The Holy Grail. In Jaca.
The legend says that the cup used at the Last Supper was taken to Rome by St Peter and used there by him and later popes in the Eucharist. In 258, with the emperor Valerian's campaign of persecution, the pope told deacon Laurece to protect the cup. He had it taken to his native city of Huesca. It ended up in the monastery of San Juan de la Peña, where it stayed until 1399 when King Martin I took it to the Aljafería palace in Zaragoza, from whence King Alfonso the Magnanimous carried it off to Valencia. where it has been ever since, more or less.I say more or less because it's certainly been out on visits: in 1959 they took it to San Juan de la Peña, with Franco and his wife taking part in the ceremonies.
https://youtu.be/TxBcxUKfhD0?feature=shared (this is a newsreel video of the visit)
Anyway, this relic, whether genuine or not, is undoubtedly very old, and venerated by many, and at the moment it's in Jaca cathedral, guarded by armed police.
Yesterday, we had a big to-do with clergy, authorities and many, many people to welcome it. Several choirs were involved, and also some folk-dance groups, who danced their way up the aisle before it, as David danced before the ark (Biblical reference).
There were speeches, liturgies; I think it's the only Catholic ceremony I've seen which wasn't a mass. The cathedral was jam-packed. When the speeches and liturgies were over, the choirs sang- I was in the first group, appropriate songs, one for each group. Here are a few pictures.
 |
| With such a lot of people it was quite something to do a stick dance up the aisle! |
 |
| The Orfeón Jacetano |
 |
| So many people! |
Quite an experience!
