Our Lady of Assumption Cathedral is also called the Granada Cathedral.
The church dominates the main plaza of Granada, Nicaragua and was begun in the 1500’s when the city was being colonized by Spanish conquerors. The church still serves the community and at a recent evening Mass was filled with locals as well as tourists who make the place one of their must do stops.
This Cathedral dwarfs other churches in the city and is not as ornate or beaten down as its competition. It is still a simple box covered with smooth plaster, tall bell towers, and is painted a striking color you can see from a distance. In its shadows is the main city Plaza, a collection of horse drawn carriages lined up in front of the Alhambra hotel, vendors selling sunglasses and food, tourists, and locals who have nothing better to do than people watch and take photos and videos for their Facebook page.
Walking into a Catholic church brings the usual statues, pews, robed white plaster men commemorated for dedication, nooks with burning candles, dizzying rotundas, a sense of space.
The unusual in this church is a Genie lift that supports an artist painting on the ceiling.
The cast of characters is to be expected. There is God, Adam and Eve, all of Noah’s animals, angels and scenes of Creation.
This morning, when there is no Mass, I find the lift extended and observe a little man on the platform high above me patiently expanding his assigned themes. He is no Michaelangelo and this is no Sistine Chapel, but the effect is still jaw dropping. The ceiling is huge, and, with so many sections to be filled, it is hard to believe the task will ever be finished.
But, completed or not,it is certain that this project will outlast many men and make the point continually that we are alive for a purpose, just not our purpose.
.
4 Comments
David C.
on September 12, 2016 at 5:49 am
What a beautiful church! I enjoyed the walk thru with you
thanks david – it was a surprise to see a modern painting going on the ceiling and a Genie lift instead of scaffolding. I am not a Catholic but these huge cathedrals do have their beauty. Thanks for dropping by and finding a postcard you like well enough to make a comment.
Scott, I was in Granada this past weekend, and I happened to be at the cathedral for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Granada celebrates it from 28-Nov to 08-Dec). It was awesome to witness the processions and all the hoopla (pyrotechnics, marching bands, etc.), but when I walked into the cathedral, it reminded me of a 1960’s film titled “The Agony and the Ecstasy”. If you don’t mind old movies, I’d suggest checking it out… it’s about the painting of the Sistine Chapel. Anyway, I felt privileged to be able to see Granada’s cathedral as a “work in progress”. It is simply magnificent, and I hope this might inspire other churches to commission artists to beautify their blank walls and ceilings. Maybe mankind is due for another Renaissance.
I’m so glad you posted some pics, and I wish I had been there to see the painter at work. I would have had so many questions for him. I hope he is painting on wet plaster, otherwise it’ll peel like daVinci’s Last Supper in no time. 🙂
Anyway, your words are extraordinary, so I will pay you a compliment by closing with them, “But then, this project will outlast many men and make its point that we are here for a purpose, but not our purpose.”
Hi Lucie – thank you for your kind words. The Cathedral is simple yet beautiful and the painting on the ceiling takes us back to an earlier time when
people had time to think about big ideas. I do these ” postcards ” to keep my trips on track and to have something to look back at when I am home in New Mexico.
It is also a bonus when others find pictures and ideas and words that resonate with them. I believe you are a traveler and hope you are putting your thoughts down too. My next trips will be to Mexico to escape Old Man Winter in January and part of February. Thanks again for finding something you like and taking the time to say Hi! Much appreciated.
What a beautiful church! I enjoyed the walk thru with you
thanks david – it was a surprise to see a modern painting going on the ceiling and a Genie lift instead of scaffolding. I am not a Catholic but these huge cathedrals do have their beauty. Thanks for dropping by and finding a postcard you like well enough to make a comment.
Scott, I was in Granada this past weekend, and I happened to be at the cathedral for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Granada celebrates it from 28-Nov to 08-Dec). It was awesome to witness the processions and all the hoopla (pyrotechnics, marching bands, etc.), but when I walked into the cathedral, it reminded me of a 1960’s film titled “The Agony and the Ecstasy”. If you don’t mind old movies, I’d suggest checking it out… it’s about the painting of the Sistine Chapel. Anyway, I felt privileged to be able to see Granada’s cathedral as a “work in progress”. It is simply magnificent, and I hope this might inspire other churches to commission artists to beautify their blank walls and ceilings. Maybe mankind is due for another Renaissance.
I’m so glad you posted some pics, and I wish I had been there to see the painter at work. I would have had so many questions for him. I hope he is painting on wet plaster, otherwise it’ll peel like daVinci’s Last Supper in no time. 🙂
Anyway, your words are extraordinary, so I will pay you a compliment by closing with them, “But then, this project will outlast many men and make its point that we are here for a purpose, but not our purpose.”
Hi Lucie – thank you for your kind words. The Cathedral is simple yet beautiful and the painting on the ceiling takes us back to an earlier time when
people had time to think about big ideas. I do these ” postcards ” to keep my trips on track and to have something to look back at when I am home in New Mexico.
It is also a bonus when others find pictures and ideas and words that resonate with them. I believe you are a traveler and hope you are putting your thoughts down too. My next trips will be to Mexico to escape Old Man Winter in January and part of February. Thanks again for finding something you like and taking the time to say Hi! Much appreciated.
scott