The little known history behind cathedral’s Marian work of art

The lady altar of Holy Rosary Cathedral in downtown Vancouver showcases an exquisite Spanish polychrome and gilded wood sculpture of the Madonna and Child that is a genuine work of art. 

The statue is the work of Granda, a Madrid-based company that creates and manufactures sacred art pieces realized by Spanish artists and craftsmen in their massive studio located on the outskirts of Madrid.

Granda came into being nearly 130 years ago when a priest and gifted artist, Father Felix Granda y Buylla, gathered some of the best local artists and artisans of his time with the goal of creating the most excellent ecclesiastical art possible. 

That was in 1891. Granda continues its work today, beautifying Catholic churches around the world. They are famous for their original statues, carvings, and reliefs, made generally from wood, resin or marble. 

Granda artists sculpt and create in all manner of sizes to suit individual needs and wants. Most statues intended for public spaces start at about three feet in height. 

Granda’s wood statues come in a variety of natural or painted finishes, including polychromy, displaying a variety of colours. 

One style of this decoration is called estofado, an artistic technique that is a signature mark of many Granda statues and which goes back to the Middle Ages. 

Estofado comes from the Italian “stoffa” (fabric), used in reference to the fine brocade textiles of gold the statues sought to reproduce in Spain in the 16th century. 

Similarly, this same process is known as sgraffito, derived from the Italian word “to scratch.”

This style of decoration is made when a surface is born away or “scratched” to reveal a lower layer of contrasting colour. 

The Vancouver statue has this finish, meaning it is a wooden statue that was gilded before being painted and then worn away in some places to reveal the layer of gold beneath, achieving a remarkable imitation of gold brocade.

The finished product is a highly realistic three-dimensional statue at the downtown cathedral with beautiful faces that shines with a certain realism, with a visible glow in Our Lady’s face. 

The exquisite quality brings to mind great works of art of the Spanish Royal Court. 

The statue was specially chosen for Vancouver with expertly applied details that make for an overwhelming impression of liveliness, illustrating a work of museum quality. 

The director of Granda USA, Lucas Viar, is an internationally recognized consulter for church construction and renovations. 

Lucas has looked into the history of the Vancouver statue and said Granda’s inventory record describes the original statue on which it is based as a “French” madonna, likely sculpted sometime in the late 1950s. 

It is believed other versions were made after the original model, including the Vancouver statue, which was made in the early 1980s. 

The Granda workshop in Madrid used to make plaster casts of its carvings for future reference or for scaling up or down, and according to Lucas, the plaster cast in the Granda collection reveals a statue that is similar to Vancouver’s, but not identical, because sculptors always introduce variations in each piece. 

In addition, the archive cast bears a crest that depicts a small coat-of-arms of the Carmelite Order. 

There exists another very similar version of the statue finished in half-relief, made in 1962 for Tajamar, one of the first Opus Dei schools in Madrid, which is still in its chapel today. 

The Vancouver statue is clearly a depiction of Our Lady under the title of Sedes Sapientiae or “Seat of Wisdom.” 

Mary is seated in a moment of spiritual contemplation while effortlessly balancing the Christ Child on her lap. He is wisdom while she appears as his throne or seat. 

The left hand of the infant Christ is placed on her womb, with his right hand held over his own heart. 

Mary is seated on a golden bench, resting in motion in a way, almost stepping toward the viewer and enhancing a sensation of movement. 

Meanwhile, the child slides from her lap into our hands, where we receive him at the altar in the form of the Holy Eucharist.

Christ is girded in a golden cloth while Our Lady is fittingly dressed in a Renaissance gown with elaborately adorned vest and cape with golden floral patterns. 

The intricate pattern and highly realistic details of the garments, hair, face, and hands of the heavenly figures are stunningly lifelike in appearance and inspire devotion. 

Bishop David Monroe, former bishop of Kamloops, was appointed rector of Holy Rosary Cathedral by Archbishop James Carney in 1982 and soon found himself in the middle of plans for a much-needed cathedral renovation.

The new statue of Our Lady was purchased from Spain as part of the extensive 1983-1984 renovations that included a new look for the sanctuary and its side altars. 

Bishop Monroe reflects on the statue after nearly 40 years: “One can say that the purchase of the new statue was part of the whole renovation by all the people of the archdiocese and that we are all the children of Mary – and Mary as a mother loves all her children, especially in the care for the house of God, where she is present for all the people.” 

A beautiful oak reredos and matching wooden altar enshrine the statue, taken from parts of the old high altar that was formerly located at the back of the sanctuary, removed, and refashioned during the same renovation. 

The new statue was blessed by Pope John Paul II on Sept. 18, 1984, during his pastoral visit. 

The statue of Our Lady remains an integral part of the cathedral decoration and devotion, making it a local favourite and a significant work of art in Western Canada. 

J.P. Sonnen is a tour operator, travel writer and history docent with Orbis Catholic Travel LLC.