128
Palma (the Convent of San Francisco and the Salazar Palace) and assuming
the lion’s share of the costs of the exhibition ‘Astronomical Instruments in
Medieval Spain. Its Influence on Europe’.
This important exhibition, which was organized by Professor Juan Vernet,
brought together a complete collection of Hispano–Arabic astronomical
instruments from museums and institutions from all over the world. A lavish
bilingual catalogue was produced that is now the envy of collectors. The exhibition showed the decisive influence of medieval Spanish knowledge on western culture and how it affected the renaissance discoveries that revolutionized
our view of the Universe and opened the door to modern science.
The mansion of the Salazars, which housed the exhibition, was built by
Ventura de Frías Salazar, a knight of the Order of Calatrava and alderman of
the Palmeran Council from 1631 to 1642. It was constructed in a baroque
style consisting of ashlars and ornate carved figures in its façade, the rest of the
building conforming to traditional Canarian architecture. Of particular note
is the imposing Mudejar-style roof. The palace is now a beautiful cultural
centre in which exhibitions, conferences, meetings, and other events are celebrated all year round.
Of all the ministers and politicians that participated in the 1985 inaugurations, the one who showed most interest in the science under way and being
planned at the IAC observatories was the Minister of the Treasury Department,
Miguel Boyer. He was curious about the telescopes and other instruments and
asked endless questions. He was clearly most content. He was the only minister to seek me out to congratulate me. I remember well how, after the final
ceremony, in the Convent of San Francisco, he came to bid me farewell and
to tell me that, of all the research centres he had visited in Spain and abroad,
the IAC and its Observatories were the most impressive and augured well for
the future of the country. He added that it would be a great service to the
country to fight to guarantee its growth. He insisted that, should any economic problem arise, I contact him directly. Hearing the Minister for the
Treasury Department say such a thing was like a direct communication from
God Himself, a dream come true for any recipient of public funds. Three days
later he was removed from office! It was too good to last. Boyer was an aficionado of physics, and especially cosmology. When I visited him years later at
his office as President of Banco Exterior de España, I saw his bookshelves
lined with books, a few of them on economics, but the majority on physics
and astrophysics.
I was interviewed many times by newspapers, radio, and television, but one
question by a journalist stands out in my mind. The journalist, impressed by
what he was seeing and seeking to flatter me, asked, ‘Are you pleased with this
F. Sánchez
Palma (the Convent of San Francisco and the Salazar Palace) and assuming
the lion’s share of the costs of the exhibition ‘Astronomical Instruments in
Medieval Spain. Its Influence on Europe’.
This important exhibition, which was organized by Professor Juan Vernet,
brought together a complete collection of Hispano–Arabic astronomical
instruments from museums and institutions from all over the world. A lavish
bilingual catalogue was produced that is now the envy of collectors. The exhibition showed the decisive influence of medieval Spanish knowledge on western culture and how it affected the renaissance discoveries that revolutionized
our view of the Universe and opened the door to modern science.
The mansion of the Salazars, which housed the exhibition, was built by
Ventura de Frías Salazar, a knight of the Order of Calatrava and alderman of
the Palmeran Council from 1631 to 1642. It was constructed in a baroque
style consisting of ashlars and ornate carved figures in its façade, the rest of the
building conforming to traditional Canarian architecture. Of particular note
is the imposing Mudejar-style roof. The palace is now a beautiful cultural
centre in which exhibitions, conferences, meetings, and other events are celebrated all year round.
Of all the ministers and politicians that participated in the 1985 inaugurations, the one who showed most interest in the science under way and being
planned at the IAC observatories was the Minister of the Treasury Department,
Miguel Boyer. He was curious about the telescopes and other instruments and
asked endless questions. He was clearly most content. He was the only minister to seek me out to congratulate me. I remember well how, after the final
ceremony, in the Convent of San Francisco, he came to bid me farewell and
to tell me that, of all the research centres he had visited in Spain and abroad,
the IAC and its Observatories were the most impressive and augured well for
the future of the country. He added that it would be a great service to the
country to fight to guarantee its growth. He insisted that, should any economic problem arise, I contact him directly. Hearing the Minister for the
Treasury Department say such a thing was like a direct communication from
God Himself, a dream come true for any recipient of public funds. Three days
later he was removed from office! It was too good to last. Boyer was an aficionado of physics, and especially cosmology. When I visited him years later at
his office as President of Banco Exterior de España, I saw his bookshelves
lined with books, a few of them on economics, but the majority on physics
and astrophysics.
I was interviewed many times by newspapers, radio, and television, but one
question by a journalist stands out in my mind. The journalist, impressed by
what he was seeing and seeking to flatter me, asked, ‘Are you pleased with this
F. Sánchez