A new custodian for Australia

It is a simplified copy of an original monstrance by D. Félix, made around 1934.

This is the third replica to be made: the first is in the Cathedral of Guinea, the second in the San Juan de Samos Monastery in Lugo and this last one is destined for the Saint Mary Star of the Sea parish, in Melbourne (Australia).

It is a sun monstrance, gilded silver, one meter high. The base, the shaft and half of the bursts have been hammer forged. The rest of the bursts are also silver and are engraved with a burin, using translucent enamel in different shades of blue, applied in such a way that the engraved work underneath can be seen.

About the eight images of the knotThere is not much information. Although the eight in the iconography represents the 7 days of creation, being the eighth the culmination of it, the Resurrection, there are three different interpretations.

The first interpretation is to make allusion to the eight writers of the New TestamentThe four evangelists and the four apostles who wrote letters and documents contained in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, James, Peter and Jude.

The second interpretationThe Old Testament is a reference to the Old Testament, to the four Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel) and the four Minor Prophets. This is a somewhat more valid interpretation, given that some appear with helmet and some small attribute, as well as with long beards, which would lead to references to the Tetramorphos, which was usually used by D. Félix, or to the other four apostles. It should not be forgotten that D. Félix often tried to represent characters from the Old Testament in his pieces, linked to the use of the piece he designed.

The third option is that they are Fathers of the Churchwhich speak about the Eucharist and the Council of Trent as sources for the definition of Transubstantiation. This may be the most reliable interpretation, since different styles of vestments appear. Despite the primacy of the neo-Gothic style, they are very different characters, and in the original piece reference is made to the Eucharist in the Wine and Bread (grapes appear surrounding the Sacred Form, referring to the Body and Blood of Christ). They could be: St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Justin, St. Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, St. Hippolytus, Origen, St. Cyprian and Firmilianus, Bishop of Caesarea.