In Madrid we are lucky to see two nativity scenes in representative centers, the first is The birth located in the Royal Post Office that celebrates ten years recreating landscapes of Spain. The second is the Bethlehem of Salzillo, the most important of the Spanish baroque art and that is located in CentroCentro or the Madrid City Council.
He Bethlehem of the Royal Post Office It can be seen until January 6, from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and you don't have to pay to see it because it's free. It is a Bethlehem that has been organized since 2003 by the Association of Belenistas of Madrid. This representation has accumulated more than one million visitors. Birth occupies 150 square meters and weighs three tons. It has been designed for a year by more than 50 people aged between 5 and 70 years. The facility has worked more than 40 people for four days. The Bethlehem uses a wooden framework, cork oak and moss cork in addition to natural products such as water, river sand and more than 30 plant species. Also incorporates more than 500 handmade figures made in clay and wood pulp, the traditional scenes in landscapes that recreate the lands of Spain in environment, landscape and architecture, in counterpoint with the Hebrew lines of the previous exhibitions of this Birth.
The Association of Belenistas of Madrid was born in the 40s of the love of a group of friends to ride nativity scenes in the streets and commercial stores of Madrid. Currently it has 797 members of all ages and with the most diverse professions and skills. The association has an artistic heritage with more than 2,000 figures, some of them from other countries and dating from the late eighteenth century.
Also in CentroCentro Cibeles you can see the exhibition of Belén by Francisco Salzillo until next February 2 on the main floor. This Bethlehem is one of the most important sculptural ensembles on Christmas in Spanish Baroque art and is declared a National Cultural Heritage. This birth was made in the last quarter of the eighteenth century following a commission by the noble Jesualdo Riquelme to the teacher Francisco Salzillo (Murcia, 1707-1783). Is the reference of Bethlehem of Mysteries of Spanish tradition, where the main protagonists of the story are the evangelical episodes and where there are also customary scenes that portray the society of the moment.
In CentroCentro they are shown 297 pieces, including the architectures, and is a selection of the total of 556 that make up the complete set. The figures have a size of about thirty centimeters and are modeled in clay although there are also in wood, with canvases and glued fabrics. They are richly polychrome within the Rococo tradition.
The Belén de Salzillo can be visited on the main floor of CentroCentro (Plaza de Cibeles, 1) until next February 2, 2014. Visits will be made in turns of 60 people every 20 minutes and the visiting hours are from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. It is closed on Mondays and on January 1. The general admission is 1 euro and there is reduced admission, of 0.50 euros, for over 65 years and large family. Access is free for children under 14, unemployed people, Friends of CentroCentro and people with disabilities.
