BY JULIA CARREON-LAGOC
THE Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia last June 22, and the Rosenborg in Copenhagen, Denmark in June 24, are the two museums that capped our tour of the Balkan countries. Thought-provoking trek into the past for the nine of us in the family — all stunned by the rich collections of royalty relics best described by a single word: opulence, the execrable, ostentatious, lavish display of wealth. Excerpts from Wikipedia:
“The State Hermitage is one of the largest and oldest museums in the world, founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been open to the public since 1852. Its collections comprise over three million items, including the largest collection of paintings in the world. Of six buildings of the main museum complex, five, named the Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage and Hermitage Theatre, are open to the public.
“The Hermitage buildings (was) a symbol and memorial to the imperial Russian state. Symbolic of military prowess, wisdom, and patronage of the arts and using the title Catherine the Minerva, Catherine the Great (represented) a tradition of enlightened patronage in Russia.”
A slice of the Rosenborg Castle from Wikipedia:
“Rosenborg Castle, a renaissance castle in Copenhagen, Denmark, was Christian IV’s many architectural projects, built in the Dutch Renaissance style. Expanded several times, it finally evolved into its present condition by the year 1624.
“Now a state property, the Castle was opened to the public in 1838. Of special interest to tourists is an exhibit of the Crown Jewels, the Danish Crown Regalia, the Coronation Carpet, and the Throne Chair of Denmark.”
The opulence of royalty that overlooked the scourge of hunger and poverty in their kingdom. The reckless, boundless extravagance, the awesome gap between the infinitesimal rich and the massive poor — in short, social injustice — that led to the storming of the Bastille. The insatiable greed of those in power reflected in Imelda Marcos of the 3,000 shoes displayed in Malacanang Palace. An artifact of our kind of museum. Three thousand pairs of shoes while 3,000 school children in the hinterlands went barefoot and continue to go barefoot.
Why do we go to museums? Foremost, for relaxation. For a trip down historic alleys. To know more about history, whether it’s ours or that of another country — because “he who forgets history is doomed to repeat it.” An aphorism many a world leader and philosopher have extrapolated in their speeches. We don’t forget EDSA. We remember how the people braved the military might of tanks. Not another unconscionable hold of power in our country that would trigger an EDSA as a counter-force. No way! Makibaka! Huwag matakot!
Relative to the “hallowed gods” of ages past is this song, Twilight of the Gods, from the German power metal band, Helloween: We’ve thrown away our former gods / Controlling our day / We have created better ones / So we control the way.
Loudest of the critics of false gods, of aristocrats and their ilk is my favorite American writer Mark Twain (1835-1910). Comic yet acerbic, he killed the royal blood softly with his satires. Read Twain’s charming novel, “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court”. Consider this TKO: “Any kind of royalty, howsoever modified, any kind of aristocracy, howsoever pruned, is rightly an insult.”
To the blind loyalists, Mark Twain had a mouthful: “My kind of loyalty was loyalty to one’s country, not to its institutions or its office holder. The country is the real thing, the substantial thing, the eternal thing; it is the thing to watch over, and care for, and be loyal to; institutions are extraneous, they are its mere clothing, and clothing can wear out, become rugged, cease to be comfortable, cease to protect the body from winter, disease and death. To be loyal to rags, to shout for rags, to worship rags, to die for rags – that is the loyalty of unreason; it is pure animal.”
The gods had reached their twilight and completely exited. The voice of the people has blossomed and come to full bloom. So be it forever and ever. Amen. (juliaclagoc@yahoo.com)/PN
