Burgos and its fantastic church of Saint Nicholas

The Jacobean Route, also called the Way of the Stars or, simply, Saint James Way, has an unavoidable appointment in the city of Burgos, which, regardless of the pilgrims, who necessarily have to go through it, complying with the rigors of an ancient sacred itinerary, one of the most recommended and complete places, both for travelers and tourists, in terms of Art, Architecture, History, Beauty and Tradition, which, of course, is not little.

Without losing sight of the marvelous Saint Marys Door, nor, obviously, that invaluable jewel, a World Heritage Site, which is the colossal cathedral also dedicated to her, on this occasion, I would like to invite you to discover another of the most charismatic features of the excellent compendium of Spanish heritage: the Gothic church of Saint Nicholas.

Located in the heart of the Historic District, in a street dedicated to one of the main figures of the first Castilian nobility, Count Fernán González -his splendid tower is still preserved, in the neighboring city of Covarrubias- and separated, just a sidewalk from the cathedral, the church of Saint Nicholas is an invaluable temple, whose visit is not only mandatory, but also leaves no one indifferent.

Not only because of the stylistic elegance of an art, the Gothic, which still not only continues to arouse passions, but, after centuries, its origins continue to be a fascinating enigma, but also because it has one of the Altarpieces More lavish and default majors, fascinating from all travelers and pilgrims can see, to the point that it would not be an exaggeration, at all, to say that it rivals, both in proportion and in magnificence, with that of the cathedral itself.

Also attributed to Juan de Colonia -one of the masters who worked on the cathedral- the Altarpiece of Saint Nicholas, monumental and made of a single piece that occupies the entire width and height of the ecclesiastical apse, is a masterpiece, loaded with overflowing with delicate beauty and symbolism, capable of provoking, in the viewer, that same tension or artistic intoxication, known as Sthendal syndrome.

Completed in the year 1505 and dedicated, almost entirely, to the life and miracles -ingredients, the latter, which could not, of course, be missing in such a wonderful sacred route- of Saint Nicholas of Bari -it would be good to remember that this figure is considered the origin of the popular Santa Claus- his contemplation, through the exorbitant number of 464 sculptures that compose it, is a cultural journey, which introduces us to the innumerable universes, where the objective and the subjective, we inevitably refer to those turbulent waters on whose unknown islets, metaphorically speaking, lie like shipwrecked all those archetypes that the 'wizard of the Alps' - the nickname given by his friends to the brilliant and unforgettable Carl Gustav Jung - considered the Collective Unconscious.

As if this were the case, and leaving for a separate visit, the magnificent collection of Flemish tapestries in the small nearby museum, the church of Saint Nicholas is also endowed with a fabulous Flemish altarpiece, dedicated to the controversial and, why not say it, feared theme of the Last Judgment - in its time, it was a real theme of fear and respect - of the Last Judgment, where the figure of Saint Michael-Anubis stands out, weighing the souls in his scales, while a Devil or Seth incarnation, does all the unimaginable efforts to turn the scales of it in his favor and procure tenants for Hell.

Everything, evidently, treated with a delicacy and a luxury of details, which, contemplated under the austerity of the ship's spotlights, is still a philosophical shock, even for the spectators of this modern world and fascinated by new technologies, devoid of all credulity, except at the crucial moment, which is none other than that, which, in an eminently poetic way, Van Gogh described as his starry night.

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NOTICE: Both the text and the photographs that accompany it, as well as the video that illustrates it, are my exclusive intellectual property and, therefore, are subject to my Copyright.

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