There is a city in Spain called Salamanca. Among its attractions, the city's cathedral occupies a central place. The building was built in 1102, the outside is decorated with many sculptures and is an excellent example of medieval architecture. But among the figures there is one that invariably attracts the attention of tourists.


Guides usually say that this restorer depicted the great modern astronaut. Moreover, each guide usually has his own version. Indeed, in 1990, restoration work took place in the cathedral, and at that time the exterior decoration was also updated.

But here some interesting points arise. For example, the vicar of the cathedral, Rodrigo Solanelles, considers this figure not an astronaut, but a traditional monster, with which the outer walls of the temple were decorated in the Middle Ages. And during the restoration of the temple, only ancient approved canons were used, which do not allow liberties such as attempts to immortalize modern heroes.

There is another version, which is supported by Esteban Sanza, a professor at the University of Salamanca. His students managed to find an engraving in the university library that clearly shows the entire decoration of the cathedral along with the figure of an astronaut. And the engraving was made at the beginning of the 19th century. That is, there is no way this strange sculpture could have appeared later than the end of the 18th century. Among the library manuscripts there is also a record of the meeting of the monks of Salamanca with creatures whose skin was covered with another skin. This monster could become the prototype of the sculpture. These records date back to the Renaissance.

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 took place after modern photo optics made it possible to distinguish small details of the magnificent architectural decoration on high altitude, 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.”


THE RIDDLE OF THE MEDIEVAL ASTRONAUT
01/05/2017

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.

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 the center of Salamanca, including, of course, the 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. Therefore, it is simply 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” 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.

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 the entire architectural ensemble of the center of Salamanca, including, of course, the cathedral, back in 1985, several years before the start of restoration, 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. Therefore, it is simply 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” 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.

To prove the “miraculous” version of the cosmonaut’s origin, a number of other similar finds. 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.

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?