''Dorna'' is a sculpture created by the Spanish artist Xaime Quesada, located in

Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a Spanish city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the '' Comarca'' (County) and Province of Pontevedra, and of the Rías Baixas in Galicia. It is also the capital of its own municipality wh ...

(

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

). It is also known as ''Tribute to the pilgrimage way to Santiago de Compostela'' and is currently in Gorgullón Street on

the Portuguese Way The Portuguese Way ( pt, Caminho Português, es, Camino Portugués) is the name of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes starting in Portugal. It begins at Porto or Lisbon. From Porto, along the Douro River, pilgrims travel north crossing t ...

opposite the Vialia shopping centre.

History

In 2001, the redevelopment of Uruguay Avenue and the southern bank of the

Lérez River The Lérez is a river in South West Galicia, Spain. The river meets the Atlantic Ocean at Pontevedra, where it creates Pontevedra's ria. The sources of the long stream are in Serra do Candán, in the mountain of San Bieito, in the parish of Aci ...

, which the Spanish Ministry of Public Works had undertaken in the city, was completed. As a highlight of the project, a large roundabout was created on Uruguay Avenue at the entrance to the Burgo Bridge and it was decided to install a monument commemorating the passage of the Portuguese pilgrimage way to

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...

through this strategic point of the city. The sculpture was commissioned to the Ourense artist Xaime Quesada and was inaugurated on 20 August 2001. The section of Uruguay Avenue where the Burgo roundabout was located was redesigned a few years after the sculpture was installed, in October 2006. The roundabout was removed and some of the elements of the sculpture were lost, including the

pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from ...

and the lighting, as the sculpture was designed to rest on a body of water.

Description

The sculpture was designed to represent Galicia as a land of water, light and wind. It is a tribute to the Way of St. James, conceived in the form of the ancient Galician

dornas Dornas is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France. This town is located 6 miles from Le Cheylard, 25 miles from Aubenas, and 29 miles from Privas. Population See also *Communes of the Ardèche department The following is a ...

, the sail unfurled in the wind. It is a

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...

dorna, a typical fishing boat from the Rías Bajas, with its bow pointing towards

, the destination of the pilgrimage route, with the sail powered by the wind to create dynamism. The dorna emphasises the maritime character of

and its relationship with the sea, and symbolises the pilgrim who makes the journey to

. The roundabout for which the work was designed had a pond surrounding the sculpture of water and was illuminated by a tinted water effect. The author used cast iron as a material, associating it with the idea that its self rusting makes it eternal like the pilgrimage way.

Gallery

File:Dorna (escultura en Pontevedra capital) y hojas de palmera.jpg File:Dorna (escultura en Pontevedra capital) y rúa Estación.jpg File:Dorna (escultura en Pontevedra capital) y vegetación.jpg File:Dorna (escultura en Pontevedra capital) y Vialia.jpg File:Dorna escultura en Pontevedra capital y estación de ferrocarril.jpg

References

External links

on the website Guía Repsol Pontevedra {{DEFAULTSORT:Dorna statue Pontevedra Spanish sculpture Colossal statues Cast-iron sculptures Outdoor sculptures in Spain Sculptures in Spain 21st-century sculptures Tourist attractions in Galicia (Spain) Sculptures in Pontevedra Monuments and memorials in Pontevedra Monuments and memorials in Galicia (Spain)