Hundreds of ferrolanos they go up every Easter Monday to Mount Chamorroas tradition dictates, to venerate its patron saint, the Virgin of the Northwhose image presides over the hermitage located in that privileged enclave, with impressive views over the valley of serantes, the estuary and the naval city. A religious carving of great value, despite its small dimensions, since “it is probably the oldest in Galicia”, highlights the president of the Association for the Defense of Galician Cultural Heritage (Apatrigal), the architect Carlos Henrique Fernández Coto. “It is from the 12th century, the same time as the cathedral of Santiago, therefore, it is 900 years old. The Virgen del Sar, which Apatrigal cataloged at the time, dates from the 14th century. The origin of the Chamorro goes back 200 years before, and it is also made of wood. It is a patrimonial treasure & rdquor ;, he claims.
Among the countless stories that circulate about the origin of this “Ferrol symbol& rdquor ;, the most popular and fantastic is that a fisherman, whose boat was about to sink under the rough seas from the mouth of the estuaryimplored help to the Virgin of the North, that he would have saved him in extremis after shouting, desperate, “Xa morro!”. Coincidence or miracle, another distress call has prevented the emblematic carving suffered a cult disaster and ended up becoming a new Ecce Homo de Borjathis time, in a Galician version.
“Everything arose as a result of a news item announcing that the Virgin of Chamorrobelonging to the same owners as the hermitage in which it is venerated, was going to be restored by a lucense sculptor. That’s like if you want to paint a wall and call a stonemason! The article also commented that the carving had already been submitted to other rehabilitation processes, and as this also caught our attention, we began to investigate. That same day we uploaded the link to our social networks and people began to send us information. Even a resident of Ferrol, who draws very well, sent us a charcoal of the image& rdquor ;, explains the president of Apatrigal about the germ of the SOS that has saved the valuable 12th-century carving from another possible nonsense.
“At the same time -continues Fernández Coto-, we sent a letter to the general director of Cultural heritage, Carmen Martínez Insua, and the Minister of Culture himself, Román Rodríguez González, in which we informed them about the situation, which was also transferred to them by the Mayor of Ferrol’s Historical Heritage, Eva Martínez Montero. The laws of Cultural Heritage, Rehabilitation and Land of Galicia oblige any owner of a cultural good (whether it is a granary, a pazo, a religious image, a chapel, etc…) to preserve it and keep it in the best possible conditions. We know that, in this case, the owners of the Virgin of Chamorro acted in good faith, just as they did at other times. What happens is that they were unaware that they had to request authorization from the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage to undertake the restoration work on the carving, and they also did not know that they had to resort to a professional restorer& rdquor ;, he considers.
The initial plan of the owners of the Virgin of Chamorro was that the height rehabilitation started this past Monday, however, from the Ministry of Culture confirm that the work has been postponed. “Both the image of the Virgin of Chamorro as the church in which it is located are assets that are part of the cultural heritage of Galicia and, therefore, it is necessary that the interventions carried out be authorized by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage. This has already been reported to the property, that it is not going to act immediately on the image and that it is going to study the possibility of hiring the specialized technical advice that is necessary to move forward & rdquor ;, they point out from the regional department.
Experts urge to “remove things” from carving to restore its “authenticity”
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Beyond his “unquestionable patrimonial value& rdquor ;, the president of Apatrigal trusts that the “public utility & rdquor; of the carving of the Virgin of Chamorroprotagonist all Easter monday of “a massive pilgrimage & rdquor; in Ferrol, take “the Xunta, the Diputación de A Coruña or the Concello & rdquor; ferrolano to “lend a hand & rdquor; to the owners with a restoration that “should consist, above all & rdquor;, of “removing things from the image & rdquor;, with “great care and using non-abrasive processes & rdquor;, so that it” shines its original splendor again & rdquor;.
“Right now she shines but as if she were made up, she has hair that seems to be made of plastic and the clothes she wears do not correspond to those of her time, the 12th century. Our goal is to recover, as much as possible, its authenticity. She is actually a Romanesque Madonna, of the High Middle Ages, very austere and elegant. We understand that it was polychrome with natural, matte and dull tints. However, today it has a bright color that attracts attention, apart from being poorly done& rdquor;, laments Carlos Henrique Fernández Coto, who hopes that the notoriety of the failed intervention will serve, “in some way, to promote knowledge of the Virgin of Chamorro” and “vindicate & rdquor; this “Galician heritage treasure & rdquor ;. “After its theft and subsequent recovery in a garage in O Milladoiro, the Codex Calixtino multiplied its value tenfold, and perhaps with the Virgin of Chamorro the same thing happens, because even the national media are echoing what was about to happen with its restoration. Several colleagues from Apatrigal are also art appraisers, and we believe that all this will increase, in some way, the value of this carving, already unique in itself,” he reiterates.