There are many beautiful churches that we have seen in Spain. Some are a little worse for wear - but I can't imagine the cost involved of maintaining these enormous structures. The oldest we have been in so far is The Church of St. Martin in Segovia, dating from the 10th Century. This church has existed through conquest of Spain by Moors, the Crusades, wars with France, and Civil War. The Church of St. Martin still holds worship services here on a regular basis.
As I walked through the sanctuary, I tried to imagine the people that have come here over the years seeking hope, solace, calming fears and looking for God. They weren't any different from us. They prayed for safe return for husbands at war, sick or dying children, good crops and prosperous futures for themselves and their children.
Even if they could read or write, they didn't have access to the Scriptures. Their experience with meeting God was through hearing His Word during Mass and visualizing what Heaven, Salvation and Judgement were through the art and architecture they were surrounded with.
They weren't very different from us.
So beautiful! I bet your trip was great :)
ReplyDelete