CHURCH AND ALTARPIECE OF NUESTRA SEÑORA DE JESÚS

CHURCH OF NTRA. SRA. DE JESÚS

A few weeks ago I had the chance to pay a visit to the Church of Jesús, very near of Ibiza City and then, i could enjoy the magnificent of the altarpiece, a unic and most appreciate art piece in the island. It´s considered " the jewel of the crown " in art.

the Annunciation, Birth and Adoration of the three Kings, I want to take them as my personal Christmas Card and with them to wish you a Merry Christmas and to wish you the best for the new year 2010.

It seems to be that is not known certainty who is the author of this altarpiece but "is suspected" that it was realized by Osona in Valencia. It is not known neither when, but it is believed that between the XV and XVI century.

The style is indeed a mixture of styles, predominating over the Flemish style and the Renaissance, but with Gothic clear shades that also are present in the altarpiece.

The central body as we see below it is centralized in the figure known as Ntra. Sra. de la Llet, that is the Virgin feeding the child.

This temple was raised as Convent by the Franciscans in the 15th century, though today it belongs to the municipality of Santa Eulalia, this church in her origins was using as a religious temple for the people specially fishermen and familys living out of the walls of Ibiza, since this zone belongs to the called " pla of Vila ". The convent in 1.580 passed to the Dominicans, who founded a confraternity in honor to The Virgin Mary. This Order (Dominicans) went due to the insecurity of the frequent assaults to the Pirates' island indoors part of the walled zone of Ibiza City, in the Building that today is the church of Santo Domingo, and that still people knows popularly as "the Convent" (today the cloister belongs to the City hall).

The interest of this church in art continues with an interesting linen of Saint Clara that is dated on the XVIth century.

Also the image of the Virgin Mary is a work of Antonio Saura realized in the XVIth Century (image down).

This church, totally in white front as a rural church from Ibiza´s architecture, it was raised to the degree of parish by the first Bishop of Ibiza in 1.785.

Detail of the Calvary (up) and of the porch or "porxo" in the image of below that as in some of the churches in Ibiza it is not at the main entry but aside. It consists of four round arches and is a construction of the XIXth century.

CLIMBING ON THE MYTHICAL ATLANTIS

CLIMBING IN SA PEDRERA D´ES SAVINAR

The impressive descent that leads us to Atlantis's lost City, or to what is the same thing but quarry sounds a bit less mythological to "Sa pedrera des Savinar", when we can looked backward we see a great rocky vertically clump, there it is a great place where people can practise (specially on weekends) the climbing. In the picture above we can see (but really small) the tower of sabinar, where from there are extraordinarys sights to the famous islands Vedrà and Vedranell.

Of course the first quality of the climbers is not to have dizziness and then to be acquainted with all kinds of devices, strings etc, that it is necessary to go with it in order for the success of the climbing, specially the raise.

For those as me who not dare to rise, also inducement is to see all this from below, suffering with any incident that they can have in the heights for those who practise it.

Certainly after the difficult raise, the descent comes and this one is much simpler and certainly much more fast. For those who don´t practise climbing, our descent does not stay here, we lack much for going down up to the mythical Atlantis, also for us the way down will be faster. The raise on our way back and way up will be much harder.

ATLANTIS´s LEGEND

ATLANTIS: The lost City

Thousands of years ago, here in this place a grand and prosperous City existed, with big buildings that still today we can see though demolished due to a great cataclysm that finished with this mass of land. For then the famous princess adored by her people was called Tanit, and later the history turned her into goddess, her father was the King of this place. The big marine monsters coexisted together with these people since they were never approaching excessively to the coast. But one day two enormous marine monsters came together with a smaller one. The big monster fell in love rapidly with the Princess Tanit and remained totally still in front of the City to be able to contemplate her to daily. The small monster remained slept to the feet of this one, and the third monster that was the mother of the small one, moved back very sadly up to the other side of this small sea, today it is possible to see as a rock in Calpe's locality, and it´s called "peñón de ifach ", and the other two, are there just infront here, the big one still looking where the Princess was strolling, and the small one rolled and still sleeping from then next to his father, they call " Es Vedrá and Es Vedrané " the time have converted them in to rocks, and the lost city little is under the sea except a small side where we can still see the remains of that great and prosperous former City.

Dad: tell it to me again. My son since we went down there many years ago, repeats incessantly the same thing whenever we go. Tell me again the history of the monsters and the lost City.

Each time we go, I can see him looking out and remain doubtful... It will be that true???

The certain thing is that a place with a lot of energy and inspiration for artists, good ones and not so much others. A few decades ago there were a few sculptures that were just amazing. By the time this place is more an acquaintance and therefore a bit less magic than some years ago, but due to the difficult access, this place still has relative quitness.

Symbols all over, and a comfortable way to go down but very tired to go back. The dunes of sand are the ones that makes that possible, and from these dunes almost as miraculously autochthonous trees arise in a dramatic way that seems that their roots want to turn into legs to walk to a more comfortable site.



These big temples, did they exist indeed?, and these beautiful natural swimming pools?, actually they are there, and maybe the best thing it´s to remain with the magic of those legends...
The certain thing is that this place "atlantis" which is called "Sa Pedrera" (the real name) is a former quarry that the Romans were exploiting it already. Anyhow it seems that decades ago stone was extracted to do big blocks for some of the island´s harbours and marinas.

But still the certain thing is that there they are both crags, the two guardians of the Island. Es vedrá and es Vedrané observing this place. A place where we can disconnect of "our routine and stressing world ".

BUDDHA IN IBIZA

THE BUDDHA OF ATLANTIS

A place wrapped in legends and energies, with difficult access. There he is a Buda or Buddha that for years is looking at the south of the island of Ibiza and enjoying of beautiful view of the Mediterranean sea. I am glad that the one who was saying to myself had been wrong. But he said to me that the Buddha of Atlantis had disappeared. Of course there are plenty people without scruples or respect that can eliminate it as the Talibans did with the giant Budas, and that´s why before it happens at least I wanted to immortalize it closely with my camera.

It is said that it was painted by a Japanese, and certainly the skill was very good and very lasting since for years I contemplate the same Buda in the same place. there is a signature with Japanese characters at the right side under the painting that maybe was that of the author.

It is said that it was in the sixties and that the Japanese remained there during a time, taking advantage that there were caves where he could stay. As he says it could only to ponder in loneliness and to do a stop for meditation in his life, they say that he was coming from Vietnam. Maybe like him all of us we should do a break of meditation during a time of our stressed lives.
Undoubtedly this place that actually indeed is called Sa Pedrera of Savinar, has many mysteries and one of them is this Buda or Buddha, but it is a luck to have it still here, hope will last for long time.

KITESURF IN IBIZA

KITESURF- A winter in the island? why not?

Winter in Ibiza? Of Course!!!. Who says that Ibiza is boring during winter???, This is one of the Sports you can try in Ibiza during winter. When the strong winds arrive to the island, generally they come from the west, so This do that Sant Antoni´s Bay as perfect site to practice this sport.

So here you are this kiters, going so fast and enjoying themself with this activity. To start practice this sport, it´s recommended to do a course, due the dangerous situations that can be envolved, and is hardly necessary to know what to do just in case.

In this case, the wind came from the right end, it´s called "on shore" if the wind comes from off shore it can be dangerous to get out, so, the kiter can not easily come back to the shore.

This sport in Europe is quite new, but there´s acknowledgment that in China and Indonesia they practice something like this from many centuries ago.

So you know now. If you stay in Ibiza during a windy day, don´t doubt to go to the Sant Antoni´s harbour, you´ll enjoy flying on the sea, or at least to see it.

NOCTURNE IN G MINOR - WINTER COMES (Cala Conta)

TWILIGHT IN CALA CONTA

Time of summer nostalgia, the days are getting shorter and nights are getting longer, damp and cold. The summer already gone away and the happy images of crowded beachs have remained with these crowdless images, but beautiful. This twilight dusk invites us to the meditation which always is also nice. In the first picture we can see the silhouette of the island S'espartar and the second one with an golden image of the island of el bosque (the forest).

I must say that I hate the graffittis, but i must admit that there are some of them that improve things. In a side of the wall of little houses shipyards, there has been replaced a vulgar and ugly wall of blocks, in the whole work of art of a graffitti. This goddess who has been admired queen during the last summer in this point, prepares herself to hibernate untill next summer comes and I hope that she will still there then. At the moment she takes the stars as a roof, tha sand is her floor, and the western wind as her walls. But anyways it seems that she doesn´t care at all. Angie tell me, where you will be now?

SES FEIXES

SES FEIXES & THE "PORTALS DE FEIXES "

This is the second most important humedal of the island (after las salinas) called "Ses Feixes" that translated would be something like " bench-covers ". A variety of flora and fauna very typical of this zone that is in full process of conservation. The location is closely together of the Beach of Talamanca and of the Avenue on August 8, just behind that we might name the "mile of gold" of the City of Ibiza.

Ses Feixes was a former marsh that was occupying great part of the acquaintance as "Plà de Vila", which was formed by marine alluviums, with a level of very equal water to that of the level of the sea, where for this motive were a great level of sedimentation. It was an area gained the sea, to dedicate it almost exclusively to the agriculture devices.
Though it is not this the Ses Feixes's unique zone since there is one in the zone West that today it is named " Is Pratet " (though practically eliminated as humid zone), near to the Ibiza Harbour.

This zone of ses feixes with enough humid zones is in the zone of "plá of Vila" named as "Prat de ses Monges" (Nun´s Meadow). A curious system of the unique irrigation was in use in these lands, taking advantage of the great quantity of not salty water. When strong rains, and there was threatened of floods, a kind of hatches of wood (generally pine) they were opened to regulate the whole water towards the nearby sea.
The canes are one of the most numerous shrubs plants in this place. Their golden tonalities in the early morning it gives us a few golden almost surrealistic and even romantic sights.

The "portal de feixa" was a distinctive entry to these gardens. There became so popular that the first airport that was done in Ibiza, was constructed imitating these portals and still today At the Airport d'Es Codolar can meet perfectly preserved in the old terminal today´s general aviation little terminal building of the Airport. I remember in my childhood when departures or arrivals to or from the planes it was necessary for all passangers to pass through them.

Today already neither the level nor quantity of agriculture on those days exists anymore, but still some of them can be seen. And though the zone as already I have said it seems a bit abandoned, still there are people who lives in ses feixes and this way it is testified by the numerous houses that exist in the zone and that are inhabited.


A relaxing walk along this zone is advisable, to see this site that has turned into a kind of natural reserve, closely together of the City of Ibiza.