home Other countries Where does the image of an astronaut come from in a medieval cathedral? Astronaut and monkey at the cathedral in Salamanca Cathedral in the Spanish city of Salamanca 1102.

Where does the image of an astronaut come from in a medieval cathedral? Astronaut and monkey at the cathedral in Salamanca Cathedral in the Spanish city of Salamanca 1102.

Astronaut! On the wall of the ancient Spanish Cathedral of St. Jerome, built in 1102! Such notes with corresponding photographs have been discussed by the blogosphere for more than 10 years.

The first thing that comes to mind is photoshop, but no, the astronaut is real. The figurine is a long-known artifact in the world. It is located in the Spanish city of Salamanca - it adorns one of the cathedrals. True, not the one that was built in 1102 - the so-called Old Cathedral (Catedral Vieja), but the later one - the New Cathedral (Catedral Nueva), built between 1513 and 1733. The difference of almost 500 years, it must be said, is not fundamental. And at that time there were no astronauts. And yet it is on the wall of the cathedral. And even in boots with grooved soles...

The sensation occurred after modern photo optics made it possible to distinguish small details of magnificent architectural decoration at high altitudes, previously inaccessible to tourist cameras.

It was then that the tourists spotted, among the mythical creatures on the bas-relief, someone who definitely couldn’t be there. As a result, historians and museum workers are forced to be nervous and answer simple-minded questions from perplexed tourists. The worst thing is that experts cannot develop a single version of what happened and do not coordinate their answers with each other.

The figure of the astronaut was first noticed in 1995. Sergio Arrell, deputy director of the cathedral museum, said that in 1990, sculptor-restorer Miguel Romero allowed himself a little “artistic prank.”

This was the most radical answer - other respondents are hesitant to go that far. Because the next question to Signor Arella will be “how many little pranks are committed by the “sculptor-restorers” and how much creative freedom is given during the “restoration”?” This is an extremely painful issue, since all architectural ensemble center of Salamanca, including, of course, Cathedral, back in 1985, several years before the start of restoration, it was taken under the protection of UNESCO as a universal heritage, that is, recognized as one of the absolute masterpieces. All documents for the restoration of monuments of this level undergo many approvals, including international examination. So just add to the garland medieval figures an astronaut or anyone else is impossible.

Realizing that such slippery questions cannot be avoided, the vicar of the cathedral, Rodrigo Solanelles, takes a diametrically opposite position:

“The decoration of any Catholic church is built in strict accordance with the church canon developed in the early Middle Ages. There simply cannot be any “pranks” by individual artists - the diocese will never approve a heretical element of decor.”

In other words, there is no astronaut on the side gates of the cathedral, and anyone who thinks otherwise is mistaken. According to the priest, these are monsters common to the Middle Ages, of which there are countless numbers outside on Catholic churches. They, they say, symbolize the fiends of hell, which a person can encounter outside the temple, but there is no way for them inside the cathedral.

However, the vicar’s statements are not the strangest thing in this story. Esteban Sanza, a philosophy teacher at the University of Salamanca, is convinced that the figure was made no later than the 18th century, when the new building of the cathedral was being completed. He claims that the astronaut is in a 19th century engraving. But the engraving was not presented to the public.

By the way, a photograph from 1995 shows an astronaut with a completely intact face, and in photographs taken two years later, his face is seriously damaged by the inexorable passage of time.

Perhaps it is these contradictions that fuel interest in a story that is not so mysterious. After all, in principle, the placement of certain symbols characterizing the era during which the restoration is carried out is a very common practice. The only funny thing is that the sculptor simply chose a space theme.

It is human nature to search for the inexplicable and mysterious. And even when an explanation for a mysterious phenomenon has already been found, there are always people who continue to believe in the “miraculous” nature of the phenomenon.

A classic example of such a mystery is the ancient cathedral in the provincial center of Salamancalocated in the Autonomous Community of Castile and Leonand since 1985 included in the UNESCO heritage list. Myself temple complex(one of two in the city) consists of two cathedrals - the old one (Catedral Vieja,XIIcentury) and new, late Gothic CatedralNueva de la Asunción de la Virgen (New Cathedral of the Assumption Holy Virgin), built inXVIAndXVIIIcenturies.

But not all tourists arriving here are attracted by the beauty of the ancient temple. Upon arrival, many immediately rush to the northern entrance to the new cathedral, where on the portal at the “doors of palm branches” (Puerta de Ramos), right opposite the Anaya Palace, at a high altitude you can clearly see the figure... of a modern cosmonaut in full “combat” equipment - a spacesuit with a breathing hose, a helmet, an instrument boxon the chest andboots with grooved soles. This figure even received an unofficial name - “Holy Cosmonaut”.

Where did this astronaut come from?on the wall of an ancient cathedral? The explanation is quite simple: in 1992, during the restoration of time-dilapidated "doors of palm branches" one of the restorers - a certain Miguel Romero - showed creative initiative by decorating the wall with a similar figure. Further, the versions differ: some believe that the restorer decided to play a joke in this way. Others have a more pragmatic explanation: Romero, having introduced a modern element to the façade of the ancient temple, wanted in a similar way to perpetuate a significant event for the 20th century - the conquest of space by man. But who exactly the figure depicts, the versions differ. The first cosmonaut of the planet, Russian Yuri Gagarin, appears as a stone character,the first American astronaut John Glenn, the first American to go into outer space Edward White,American astronaut was the first to set foot on the moonNeil Armstrong, etc.

Nevertheless, many people are inclined to believe that the figure of the astronaut was here originally, and, therefore, has a mysterious origin that goes beyond ordinary logic. They say that the restorers' joke in this case is excluded for a number of reasons. Firstly, the image of the astronaut is recorded on engravingsXIXcentury. Secondly, in the ancient manuscripts of Salamanca there is supposedly information about meetings of monks with creatures from other worlds. Thirdly, restoration always follows the canons approved in the Middle Ages, and in the case of an object that is a UNESCO heritage, additional examinations, approvals and permits are required. They also say that this is not an astronaut at all, but some kind of hellish spawn, many of which “live” on the walls, facades and capitals of columns of ancient European churches.

A number of other similar finds are cited as proof of the “miraculous” version of the astronaut’s origin. For example, images of astronauts on Japanese netsuke, a model airplane from an ancient Egyptian tomb, Incan gold “airplanes”, an image of Darth Vader on the National Cathedral in Washington, as well as an image of a man with a laptop and mobile phone on the mosaic of the Kyiv Koltsevaya metro station in Moscow, built back in 1954.

It must be said that on the wall of the Cathedral in Salamanca there are other, less well-known, but no less interesting figures. For example, a figure of a smiling dragon with three scoops of ice cream. Or a boy with a non-childishly developed manhood.

Guides and tour guides are in no hurry to convince fans of the “miraculous” version of the appearance of an astronaut on the wall of an ancient temple. After all, most importantly, intrigued tourists come here, replenishing the local treasury. After all, why try to convince people who really want to believe in miracles?

The northern entrance to the Salamanca Cathedral is always crowded: groups of tourists linger near the portal framed by sculptures

Look at the figure of an astronaut,” the guide points to a small sculpture about two meters above the threshold. - This is a portrait of Neil Armstrong, who was the first to set foot on the surface of the Moon.

After standing on the porch of the cathedral for a quarter of an hour, I heard two more versions from different guides: this is John Glenn, the first American astronaut; Edward White, the first American to walk into outer space. In all cases, Spanish guides refer to a local restorer who, twenty years ago, decided to place a figurine of a space explorer at the entrance to the cathedral. Sergio Arrella, deputy director of the Cathedral Museum, commented on my bewilderment: yes, indeed, in 1990, the sculptor-restorer Miguel Romero allowed himself this little artistic prank.

Architect's joke or monster?

However, Rodrigo Solanelles, vicar of the cathedral, has a different version; he decisively rejected this “heresy”:

The decoration of any Catholic church is built in strict accordance with the church canon developed in the early Middle Ages. There simply cannot be any “pranks” by individual artists - the diocese will never approve a heretical element of decor.

- But how then did the astronaut get on the wall of the cathedral?

“Trust the guides less,” the padre remarked ironically. - This is a monster common to the Middle Ages, of which there are countless numbers outside on Catholic churches; they symbolize those fiends of hell that a person can encounter outside the church, but there is no way for them inside the cathedral.

Once again I look at the sculptural decoration of the northern portal. Indeed, to the right of the “astronaut” is a typical monster: a bearded monkey with a human look and a vulgarly protruding butt (see photo). This monster makes you want to immediately hide under the church canopy.

As for the controversial figure, perhaps not - after all, he is an astronaut: a classic spacesuit, like in the Museum of Cosmonautics at VDNKh; on the chest there is a box of some kind of device, and the transverse rings of the breathing hose are realistically drawn, and even the corrugated sole of the boots (see photo).

Adventures of the Monks

Esteban Sanza, a philosophy teacher at the University of Salamanca and at the same time the head of the Association of Authors of Alternative Scientific Concepts, is sure that the figure I’m interested in was made no later than the 18th century, when the new building of the cathedral was being completed. This confidence of his has a strictly scientific basis: in the university library, Mr. Sansa’s students found an engraving from the early 19th century with a photographically accurate depiction of the entire sculptural decoration of the cathedral. So, the “astronaut” occupies the same place in this engraving as it does today. And in Renaissance manuscripts there are several references to encounters between Salamanca monks and strange creatures whose “skin is hidden under the outer skin.” It turns out that there is no arbitrariness of the restorer here.

It remains to add that the entire architectural ensemble of the center of Salamanca, including, of course, the cathedral, back in 1985, that is, several years before the start of its restoration, was taken under the protection of UNESCO as a universal heritage. All documents for the restoration of monuments of this level undergo many approvals, including international examination. Therefore, it is impossible to simply add medieval figures of an “astronaut” or anyone else to the garland.

It turns out that a strange monster, strikingly identical in appearance to the astronaut-astronaut, was made by masters of the Middle Ages (maximum of the 18th century). Another question: why? Maybe, in fact, impressed by the meeting with mysterious creatures with “skin hidden under the outer skin,” the masters decided to leave a memory of this unforgettable event?

At the ancient cathedral of Salamanca, located in Castile y Leon at the northern entrance to the new cathedral, where on the portal at the “Door of Ramos” (Puerta de Ramos), directly opposite the Anaya Palace, a modern one floats at a high altitude in “weightlessness”. an astronaut in full “combat” equipment - a spacesuit with a breathing hose, a helmet, an instrument box on the chest and boots with grooved soles. This figure even received an unofficial name - “Holy Cosmonaut”.

Where did this astronaut on the wall of the ancient cathedral come from? The explanation is quite simple: in 1992, during the restoration of the Ramos doors, which had become dilapidated from time to time, one of the restorers, a certain Miguel Romero, showed creative initiative by decorating the wall with a similar figure. Further, the versions differ: some believe that the restorer decided to play a joke in this way. Others have a more pragmatic explanation: Romero, having introduced a modern element to the façade of the ancient temple, wanted in a similar way to perpetuate a significant event for the 20th century - the conquest of space by man. But who exactly the figure represents, there are many versions. The following stone characters appear: the first cosmonaut of the planet, Russian Yuri Gagarin, the first American astronaut John Glenn, the first American to go into outer space Edward White, the first American astronaut Neil Armstrong to set foot on the surface of the Moon, etc.

Nevertheless, many people are inclined to believe that the figure of the astronaut was here originally, and, therefore, has a mysterious origin that goes beyond ordinary logic. They say that the restorers' joke in this case is excluded for a number of reasons. Firstly, the image of the astronaut is recorded in engravings of the 19th century. Secondly, in ancient manuscripts of Salamanca there is supposedly information about meetings of monks with creatures from other worlds. Thirdly, restoration always follows the canons approved in the Middle Ages, and in the case of an object that is a UNESCO heritage, additional examinations, approvals and permits are required. They also say that and this is not an astronaut at all, but some kind of hellish spawn, of which quite a few “live” on the walls, facades and capitals of columns of ancient European churches.

A number of other similar finds are cited as proof of the “miraculous” version of the astronaut’s origin. For example, images of astronauts on Japanese netsuke, a model of an airplane from an ancient Egyptian tomb, Incan gold “airplanes”, an image of Darth Vader on the National Cathedral in Washington, as well as an image of a man with a laptop and a mobile phone on the mosaic of the Kyiv Koltsevaya metro station in Moscow, built back in 1954.

And finally, here's to you figure from the walls of Paisley Abbey in Scotland, located near Glasgow, in which all the gargoyle statues were removed for the purpose of restoration. Some figures were restored, while others simply had to be made anew. One of the restorers did his best by making a statue of an alien from the movie “Alien.”

The ancient city of Salamanca is located in western Spain. This is an important cultural and historical center of the country, which since 1985 has become part of World Heritage UNESCO. One of the most interesting local attractions is the New Cathedral (Catedral Nueva de Salamanca) located in the center of Salamanca, on the facade of which you can see the figure of a real astronaut.

Construction of the Cathedral of the Ascension of the Theotokos began in 1513 and continued for two centuries. Thanks to such protracted works in the architecture of Catedral Nueva de Salamanca, you can see styles that range from late Gothic to Baroque. The cathedral building is 150 meters long and 50 wide, its height under the copal is 80 meters. Despite some shortcomings, the opening of the temple took place in 1733.

Already in 1755, the New Cathedral of Salamanca needed restoration work - after the powerful Lisbon earthquake, the 93-meter bell tower sank, the main dome collapsed, and large cracks can still be seen in the walls of the ancient building.

However, the New Cathedral of Salamanca attracts tourists more not with its beauty ancient architecture, but a mysterious figure of an astronaut, which is part of the pattern located above the entrance. The northern part of the building is always crowded - everyone should look at the image of a man in a spacesuit on the wall of the cathedral.

The guides who tour the New Cathedral of Salamanca have many interesting theories about how an astronaut in full gear appeared on the façade of the ancient building. But the truth is that during restoration work carried out in 1990, the figure of the astronaut was added by sculptor Miguel Romero. In fact main question is why he did it and the real secret lies in him.

The vicar of the New Cathedral of Salamanca categorically rejects the suggestion that the figure of the astronaut was a joke and a free interpretation by the restoration sculptor. The restoration work carried out was carried out in strict accordance with all medieval canons. In addition, in relation to a UNESCO site, any liberties are simply unacceptable. According to the cathedral's vicar, the mysterious sculpture is a typical medieval monster and any resemblance to real characters is fiction.

Interestingly, in the surviving ancient manuscripts of the New Cathedral of Salamanca there is information that its monks may have encountered representatives of extraterrestrial civilizations. Moreover, researcher Esteban Sanza discovered a clear engraving of the façade of the cathedral dating back to the early 19th century, which depicts exactly the same figure in the same place.