in representation of the same. in representation of the same (President of the Confraternity of Sant Jordi)
It seems like it was yesterday and almost three years have passed since the 3 of February of 2008 this Board of Directors was elected to take responsibility for the management, the management and administration of the Confraternity of Sant Jordi during the period between May 2008 and the Feasts of Sant Jordi del 2011.
Three years full of work, personal coexistence and enthusiasm for the realization and organization of the religious acts of our holidays in honor of Sant Jordi and for the possible projects to be carried out according to the needs of the Brotherhood and our town, and that according to our humble judgment they would certainly enlarge more, if possible, the material and spiritual heritage that the Confraternity possesses. Three years of wonderful experiences and, why not say so, of worries and a great fear of not living up to what our beloved town of Banyeres de Mariola, our brothers and especially Sant Jordi deserve it.
Three years so long and so short at the same time. And what from its beginning could seem like an eternity, it has passed like a slight sigh. And now we have the feeling that there are many things left to do. three years, of those who trust that our dedication and service to all, they have been profitable for our beloved town of the Mariola Mountains.
It's been three years since a team of thirty-six people, of which, many of us didn't even know each other personally, and that even most of us had never spoken to each other, despite being all children of Banyeres, because even if it seems unheard of, it has already been the case that the team that makes up this Board of Directors was created from the very beginning among all, first five people, then eight, later eleven and so on until the entire team is complete, but all under a shared common denominator: “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”, he was the one who brought us together; this is the greatness of belonging to the Brotherhood of Sant Jordi, and more specifically to the Board of Directors, thus starting a path that we could not even imagine where it would take us and the personal satisfactions that it has provided us with, full of nerves, uncertainties and many worries, but at the same time with a great desire to serve our Banyeres de Mariola community. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
Three years have passed and from the humility and prudence that our responsibility demands of us, we are happy for the successes achieved and above all for the dreams that have all come true, for the illusions achieved, for the support, except for a few very few and noted exceptions, all our Banyeres de Mariola has lent us because with their advice, the help, the donations, a simple hand nailed, a smile or a few words of encouragement, they have helped us to move forward in times of difficulty. To all of them, to those who have been by our side. Thank you for your encouragement and support. And the few who don't, because his attitude has also helped us to overcome each other and to follow from discretion, humility and prudence, fulfilling our duty and responsibility, defending what we believed was the best for the entity we represent. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
For the last year I am addressing you, of honor, the satisfaction and pride that comes with being the president of this Board of Directors of the Confraternity of Sant Jordi. From here I want to congratulate the captains of our Moorish and Christian troupes, for the position they assume with responsibility and enthusiasm, for sure Sant Jordi will provide and help them enjoy these days together with their families, the friends and colleagues of their comrades and filaes. Wishing all the brothers, neighbor, musicians, festers, visitors and the authorities of our town that we all celebrate these holidays together with as much normality as possible; that fun occupies the space and place they deserve, that we all live the Feast in honor of Sant Jordi, but without forgetting that the origin of our Festival is marked by the great faith and great devotion that Banyeres de Mariola, since the settlers sent by our King Jaume I transmitted their belief to us, faith and devotion to the Saint and Martyr of Cappadocia, and that he professes and feels towards his excellent Patron, and that our elders have known with their simplicity and humility, transmit to us over time. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
I have referred to the dreams that with great responsibility and effort have managed to come true. This has been the case on enough occasions during this last year that I once again take advantage of the opportunity offered by this Festival Program to thank all the banieruts for their unconditional support and the support as always to the Confraternity of Sant Jordi. Thanks once again to the Banyeres Musical Society, to its director Rafael García Vidal and its president José Luis Belda Molina, to the Coral Mariola and its director Salvador Calero and its president José Antonio Miró Sempere and likewise to the composer, Natural Mariola, Francisco José Molina Rubio, the magnificent accomplishment, selfless development and collaboration in the premiere and subsequent concert of the Missa de Sant Jordi de Banyeres de Mariola so that it was a great success, and the process of becoming the mass that an entire town sings in honor of its Patron will begin solidly. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
And of course, with the constant desire of the Confraternity of Sant Jordi to continue improving and enlarging the realization and organization of religious acts during the celebration of our holidays, thank the presence of the archbishop emeritus of Valencia and current cardinal of the Roman Curia, S.I. Agustí García Gascó-Vicente, who presided over the high mass in honor of Sant Jordi, the past 23 April of 2010, giving greater emphasis to the Eucharistic celebration, together with the presence of the second vice-president of the Provincial Council of Alicante, Mrs. M.ª del Carmen Giménez, invited by our authorities, to preside over the mass; as well as in the Rnd. Salvador Jimenez, bishop of Minorca, for his participation in the celebration of Mass at the Cemetery.
It is important that high personalities, both ecclesiastical and civic, they accompany us during the celebration of our festivities, because with their presence they help us to enlarge them.
Of the dreams that have come true and that are worth recording here, we can highlight the following:
In the Ermita de Sant Jordi, a wooden chest adapted to the polygonal shape of the apse has been built to store the liturgical ornaments and the clothing necessary for the liturgy in better conditions and which at the same time can be used as a seat by the celebrant during the services that are performed in the hermitage. Likewise, when these lines arrive in your hands, the tasks of decorating the ceilings of the hermitage will have been completed, consisting of the marking of the ceilings and the highlighting of the central panels of the vaults with two-tone paint, finishing the set with strips and centers of the ceilings with decorations in fine gold based on bands and intertwined leaves in the neo-gothic style of our hermitage. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
L’any 2010 the XXXI Musical Days of the Octavarian of Sant Jordi was celebrated, supported by all our people with their assistance and unconditional support, of all the bathers, the oldest that are celebrated in the Valencian Community without interruption, with an exceptional program made up of three concerts sponsored by Banyeres Town Council, the Province of Alicante, the Valencian Institute of Music and the Maties Salanova Association.
He program offered to you, the day 2 May, Sant Jordi Mass in Banyeres de Mariola and extension of the program; is 9 May, Chamber Orchestra, City of Elche and the 16 May, Organ concert by Joxe Benantzi and Maria Fuster. The announcement poster and the hand program were designed by Rafael Payá Abad .
Once again we want to thank the great response from the whole town in attending the scheduled concerts, as well as to the families who displayed their captaincy for their collaboration in carrying out the hand program. And of course, thanks to the Culture Department of Banyeres City Council, and especially to its manager M.ª Teresa Vañó and her culture technician, Guillermina Barcelo, for these three years of magnificent collaboration and sponsorship for the culture of our town. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
After more than two years of management, processing of papers, renewal of the same due to changes in ownership in our Archdiocese of Valencia, the past day 24 May, the definitive registration in the Ministry of Justice's Register of Religious Associations took place, of the Brotherhood of Sant Jordi. The legalization process started last year has finally been completed 2000 with the approval in the General Assembly of our bylaws, being subsequently ratified by His Excellency. i Rvdm. Sr. Archbishop of Valencia Agustí García Gascó-Vicente.
From these lines we want to publicly thank Mr. A hard tackle from Remigio Beneyto to Berenguer, legal advisor of the Parish of Santa Maria of Baths of Mariòla, i collaborator of this board of directors, their collaboration, eagerness and personal involvement, without which it would not have been possible to conclude these important procedures for the Confraternity of Sant Jordi. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
One of the major projects that we considered at the beginning of our period as Board of Directors of the Brotherhood was the Restoration and Plating of the Solid Wood Reliquary, a piece of great artistic value and magnificent invoice in terms of proportions, made to the scale of the original and decorative carvings, with some dimensions of 80 x 80 x 210 cm, made by Mr. Fernando Martinez Miguel, feels member of the Board of Directive presided over by Mr.. Germán Ribera Doménech, during the period between the years 1982 i 1985, and gilded with gold leaf on a mission basis among all the members of the Board of Directors.
The piece was initially thought to be housed and transported on the float of Sant Jordi and that would publicly display the Relic of the Saint during the Festivities Procession on the first Sunday of September and that currently, and for a few years now, recovered from oblivion, it is located on the high altar for the exhibition of our venerated Relic on the days of its celebration.
The works were carried out during the months of June and July 2010, arriving in mid-August in Banyeres to be premiered again at the Relic festival of the same year.
Of the work and restoration work that has been carried out on this magnificent piece, it is worth highlighting: photographic documentation of the restoration process consisting of the scraping and removal of the fake gold and the misty base that covered it, primer treatment of nine layers of organic glue mixed with alabaster, scaled for its refinement, four layers of bowl and silver plated with fine silver bread in water, burnishing and final protective layer. It has not been given a layer of fake patina to darken it, since it was chosen at the time for the silver to naturally undergo the oxidation process typical of the material and to take its aging naturally in the different levels of the decorative reliefs for a better result.
The work was entrusted to the same company that did it at the beginning of the year 2010 the restoration of the image of Sant Jordi and the anticorcó treatment, cleaning and consolidation of the steps of said image, Art and Restoration Xavier Ferragut, S.L., of Algemesí.
During the past month of July 2010, a plinth was built at the bottom of Sant Jordi's cambril located in the Communion Chapel, in the gap between the floor and the back wall, to definitively locate the reliquary and thus guarantee its good accommodation and a dignified exhibition in accordance with its artistic and heritage value.
The plinth has been polychrome, following the decoration of the cambril with marbling to match the colour, to guarantee full integration. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
There have been many neighbors who have suggested to us the need to remove the lighting screens from the Sant Jordi altar, provisionally placed at the time, for not being suitable for the heritage complex and the decoration of the church; so after a few months of tests and study, during the last month of July, the new lighting of the Sant Jordi altar was installed, composed of ten spotlights that illuminate its entire surface, five on each side of the Sant Jordi cruise, integrated into the steps that make up the pillars that support the vault of the dome and that help blur the presence of the projectors, and illuminate its entire surface, without overpowering or detracting from the general lighting of the central nave of the church.
Another year Divine Providence met us, and an anonymous person offered to cover all the expenses incurred by the purchase of the materials used (focus, projectors, gutters, register boxes, wiring and thermal magnet); to which from these lines we express our most sincere gratitude. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
Following the project started last year 2009 in the Feast of the Relic to enhance the relationship of the Brotherhood and our town with other associations, entities and cities that share with us the universality in the faith of our Patron Saint George, the passing any is presiding the major misse of the Relíquia the Rnv. Manuel Soler Espí, currently a canon of the Cathedral of Valencia and who was rector of Banyeres de Mariola until the year 1974. Rector who facilitated the beginning of the modernization process of our Confraternity of Sant Jordi together with its president José Luis Belda Sempere and the first restoration of the altarpiece of Sant Jordi in the year 1973.
Again, it was chosen to reinforce the feeling of Universality, with the presence of a member of the Cathedral Chapter of Valencia, our mother Church, origin and principle of our Parish of Baths of Mariola, of our Confraternity of Sant Jordi, having been appointed canon of the Diocesan Cathedral of Valencia one of the holders of our Parish, very popular with our neighbors. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
Many have also been neighbors who had expressed their interest in lighting a candle or light on Sant Jordi, definitely, a light, as was the custom in the past, that would allow everyone to express and manifest their intentions to our Patron (rogatives, gratitude, devotion, the one who follows).
We will study the possibility of housing on one side and the other of the Sant Jordi altar some electronic lampposts, since according to regulations, candles with flame cannot be lit in ecclesiastical premises, for cleaning and safety reasons, and so they are definitively located in the past 12 November 2010, both lamps of seventy-two lights, that once acquired, they were decorated during the past summer and early autumn, following the same pattern and polychromy of the aforementioned altarpiece, including the colors of the marbling, golden of molllures that are integrated, they reinforce and harmonize the Sant Jordi cruise as a whole. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
But it's also true, that on some occasions, despite the forecasts, the studies and the great efforts made not all projects turn out satisfactorily according to what has been planned, since at the end of last August we had the intention of repairing the leak in the vault of the Sant Jordi cruise, in the Parish Church, using an electric lifting platform for speed and lower economic cost, that we were advised by specialists in these matters (foremen, technicians, etc.), but despite the surveys and soundings carried out the floor of the church did not resist and even though the platform was inside the parish church and the painters-decorators in the church waiting for its location, we had to remove it because the floor presented problems (vibrations, tilting of plates, clevills, etc.) that a week before the Feast of the Relic they advised against taking risks that might require repairs, impossible to do in no time. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
When you have in your hands this Program of Festivities of Sant Jordi del 2011 The exhibition "La Llum de les Imatges" organized by the Archdiocese of Valencia and the Generalitat Valenciana through its foundation of the same name will have already opened, which this year is exhibited in the neighboring town of Alcoi until the end of the year 2011, and regarding the Confraternity of Sant Jordi, apart from the selection of pieces belonging to the parish heritage, our Monument to Sant Jordi has been selected, but faced with the impossibility of moving it, something that would be il•logical, one of the scale models is on display, in massive bronze, by the sculptor and author Manolo Boix, property of the Brotherhood, together with other works by the artist and sculptor, a life-size reproduction of the head of our monument is provided. Along these lines, we invite the entire town of Banyeres de Mariola to visit the aforementioned exhibition where they can discover the rich religious heritage that our region possesses.
The website of the Confraternity of Sant Jordi will also have been presented, as well as the cataloging of its Archive; both projects that from the beginning have been executed together end up also united in the sense that through the web it will be possible to consult the archive as well as the different sections that refer both to the Confraternity from the religious field, liturgical, iconographic, musical, devotional and also administrative, together with an extensive photographic catalog that collects images from the beginning of the Brotherhood to the present day and the different religious events that Banyeres de Mariola celebrates to celebrate its Patron Saint George.
The design of the web, has been entrusted to the local designer, Josep Miquel Martinez Ferre, who last year did the illustrations for the story of Sant Jordi.
Our website, it will be an essential tool for our brothers, for the sick and disabled, as well as for the banieruts who reside outside our town, in order to be able to be in contact with the Confraternity of Sant Jordi and perhaps for the time being able to follow the retransmission of the religious events through this. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
As you all know, because that's how it was reported in various media, the past 24 of July a group of uncontrolled dared to attack the heritage of all the banyeruts, breaking with stones one of the three circular stained glass windows on the facade of the Hermitage. After the summer holidays, they proceeded with its repair and took advantage of the work carried out to proceed with placing armored protective glass in the three windows, with the aim of increasing security and preventing these incidents from happening again.
Acts of vandalism that had never been carried out against the heritage of an entire town, much less the one directly related to our Patrón Sant Jordi.
On behalf of the entire Brotherhood, I want to make an appeal so that together we defend the heritage that, after all, belongs to our entire people. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
I do not want to pass up the opportunity to thank the presidents of all the rows for their request on the eve of last year's Sant Jordi festivities to participate, formally and in accordance with his position, with an official character in the major mass and the procession of the April and September festivals, to which the Confraria, after studying the request, he agreed to place them in the processions together with their flags and pennants, just as it has been traditional for years, in transfers, retinues accompanying their captains, etc. In the solemn masses they were already being placed after the members of the Sant Jordi Festivities Committee and before the benches intended for the revelers of one side or the other.
I also want to thank all the threads, their involvement and collaboration in the fulfillment of the special protocol carried out on the occasion of the visit to our town by Cardinal Agustí García Gascó-Vicente and the second vice-president of the Provincial Council of Alicante, Mrs. M.ª del Carmen Giménez. As well as thanking all the revelers of the different troupes for the massive participation shooting the past 25 April in the cemetery saves. Thank you so much. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
On the other hand, we would like to sincerely thank the Vaño Pont family for gifting us with the original doors that the Ermita de Sant Jordi had when it was located in Molí Pont, and that for more than ten years they have been guarding to prevent them from disappearing, because when the Ermita de Sant Jordi was rebuilt, it was decided not to reuse them because they were completely blind and did not allow the inside of the Ermita to be seen and the most important, the image of our Patron Saint George. This Board of Directors has located them in one of our premises, hanging on the wall, as a decorative element. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
We wholeheartedly thank the Beneyto Sanchis family who, at the beginning of last fall, will present us with the Sant Jordi festival programs since the year 1957 to the 2010, both included, two books Tribute to Godofredo Garrigues on the centenary of his birth, a commemorative medal of the 2nd Centenary of the Relic of Sant Jordi and a facsimile booklet published by the Banyeres Town Council in commemoration of the Canonical Proclamation of Sant Jordi as the Patron of our town. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
We thank our neighbor Zita Lozano for the gift to the Confraternity of a crochet lace, of 300 x 35 cm, hand made by herself, to make tablecloths for the Sant Jordi altar. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
We thank the City Council and all the residents of our town for the contributions and donations made selflessly to cover the cost of restoring the sidewalk and the image of Sant Jordi. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
We thank Miguel Sempere Martínez for his contribution to our documentary archive with his donation of two sheets of facsimile reproduction of the image of Sant Jordi made by Mestre Martínez; two facsimile reproductions of the compositions that Mr. Emilio Berrenguer Mora Dedication to Mr.. Victoria Martinez, captain major of the Comparsa de Cristians the 1883; a vinyl LP record of the organ concert performed in Banyeres by Vicente Ros and Vicente Campos on 1985 and a lead proof of the commemorative medal of the II Centenary of the Arrival of the Relic of Sant Jordi minted in Valencian and to provide us with a significant number of photographs, which we have scanned, to incorporate them on the website and in the Confraternity's digital archive. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
We give our most sincere thanks to Julia Ribera, for having presented the Confraternity of Sant Jordi with two machines and their corresponding air conditioning splits to complete the heating equipment of our headquarters, and a pen for signing our Golden Book. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
Finally, we thank Mercedes Silvestre Vicedo for the donation of hand-embroidered tablecloths made by herself, with the representative elements of our town and our party: the coat of arms of Banyeres de Mariola, and the shields of the ten rows, five on each side, the Moorish side and the Christian side in their traditional order. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
We reiterate our gratitude to all the people who, from their humility and devotion to our Patron Saint George, from his effort and sacrifice, with their contributions, donations and donations, brothers or not, from the quiet work of ironing and starching tablecloths and towels for the Sant Jordi altars, cleaning and polishing the candlesticks on the altar, altruistically guarding the hermitage of our Patron, and to all those who have given us material donations to increase the documentary and patrimonial fund, as well as the archive of the Confraternity, as well as people, big and small, who have helped us in the various cardboard gatherings, dedicating their time or leaving their vans and trucks to us. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
There are many people who without being partiers, in other words that is, members of troupes, cor party fan, people who have a motive and a reason to do and experience the Party, without needing a flag, a badge or a uniform that identifies or unifies them in a particular or private group such as a squad or gang; and without having the courage to show off positions or rise above others, on the eve of the festivities that Banyeres de Mariola celebrates, fortunately twice a year due to his devotion to Sant Jordi, they change their attitude, s’il•lusionen, they feel happy, they collaborate selflessly, they offer their work without expecting anything in return, nor ask for anything, just because we are celebrating in honor of our Patron. Definitely, people who have a reason to party and party, putting aside their problems, concerns, possible fights or competitions, etc., because the important thing is to Celebrate and Celebrate with love and because they feel a great devotion to Sant Jordi, with others who experience the Festival from different points of view, but always with an attitude of great respect. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
Don't let this opportunity pass, to wish the new Board of Directors of the Confraternity of Sant Jordi for the period 2011 al 2014, chosen last February, our best wishes and offer especially to your president, our unconditional support, our time and our collaboration for everything you may need in this journey that you are now about to start, and advise him, without me being the most suitable person for it, that in moments of doubt, tiredness or discouragement remember the reason why you assumed this responsibility: Saint George, faithful knight and loyal to his principles and tireless fighter in favor of his fellow men, of his faith and also of his people. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
At the same time, from these lines, invite everyone to participate in the religious events of the Sant Jordi Festival, than this year for calendar reasons, they have suffered the delay in the celebration to coincide with Holy Week with the dates on which we usually celebrate our holidays, to participate with their assistance in the celebration of the eight days of Octavari at our Patrón Sant Jordi dedicated to different intentions of our town and, likewise, to attend the magnificent program of the XXXII Octavari Musical Days that traditionally take place once the patronal festivities are over.
All I have to do is reiterate my thanks to the majorals of Sant Jordi and to the councilor of the Rnv Confraternity. Ricardo Diaz de Rabago and Verdeguer, for their unconditional support from the very beginning; and especially to all the members of our Board of Directors, because it's not just mine, but everyone's, of the thirty-six people, that for three magnificent years we have walked together with the aim of enlarging, more if possible, the devotion that Banyeres de Mariola and ourselves feel towards our Patron Sant Jordi Mártir.
I, for fi, I can't stop thanking our families, women, men and children of the members of the Board of Directors, because for three years they have quietly supported and sacrificed themselves for their mother or their father, the marit or the donut, I could be part of this magnificent team that has been at the service of our town, for and for Sant Jordi. To everybody, thank you so much. “For Sant Jordi: what is needed ”.
Vitol the Patron Saint George.
