Myself and friend Ryan had a wonderful trip to the Royal English College in Valladolid. Our friend Philip Cunnah is currently out there studying in the Propaedeutic Year for our home Diocese of Middlesbrough. The College has a proud history and has some inspirational English and Welsh martyrs, some of whom I've already covered in my 40 martyr reflections.
The College was founded in 1589 and enjoys financial support from the Spanish Royal family. In June 1596, the Earl of Essex and Sir Waiter Raleigh's troops landed and desecrated a statue of the Madonna and Child that was the object of great devotion in Cadiz. The students of the College heard of the attack and asked if they as Englishman could make reparations. Their petition was granted, and on September 8 1600 the statue was brought to Valladolid and given the title of Our Lady Vulnerata. The statue, with both arms missing, stands above the altar in the college chapel today.
The institution's five saints are Ambrose Barlow, Thomas Garnet, John Lloyd, John Plessington, John Roberts and Henry Walpole. There are also 16 Blesseds and one Venerable among the glorious martyred priests of the college.
During our five day visit we spent quite a bit of time with the 20 or so lads there at the moment. As well as Phil, we knew another three guys fairly well. It was fantastic to catch up with them and meet the others.
They are an impressive year and all seem to get on well. You really got a sense of reassurance that these chaps will, God willing, be our next generation of priests. It was impressive to witness their faithfulness and devotion to prayer as well as their support for each other. The staff there were very welcoming and are obviously dedicated to helping the students grow spiritually and preparing them for seminary. I came away with a great sense of hope for the future of the Church in England.
The holiday itself was very relaxing. We were guests of Phil and ate with the community for most meals. We also enjoyed a couple of pub visits with them. It was strange walking into a smoke-filled establishment again, nearly three years after the smoking ban in the UK. We did very little apart from eat, drink, sleep, pray, got to Mass, watch films, read, play basketball, rugby and football.
Our only trip out was to the wonderful city of Salamanca. Fr Joe McGloughlan, a former Vallidolid seminarian who is currently on the college staff, is doing further studies at the Pontifical University in Salamanca and offered to give us a lift there and back as he was in lectures on the Tuesday morning of out visit. He is a University of Sheffield graduate. Having this is common, we had a lot to talk about.
Although absolutely freezing that day, Salamanca is a stunning city that was founded in pre-ancient Rome. It is nicknamed the golden city because of the spectacular glow of the standstone used to construct many of the buildings in the centre.
The main attactions are two fabulous cathedrals - the old and new cathedrals that are close together - and the Dominican Church of St Stephen.
The old Romanesque cathedral was founded in the 12th century. Catedral Nueva (or the New Cathedral) was constructed between the 16th and 18th centuries in the styles of late Gothic, Baroque and Plateresque.
The Dominican church and cloister was begun in 1524 and finished in 1693. The King's Cloister interior is Gothic and the exterior is plateresque. It was completed in 1544. Renaissance arches blend in with the plateresque. Medallions depicting the prophets are a feature in each corner.
The Church itself is Gothic and receives plenty of light. It is 85 metres long, 15.5 wide, 27 high at the nave and 45 at the transept. The chief architect was Juan de Alava, who also designed the new cathedral. The altarpiece is the work of Jose Churriguera and was completed in 1693. The choir stalls at the back can seat 118 monks and is looked over by a large fresco depicting the triumph of the Church being helped by the Dominican Order.
Another landmark in Salamanca is the main square, the Plaza Mayor. This is a bustling place that is frequented by tourists and students alike. In fact, the city is famous for its young students who love to look important carrying a folder (or several) under their arm. The Plaza Mayor was constructed by Andrés García de Quiñones at the beginning of the 18th century. It has a capacity of 20,000 people and is surrounded by shaded arcades. It was originally a venue for bullfights but is now used mainly for concerts. Here I am in the background:
After a look round we had a gorgeous ham omelette followed by a smooth pint of Guinness in one of the many decent Irish bars in this part of Spain. I'm not sure why these are so popular but the poison is arguably better then you'll get in many so-called Irish pubs in England.
1 comments:
San Esteban is beautiful, but I which they would remove those creaking floorboards - I'm sure they're designed to make one feel self-conscious leaving after Mass.
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