his fellow Medal of Honor recipients — Men of Valor — which was
published in 1980. When Ross died in 1992, his ashes were scattered at sea over the remains of the USS Nevada. In 1997, the USS Ross (DDG-71) was named in his honor. Ross' official Medal of Honor citation reads: “For distinguished conduct in the line of his profession, extraordinary courage and disregard of his own life during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, by Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. When his station in the forward dynamo room of the U.S.S. Nevada became almost untenable due to smoke, steam, and heat, Machinist Ross forced his men to leave that station and performed all the duties himself until blinded and unconscious. Upon being rescued and resuscitated, he returned and secured the forward dynamo room and proceeded to the after dynamo room where he was later again rendered unconscious by exhaustion. Again recovering consciousness he returned to his station where he remained until directed to abandon it” As is the story behind the namesake of the USS Donald Cook, the story of the namesake of the USS Ross is truly inspiring. The Captains and crews of these ships can rightfully be proud to serve aboard them. It is an honor to welcome them to Rota as we proudly announce: “USS Ross Arriving!”
June 12, 2014
The view from CView C-view: Can you tell us what your job is at Vinos y Maridaje and what are some of the new things offered? Eva: The main part of my job here is to advise and inform clients, present new wines and to organize private wine tastings. One of the new things offered is making wine profiles for clients. C-view: How do you make a wine profile and what advantage does it have for the client? Eva: A wine profile is made by tasting different wines from different regions, different types of grapes and processes of elaboration. Some will be more fruity, others more woody, etc. After tasting the different wines, you will do an easy test and receive your profile. From this I can give personal recommendations.Your personal profile will be identified by a symbol and in the store the same symbol Vinos y Maridaje Vinos y Maridaje is a wine store in the Industrial Area of Puerto de Santa María with over 500 wines from Spain and other countries; all at Wholesale prices. It has been approximately one year since they have advertised in The Coastline and there have been some changes.The biggest change is a new employee, Eva Espinosa. Eva has a degree in Chemistry specializing in oenology and a Master in wine making in warm climates. After working as Head Oenology Technician in Corkwise, a prestigious wine analyzing firm in England, she returned to Spain and worked for Bodegas 501. She also brings experience teaching sommeliers and wine tastings in different restaurant schools. Last week I stopped by to meet her.
ROTA
Concert at Red Lion by Novasamba Friday 13th June at 22:00h Arts And Drums Workshops (Bilingual) Páginacero Ocio Activo. Arts workshop: painting, drawing, etching, illustration, handcrafted paper, etc. Drums workshop: drums technique and musical theory.More Information: Tel.: 603 630 122 / 645 423 459.E-mail: paginacero@hotmail.es Facebook: paginacero Ocio Activo. Address: 10, Barroso Street. MUNICIPAL SPORT SCHOOLS Municipal Horse Riding School Horse Riding. From Tuesday to Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m./ Horse Riding. Every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Municipal Sports Centre “Pepín” KARATE. Monday, Wednesday and Friday
will identify the wines that match your profile. C-view: This sounds interesting and should take the guesswork out of buying or ordering wines you are not familiar with. Is there anything else you would like to add? Eva:Yes, I would like to emphasize that our wines have wholesale prices and that new wines are introduced every month. Also, we organize wine tastings for all types of groups and associations and we can do them wherever you wish, they do not need to be done at the shop. C-view: Thank you Eva. We look forward to talking to you again in the future. Indoor Pool/Sports Complex Manuel Delgado Almisas This is a new ad this week. The installations are very nice and very clean. When you join the pool you are given a test to see your level and from that you see the classes or free swim times that are open to you. The complex also has two paddle tennis courts and is located behind the Supersol on the highway. You can get more information by contacting piscina@afanas.com or checking their web page at http://www.afanas.com/afanas_puerto_bahia Anything you want us to pass along? Let us hear from you about your favorite places or coming events. We do like hearing from you! Send an e-mail to Karen@ coastline.e.telefonica.net or give a call to 607-564132. Support your paper by supporting the advertisers.
from 5 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. FULL CONTACT. Monday,Wednesday and Friday from 8.30 p.m. to 9.45 p.m. Botanical Garden “Celestino Mutis” from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 14:00 and again from 16:30 to 18:30
PUERTO DE SANTA MARIA
Medieval Market in the historical center of town, June 13th through the 15th. White Night in the Vistahermosa Comercial Center tomorrow night. All the shops will be open from 9 p.m. until midnight. There will be lots of specials. Jam Session Night Every Saturday at Molly's Bring your instrument and join in!
The appearance of advertising in this newspaper does not constitute endorsement of products or services by the Department of Defense, U.S. Navy, U.S. Naval Station Rota, Spain or its publisher. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any
other non-merit factor of the purchases, user, or patron." If a violation or rejection of this equal opportunity policy by an advertiser is confirmed, the publisher shall refuse to print advertising from that source until the violation is corrected. All ads in this insert are paid-for advertisements in compliance with contract N68171-13-C-6001 between Karen Lucas Johnson and the U.S. Navy.
To contact Cview: cview2013@gmail.com Karen Lucas Publisher 607 564 132 Ramón Morant Advertising 653 780 296 Cristina Pamplona Graphics & Design 678 415 673