Celebration of the Holy Mass in the private chapel in Vietnam for which the tabernacle has been destined.
A TRIBUTE TO GOTHIC ART
The tabernacle is of neo-Gothic style and its design includes all the representative elements of this architectural style, as if it were a miniature church destined to contain exclusively the sacramental species.
This homage to Gothic art contains, among other elements, the characteristic pilasters with pointed arches, a main gable roof facing two smaller roofs, where the relief of the tiles stand out in contrast with the rest of the engraved ornamentation, eight pinnacles and small crests over the pointed arches. In addition, the piece is embellished with very colorful enamels in imitation of the large stained glass windows and rose windows found in Gothic cathedrals.
THE EXECUTION OF THE TABERNACLE STEP BY STEP
This tabernacle, a Granda model, has a multitude of pieces, some of which are assembled by welding and others by means of the nearly 180 screws that were used to make it. Jesús, from the goldsmith department, tells us that the execution of the piece has meant more than 400 hours of work by different departments that must work perfectly coordinated.
The tabernacle has a three-part structure: the inner box, the casing and a roof made up of jables in imitation of the roofs of Gothic cathedrals.
The tabernacle began to be built from the base, making the moldings where the four sheets that make up the exterior casing would later be attached and which had previously been engraved with characteristic Gothic elements: pilasters, pointed arches, crests, tracery ornaments.... This engraving is done by first lowering the metal with a milling machine and then chiseling the bottom.
The interior of the tabernacle is made separately. In Granda it always receives a gold bath, a noble material, since it is in contact with the reserved species that are the greatest treasure of the Church. Once plated, it is inserted inside the casing.
Finally, the cover of the tabernacle was raised from a brass structure and pieces of electroplating (copper worked using the electroplating technique to mark the relief of the tiles).
At the same time, the enamel department worked on the pieces that would embellish the tabernacle, adding color and theme. Thus, the door contains an enamel of the Annunciation and the scene is accompanied by other motifs emulating windows and rose windows in which the intense blue color predominates, matching the mantle worn by the Virgin in the main enamel.
