Closing the cycle of four commemorative exhibitions, which began in the Cathedral of Burgos de Osma and passed through those of Palencia (1999) and Astorga (2000), “The Ages of Man” arrives at Zamora, to join in the celebration of the 1,100th anniversary of the existence of this diocese.

RemembranZa has been chosen as the motto, or title for this exhibition because it represents an effort to pursue the commemoration of a wealth of history; in other words, it looks to turn past into present so that those very same past waters may turn the wheels of the future. The last syllable of the word is also a reference to the location of the exhibition, Zamora. We who are involved in the project and the “Ages of Man” Foundation have made this clear many times, and moreover, it is one of our fundamental objectives: that we may recover our memory, that we may stand in the flow of our nation’s tradition and, why not, that of our Church, for we are losing not only our historical connection, but also the sense of belonging to a nation; and, individualised with no memory, we are much more easily manipulated.

To publicise this exhibition, we have chosen a front view, from below, of the cupola of the Cathedral dome. It is its most exotic architectural element, but it is also its most beautiful; and in it, air, light and beauty fuse together, as if attempting to break the most human of laws that govern the ephemeral and defy gravity itself in order to open up the horizon and the barriers that impede our entering the great beyond.

However, as in previous editions, we have gone out into the diocese rather than the province, for they are not the same, with an aim to inviting those who come to see RemembranZa –with its symbols of Earth, Water, Air and Fire- to visit towns and villages full of history, of a wealthy and extremely important heritage, and of a countryside that fills one’s eyes with colour and one’s heart with joy.