Museu de La Rioja

 

We started out the day with breakfast in our room and then got dressed and went to the TI. From there we decided to visit the museum of La Rioja, which was just a few blocks from where we are staying. This was just a fantastic museum. Three floors full of beautiful art and archaeological objects. I really enjoyed the sections on agriculture, since I come from a farming family. Joe, the historian, had a lot to teach me about the religious art. His Catholic background helped a lot and he made me laugh with some of his stories. 

I took a lot of photos. Here are a few. 

We learned the way shepherds could recognize their herd of sheep from the neighbor’s herd was by the sound or the tone of the bells.

Bacchus. 

This head was actually very tiny about the size of a plum but there was so much wonderful detail.

These are all carpenters tools. 

Joe is familiar with many of them

These sculptures of the apostles were life-size 

and were just beautiful

This is the face of John 

Some say depictions of John are sexually ambiguous and some believe 

‘the disciple Jesus loved’ 

was actually Mary Magdalene. 

In this painting John almost appears to have breasts. 

The way he is holding the red cape makes it appear he is holding a body. This is not coincidence. 

A very beautiful, feminine John. 

These sculptures and paintings are so evocative in order to teach people who were illiterate the Bible stories and to encourage devotion and good behavior. I really love them and I think the churches in the United States that are so austere now are missing the point. They don’t engage the imagination the way the statues in paintings do

Common household items of the last century

This is called a TRILLO. If you stay at Casa Reloj in Molinaseca you will see one there. I’ve seen one also at Santa Catalina. This is a heavy agricultural instrument that was used to chop the heads off of the grain and separate the kernels. They would drag it over the grain by animal. 

I am always fascinated by the glassworks

Another beautiful face carved from wood. 

She is sad as Jesus’ body is taken down from the cross

This really is a wonderful museum. If you have any time in Logroño, it’s worth a visit. Very close to Calle Laurel.

 After the museum I was so hungry I could eat my arm, and as we walked through Calle Laurel, it was difficult for me not to stop, but we are on a budget.  We were headed to a bakery we had seen yesterday where you could buy fresh empanadas for $.72 each. We bought our empanadas, stopped by the market for a salad, then headed home. 

We are now resting in our room, making plans for tomorrow. If the weathers good we plan on walking to the Park del Ebro.  Joe has been chomping at the bit to get there because of the historical significance of the river. It is what gives Iberia its name.