 |
| The Grandma, Claire Fontaine & Tonyi Tamaki |
The Grandma loves pottery and because of this she has decided to go to a ceramic workshop to createsome figures. She is not alone. Claire Fontaine and Tonyi Tamaki have gone with her. The workshop is located in Hostafrancs, a suburb of Barcelona that belongs to the Sants-Montjuïc district that is now celebrating its local festivity.
Before her meeting with Claire and Tonyi, The Grandma has studied a new lesson of her First Certificate Language Practice manual (Vocabulary 4).
During her travel by bus from Sants to Hostafrancs, The Grandma has also read a Dani Cortijo's report that talks about Hostafrancs, its importance in the past as the border between Sants and Barcelona and its connections with the Portal de l'Àngel, one of the most beautiful streets in the centre of Barcelona.
More information: Clothes and appearance
One of the central streets, especially for shopping is the Portal de l'Àngel. People look for the best discounts they can find in the shop windows and a few of them find that a statue of an angel guard at the entrance to this old gateway.
This one had previously been called Orbs (blind ones) and was one of the main entrances to the city, in fact the last one that was closed at night. The change of name was due, according to the popular voice, to a miraculous appearance that took place in this place.
In 1398 or 1419, the date differs according to the sources, the Valencian San
Vicente Ferrer came to visit the city with an entire entourage. When he
stood before this entrance of the walls, an imposing angel with a sword
in one hand and a condor crown on the other appeared before the saint.
 |
| The Medieval Fair in Hostafrancs |
-I protect the city in order of God- replied the angel.
For many years, an image of the guardian angel presided over the portal but with the demolition of the walls in 1854 the statue had to find another place to take refuge and went to the next church of Santa Anna.
In 1838 the current district of Hostafrancs had been annexed to the great Barcelona. The new Barcelona residents of Hostafrancs, becoming independent of Sants, also lost to San Bartolomé as a landlord and decided that Barcelona's new limits demanded to be protected by the image of the guardian angel and render him cult. This was carried solemn procession to Hostafrancs in 1857.
More information: Barcelonas
A small church that until then was a subsidiary of Santa Maria de Sants became the temple that housed the image and that is how the Church of the Guardian Angel was born in Hostafrancs, which eventually extended to be fairly more imposing.
The image was there until he was the victim of anticlerical attacks at the beginning of the Civil War. Today, we can still see a reproduction on the altar.
That's why precisely at the beginning of October, when the festivities were held in honor of the angel guard before the Portal de l'Àngel and the traditional fair of grenade was held, this neighborhood that now belongs to the district of Sants-Montjuïc celebrates its festivities emulating those that were made at the entrance to the wall. It is also for this reason that on some balconies, for the last few years, the flags of the neighborhood, with a Barcelona coat of arms crowned with, a pomegranate and a sword...
After the ceramic session, the three friends have gone to enjoy Hostafrancs festivities and one of its main events, the Medieval Fair.
More information: Ancient History
For me, decorating perfection means eclectic styles and collections
of beautiful things like pottery, pillboxes and match strikers.
Jane Green
No comments:
Post a Comment