Menino Jesus da Cartolinha in the cathedral of Miranda do Douro
by RicardMN Photography
Title
Menino Jesus da Cartolinha in the cathedral of Miranda do Douro
Artist
RicardMN Photography
Medium
Photograph
Description
The altarpiece-showcase of the Menino Jesus da Cartolinha (the baby Jesus in the top hat or top hat) is one of the poles of attraction of the cathedral, and one of the identifying - and also tourist - symbols of the city of Miranda de Duero. It is the image of a very well dressed child, wearing a top hat and with a world (or globe) in his left hand. It is surrounded, in its display case, by other clothes, headdresses and uniforms, exquisitely embroidered and exposed.
The origin of this image comes from a legend that arose around episodes that occurred during the War of the Spanish Succession. In 1711 the Spanish invaded and occupied Miranda for several months. In the midst of the harassment suffered during the occupation, a boy appeared on the walls, dressed as a noble knight, summoning the Mirandeses to rise up against the Spaniards. The population revolts and the boy knight stands in front, although he does not always make an appearance: sometimes he appears and other times he disappears.
When the liberation of the city was achieved, the boy, the little general who started the rebellion, was searched, but could not be found. The mirandeses, perplexed, ended up considering that the timely appearance of the child encouraging them to fight was a true miracle, and that the victory against the Spaniards was due to supernatural intervention.
The cathedral chapter ordered a figure of the Child Jesus to be sculpted, but not as a crib, as usual, but as a pre-adolescent dressed as a knight. Although there is documentary evidence in the cathedral of the existence of this image of the boy knight in the first third of the 18th century, he could not wear a top hat at that time, a garment invented a century later. The inclusion of that type of hat seems to occur in the late 19th century, replacing other earlier hats, possibly tricorns or wide-brimmed hats.
This image is today one of the most sought after by visitors to the cathedral and has naturally become the patron of Mirandes' childhood.
The Cathedral of Miranda do Douro is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Miranda do Douro, Portugal. It is the co-cathedral of the Diocese of Bragança-Miranda, which has its see in the Cathedral of Braganza. (Description from Wikipedia)
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November 28th, 2021
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