16th century cathedral cosmonaut. Alien on an ancient temple

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 decorates one of the cathedrals. True, not the one that was built in 1102 - the so-called old cathedral(Catedral Vieja), and later - New (Catedral Nueva), erected in the period from 1513 to 1733. The difference of almost 500 years, I must say, is not fundamental. And at that time there were no astronauts. And yet it is on the wall of the cathedral. Moreover, in boots with grooved soles ...

The sensation took place after modern photo optics made it possible to distinguish small parts magnificent architectural decoration on high altitude previously inaccessible to travel cameras.

It was then that the tourists saw among the mythical creatures on the bas-relief of someone who definitely could not be there. As a result, historians and museum workers are forced to get nervous and answer innocent questions from perplexed tourists. Worst of all, experts cannot work out a single version of what happened and do not agree with each other on their answers.

For the first time the figure of the astronaut was noticed in 1995, Sergio Arrela, deputy director of the cathedral museum, said that in 1990 the sculptor-restorer Miguel Romero allowed himself a little "artistic prank".

This was the most radical answer - other respondents hesitate to go that far. Because the next question for Signor Arella will be "how many little pranks in general were allowed by the" sculptors-restorers "and how much creative freedom is given during the" restoration "?" This is an extremely painful question, since the whole architectural ensemble the center of Salamanca, including, of course, the cathedral, back in 1985, a few years before the start of the restoration, was taken under the protection of UNESCO as a common human heritage, that is, recognized as one of the absolute masterpieces. All documents for the restoration of monuments of this level are subject to many approvals, including international expertise. Therefore, it is impossible to simply add medieval figures of an astronaut or anyone else to the garland.

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" of individual artists - the diocese will never approve the heretical element of the decor. "

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

However, the vicar's statements are not yet the strangest in this story. Esteban Sansa, professor of philosophy 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 on the engraving of the 19th century. But only now the engraving was not shown to the public.

Incidentally, the 1995 photo shows the astronaut with a completely intact face, and in the pictures 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. Indeed, in principle, the placement of certain symbols that characterize 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.

The medieval cathedral is beautiful in the ancient Spanish city of Salamanca, famous for one of the first universities in old Europe.

This is a magnificent example (as art historians write) of sacred architecture of the 12th century, for its construction began in 1102. Of course, it's too early for the Gothic, but historians always have an excuse at the ready - supposedly gothic cathedrals were built for several centuries in a row, and in this case, the commissioning of the object was right for ... However, it doesn't matter, just as it doesn't matter when the Baroque decor (actually 1714-1724) appeared on the facade. The cathedral is still dated to the XII century and tourists gaze with awe at the ancient structure.
And everything would be fine, but something is not good, as Arkady Gaidar used to say. Modern digital photo optics have made it possible to distinguish small details of the magnificent architectural decoration at a high altitude, previously inaccessible to tourist cameras. As a result, the sources and museum workers are forced to get nervous and answer the simple-minded questions of perplexed tourists.

Worst of all, the experts do not agree on their answers with each other. And it becomes noticeable that they all ... lie, trying to improvise on the go.
Since the astronaut was first spotted in 1995, Sergio Arrela, deputy director of the cathedral museum, stated that in 1990 the sculptor-restorer Miguel Romero had indulged in a little artistic prank. This is the most radical answer, other respondents do not dare to go that far, because the next question for Signor Arella will be “how many little pranks in general were allowed by the“ sculptor-restorers ”and how much creative freedom is given during the“ restoration ”?” This is an extremely painful issue, since the entire architectural ensemble of the center of Salamanca, including, of course, the cathedral, back in 1985, a few years before the start of restoration, was taken under the protection of UNESCO as a common human heritage, that is, recognized as one of the absolute masterpieces. All documents for the restoration of monuments of this level are subject to many approvals, including international expertise. Therefore, it is impossible to simply add medieval figures of an astronaut or anyone else to the garland.
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" of individual artists - the diocese will never approve the heretical element of the decor. " In other words, there is neither an astronaut nor a cheerful lion with a waffle cup of Italian ice cream on the side gates of the cathedral, and whoever thinks otherwise is mistaken. According to the priest, these are monsters common for the Middle Ages, of which there are innumerable numbers on the outside of Catholic churches. They, they say, symbolize the fiends of hell, with which a person can encounter outside the temple, but they have no way inside the cathedral. This is a common excuse from historians, ignoring, among other things, the fact that obscene monsters can often be seen inside Catholic churches, for example, on the capitals of the columns.
The vicar is forgivable to look like a complete idiot, after all, he is a believer. It is more difficult for gentlemen, hung with scientific titles and acting as scientists. Esteban Sansa, professor of philosophy at the University of Salamanca, is deeply convinced that the figure was made no later than the 18th century, when the new building of the cathedral was being completed. This his confidence has a strictly scientific basis: in the university library, Mr. Sansa's students found an engraving of the early 19th century with a photographically accurate depiction of the entire sculptural decoration of the cathedral. The Astronaut occupies the same position in this engraving as it does today. And in the manuscripts of the Renaissance there are several references to the meetings of Salamancan monks with strange creatures whose "skin is hidden under the outer skin." I believe that the phrase about "Renaissance manuscripts" Signor Sansa did not utter, that he supplemented his information about the engraving with a message about the strange meetings of Salaman monks by a certain outsider well-wisher, for the professor of philosophy at the University of Salamanca cannot but know that medieval monks did not walk naked, but were familiar with the concept of "clothing" and even, most likely, with the concept of "armor", and therefore hardly began to describe the strange clothes of strange creatures as "skin hidden under the outer skin."
But why the engraving was found by "students", and not by Professor Sansa himself or one of the scientists? The answer is simple: if an engraving (which, by the way, has only been seen by Mr. Professor, and it has not been shown to be widespread), more than hopes, you have to give it to an antique examination and it turns out that it is a modern fake, Signor Sansa will be able to shrug his shoulders in sorrow: well, we have played me students! And the scientific reputation will not suffer. For what is the demand from students?
So what does this whole dream mean? To understand the essence of the matter, you should pay attention to several facts from the history of the cathedral:
1. In 1809 - the invasion of Napoleon's troops, who perceived (quite rightly) massive Catholic churches as fortresses and tried to destroy these fortresses - the cathedral is also among the damaged churches.
2. And in the 30s the cathedral was thoroughly dismantled, ostensibly intending to move it to another place in order to save it from flooding (here the motives are very vague).
However, in 1843 (the peak of "historicism" throughout Europe) the cathedral already stands, as if nothing had happened, in 1887 it was declared a national monument, since 1902 there has been a stream of continuous restorations, and in 1956 the museum finally opens cathedral.
Interestingly, the 1995 photo shows the astronaut with a completely intact face, and in the pictures taken two years later, his face is seriously damaged by the inexorable passage of centuries. Apparently, the administration of the museum (or the vicar), after an accidental tourist noticed the absurdity, in a panic rushed to destroy the annoying anachronism, but realized that the photos had already spread around the world, and prompt destruction of evidence of falsification would not help. The destruction of questionable artifacts by scientists has become a common practice today.
In other words: the cathedral is beautiful, but has nothing to do with the cathedral of 1102. This is a modern craft, testifying that the Spanish land has not become scarce to this day with talented craftsmen with an excellent sense of humor and puffed-up idiots-scholastics with academic degrees, ready to hysterically deny the obvious.

If you have ever watched "scientific and educational" programs on Ren-Tiwi, filmed in the vinaigrette style (about everything and nothing), then you probably saw "evidence" showing the presence of modern technologies in antiquity, as a result of people's contact with aliens from other planets, all these "miracles" easily crumble as soon as you begin to understand all this.

One famous such "evidence" is a photograph of an astronaut carved in a 16th century Spanish cathedral in Salamanca.

This cathedral, known as the Catedral Nueva (New Cathedral), has a modern figurine of what appears to be an astronaut in a spacesuit on the north entrance facade.

The figurine, in a spacesuit complete with tubes, a breathing apparatus, a helmet and thick-soled boots, shows an image of what a person looks like in space.

Photos of this astronaut have been circulating on the Internet for many years, sparking much debate. There are also skeptical commentators who believe that the photo is fake, others that the astronaut was added in Photoshop, while supporters of outlandish conspiracy theories talk about invasion / visitation of aliens in the distant past.

However, as with most photographs like this, there is a more real and understandable story behind the carvings on the facade of the Catedral Nueva (New Cathedral). And this does not at all apply to aliens from other planets.

The Spanish city of Salamanca is one of the oldest university cities in the world and, to this day, there are many historical monuments... Of particular note is the aforementioned New Cathedral, which was built between the 16th and 18th centuries.

The construction of this cathedral began in 1513 and continued until 1733.

It is the second largest cathedral in Spain in terms of size, and its 93 meter high bell tower is also one of the tallest in the country. Concerning architectural style, in which the building is made, then it includes elements of several directions at once: Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque.

The official opening date is considered to be 1733, when the cathedral was consecrated. In 1887, by royal decree, it was granted the status national monument... In 1988 Old city Salamanca, on the territory of which the New Cathedral is located, was recognized as an object World heritage UNESCO.

It is known that the construction of the Catedral Nueva began in 1513 by order of King Ferdinand, who was married to the famous Queen Isabella.

The vaulted stone ceilings inside the cathedral and the walls are decorated with numerous statues,

paintings.

The pride of any Catholic cathedral is its ornate organ.

Catedral Nueva (New Cathedral) for its almost 500 summer history it is literally filled to the "ceiling" with various stained-glass windows, statues, frescoes, crypts, etc. both on religious themes and reflecting the historical events of past centuries.

But one element in the design looks out of place and extremely out of time. At the north entrance of the cathedral, perched high among decorative carvings, is a tiny modern astronaut floating in space that can only be seen with good optics.

Over the centuries, the cathedral suffered severe damage, which ultimately required the initiation of a restoration project. One of the artists, Geronimo Garcia, who was in charge of the project, decided to add the incorporation of contemporary elements. During the restoration of the Catedral Nueva cathedral, in 1992, this "alien" astronaut was added, whose figure (like many others) was made by a master named Miguel Romero. As you can see, the author of this masterpiece is well known)) Spanish artist Jose Miguel Alguer Romero, a rather ordinary person, well known in Spain, here are a couple of works to understand his style.

Until 1992, there is not a single message about the presence of this fresco-cosmonaut at the cathedral, not in one source!

The restoration carried out in 1992 was timed to coincide with the Catholic forum Las Edades del Hombre held in 1993; the cathedrals show organized by this foundation is a kind of religious propaganda for the sacred art of Castile and Leon (Spain). The initiative comes from the popular writers of this country - Jose Jimenez Lozano and Jose Velichia, they were able to attract both private and public funds.

The foundation existed from 1988 - 2016, during this time several of the most beautiful cathedrals Spain.

According to tradition, during the restoration of cathedrals, craftsmen often added something from their modern era, as a symbol of the time when restoration work is being carried out. In this case, the restorer (s) chose the figure of an astronaut.

In the photo: on the recently restored cathedral, vandals have ruined the face of this landmark.

Such additions with each restoration are in line with local traditions, although there are some experts who are critical of such initiatives. Another unusual relief is located very close to the astronaut and is located at the same entrance to the "New" Cathedral.

This is the figure of a faun, which is different from the others, because in his left paw he holds a waffle cup with three balls of ice cream. A faun who loves ice cream is another example of the imagination of restorers from 1992. (traces of vandalism are also noticeable here)

Such jokes from restorers are found not only in Spain. In France, during the restoration in 1993-95. the catholic Bethlehem chapel, which is a pearl gothic architecture In the late Middle Ages, the chief architect Frans Gwenelo Congnard instructed the stone carver Jean-Louis Boisel to make 28 gargoyle figurines, four of which he made too far from the usual monsters of past centuries, they clearly resemble characters from Hollywood fantasies. x / f and japanese anime. These modern monsters fell in love local residents and attract tourists.

There are a lot of similar examples. Here's another one: during the construction of Washington Cathedral in the 1980s, perched high on the northwest tower of the Cathedral, the head of Darth Vader from Star Wars, sculpted by Jane Carlor Carpenter, and carved out of stone by Patrick J. Plunkett.

The explanation of why the Spanish restorers chose the astronaut is that he was a symbol of the 20th century, besides, in the midst of restoration work, in 1992 NASA announced that it had enlisted the Spaniard Michael Lopez-Alegria in the astronaut corps, he was born in the district of Madrid, not far from this cathedral, the Spaniards were very proud of this event, all the Spanish media wrote about it at that time. Michael Lopez-Alegria was born on May 30, 1958 in Spain, considers himself Castilian, emigrated to California as a child. He is a graduate of Harvard University. Entered the US Navy, where he received a BA in Systems Engineering in 1980, graduated from the US Naval Academy, was a member of a squadron aerial reconnaissance 2nd Fleet (VQ-2) in the company - "Spain".

Michael Lopez-Alegria - Spanish-American astronaut; veteran of three Shuttle missions and one mission to the International Space Station (ISS). He is known for having completed ten space walks during his space career, currently ranks second in terms of the duration of spacewalks, has the third highest duration of stay in space among NASA astronauts (215 days on the ISS) Lopez-Alegria during exit time in open. space in the Orlan spacesuit, installs the Russian BTN-M1 device (neutron detector) on the ISS body - February 26, 2007.

09.07.2014

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 puzzle is the old Cathedral in the provincial center of Salamanca, located in autonomous community Castile and Leon and listed since 1985 UNESCO heritage... Myself temple complex(one of two in the city) consists of two cathedrals - the old (Catedral Vieja, 12th century) and the new, late Gothic - Catedral Nueva de la Asunción de la Virgen (New Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin), built in the 16th and 18th centuries.

But not all tourists arriving here are attracted by the beauty of the ancient temple. Many, upon arrival, immediately rush to the northern entrance to the new cathedral, where on the portal at the "doors of Ramos" (Puerta de Ramos), right opposite the Anaya Palace, soars at high altitude in "weightlessness" ... a modern cosmonaut in full "combat" outfit - 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 come from on the wall of an ancient cathedral? The explanation is quite simple: in 1992, during the restoration of the dilapidated doors of Ramos, one of the restorers, a certain Miguel Romero, took a creative initiative by decorating the wall with a similar figure. Further versions differ: someone thinks 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 facade of an ancient temple, wanted to perpetuate in a similar way a landmark event for the twentieth century - the conquest of space by man. But who exactly the figure depicts, there are many versions. Featured as a stone character: the first cosmonaut of the planet, a 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 lunar surface, etc.

Nevertheless, very many are inclined to believe that the figure of the cosmonaut was there initially, and, therefore, has a mysterious origin that goes beyond ordinary logic. They say that the joke of the restorers in this case is excluded for a number of reasons. Firstly, the image of the astronaut is recorded on engravings of the 19th century. Secondly, the ancient manuscripts of Salamanca allegedly contain information about the 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, it requires additional expertise, coordination and permission. They also say that this is not an astronaut at all, but some kind of hellish spawn, of which there are many "dwelling" on the walls, facades and capitals of the columns of ancient European churches.

A number of other similar finds are cited to prove the "miraculous" version of the cosmonaut's origin. For example, images of astronauts on Japanese netsuke, a model of an airplane from an ancient Egyptian tomb, Inca golden "airplanes", an image of Darth Vader on the National cathedral in Washington DC, as well as a picture of a man with a laptop and mobile phone on the mosaic of the Kievskaya 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 famous, but no less curious figures. For example, the figure of a smiling dragon with three scoops of ice cream. Or a boy with an unchildly developed manhood.

Guides and tour guides are in no hurry to convince fans of the "wonderful" version of the astronaut's appearance on the wall of an ancient temple. After all, most importantly, intrigued tourists come here, replenishing the local treasury.

Mysteries of the past constantly surprise people, here is the astronaut at the Cathedral of St. Jerome, another riddle that came from the past. Meet the astronaut at the temple who came to us from the past.

On the wall of the Cathedral of St. Jerome in the Spanish city of Salamanca, among other decorations, there is a very curious and mysterious high relief that came to us from the past, still causing bewilderment and confusion among scientists all over the world. The fact is that medieval masters depicted on it ... an astronaut in a modern spacesuit.

The figure skillfully carved from stone on the Temple of Jerome amazes with the accuracy of all details. On the chest of the "cosmonaut" is depicted a certain device from which hoses go behind his back, very similar to a breathing apparatus, and his legs are shod in boots with thick corrugated soles. Such an image would have been common in the twentieth century, but the cathedral is almost a thousand years old! How could the builders of the temple know what the future conquerors of space would look like?

Skeptics can say that the figure could have been added during the last restoration of the Cathedral of St. Jerome in 1990, and this version is diligently supported by the administration of the temple in order to protect their temple from the increased interest of tourists and the press. However, the cathedral has long been under the protection of UNESCO, and all restoration work with documentation for them is under the strictest control. In such a situation, not a single restorer would dare to "joke" in such a way sculpted an astronaut. Moreover, such liberties are strictly pursued by the laws of the Catholic Church.

The churchmen themselves believe that the cosmonaut is not a mystery of the past, but simply one of the monsters that very often adorned the outer walls of cathedrals in the Middle Ages; for example, it is enough to recall the famous gargoyles on Notre Dame de Paris. Such monsters are called, on the one hand, to guard the temple, and on the other, to show the parishioners what horrors a person can expect outside the walls of the sacred monastery.

Scientists believe that the "cosmonaut" could appear on the wall of the Cathedral of St. Jerome, if not in the Middle Ages, then at the latest, during the last reconstruction of the temple in the 18th century. Even so, from the gallant age to the era of space exploration is still very far away. In confirmation of the venerable age of the figure of the astronaut on the temple is the fact that ancient engravings of the early 19th century were found in the library of one of the universities, where it is clearly visible, and is located in the same place as today.

Medieval manuscripts have survived, which mentions the mysterious meeting of monks with very unusual creatures, "whose skin was hidden under the outer skin." We can only guess what kind of creatures they were, but then it becomes clear the desire of the ministers of the church to leave the memory of such strange events, and possibly to warn the descendants of some unknown danger.

Be that as it may, the "cosmonaut" still keeps his secret and remains the main mystery of the past, watching calmly from the height of the cathedral wall of St. Jerome behind the bustle modern world... I would like to hope that one day this riddle will be solved, and we will find out what secret knowledge were available to people in the "dark", in our opinion, the Middle Ages.