THEY GOT UP, after paying the waiter their bill. They crossed the square until they reached the entrance portico. Once inside, the architect gestured for them to follow him to where some women were praying on their knees before an image of the Virgin. They approached silently, as it seemed an act of violence to disturb the peace and silence that permeated the place. Monroe knelt on the ground next to the group, also praying quietly.
— And what are we supposed to do? — Gregory whispered in the ear of his romantic and professional companion.
Geovanna elbowed him to keep quiet. Shortly after, Umbert Monroe stood up and brushed his pants off at the knees. He approached them and pointed to the image of the Virgin Mary.
— The cathedral was built in her name," he said. — The Templars' devotion to the Virgin and to architecture was the reason why buildings in her honor began to appear throughout the continent... Come and see this..." He pointed to the enormous black Gothic letters that formed a Latin phrase on the semicircular vault above the statue. — Can you read what's written there?
"Non nobis, Domine, non Nobis, Sed Nomini tuo Da Gloriam..."
Gregory Evans tried to decipher the words, but Geovanna beat him to it.
— "Non nobis, Domine, non Nobis, Sed Nomini tuo Da Gloriam..." Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to your Name be all glory — he read first in Latin and then translated. — It's the motto of the Order of the Temple.
— Wow! I see you also know the life and customs of the ancient Templars! — Surprised, Umbert had to admit that he wasn't the only one with some knowledge of medieval history.
— I've read something, but not as much as you! — She didn't want to take the lead from her uncle.
— And what significance does the image of the Virgin have for us? — asked Gregory Evans, still unsure of the old architect's point.
— It's merely a reference, so you can understand that the temple was closely related to operative Freemasonry... Which means the same thing as referring to the cathedral builders.
— What difference is there between this branch of the lodge and those who are simply Freemasons? — she insisted again.
— So you understand, Freemasonry has always been operative. This means it wasn't limited to simply transmitting knowledge, but was actively involved...
He cleared his throat a little and continued.
— When the cathedral builders completed their work throughout Europe, speculative Freemasonry was born. — From that moment on, the ancestral wisdom lost its consistency as the tradition was passed down from one to another. Now only remnants of the authentic art of construction remain.
— I have the impression that working as a mason in the medieval era must have been a promising profession, with a future!
The architect found the comment of his niece's companion amusing.
— It's true that many tried to enter the shops, even as apprentices — he said in a lower voice. — Undoubtedly, the mason must have had some technical knowledge of geometry, mathematics, architecture, and sculpture, but not everyone appreciated the art of construction. Only a select few had the privilege of being accepted as guardians of the secret, after passing the entrance exam, a sort of test of conscience.
— It's the first time I've heard anything like it — Geovanna commented, before walking to an iron gate that closed off the chapel to the right.
— What's this about a test of conscience? — Greg wanted him to explain his last words to him, as they began to walk down the wide nave behind the young woman.
— Certain tests were imposed on the aspiring member... Most of the time, they were questions with double meanings, the answers to which had to be correct. They also used certain metaphorical riddles to attract new apprentices — he replied thoughtfully. — To illustrate the first case, the Freemasons tried to spread the story of the three stonemasons... do you want to hear it?
— Go ahead — he replied succinctly.
There were three stonemasons working on their heavy benches, inside a Masonic guild. At one point, the foreman passed by, wanting to see which of the three understood the true meaning of their work. To do so, he asked the first:
— What do you do?
To which he replied:
— I make a living!
He insisted with the second, who, in turn, said:
— I work stone!
The latter looked very seriously at the foreman before whispering with less pride:
— Master, I'm building a cathedral.
— That's the philosophy of the true Mason: to establish a bond with the work performed and modestly accept the work's ultimate meaning.
— Hey, come see this! — Geovanna called to the men's attention, amidst the many disapproving looks from those silently visiting. The temple and the occasional "ssst."
When they arrived, she was carefully observing a tombstone on the floor of the chapel's quadrangular enclosure, in front of the altar, where there was a relief with images of the Birth and Adoration of the Shepherds, and figures of the Sibyls.
— It's one of the coldest phrases I've ever read in my life. — She nodded toward the place where it was written.
It read:
— Here life stops...
— Simple, but striking — Gregory Evans acknowledged, admiring the dome and chandelier with circular holes that crowned the mausoleum's presbytery.
— And, without a doubt, right — the architect reminded them. — Don Gil Rodrigues de Junterón had a precise idea of what eternal rest would be, which is why he ordered the construction of his final resting place in the house of God. But let's go! Let's hurry... — he observed, after looking at his watch. — We have to visit the most beautiful chapel in this cathedral before the doors close, and there are only ten minutes left.
Umbert quickened his pace down the nave, gesturing for them to hurry. They passed near the main altar, where the heart and entrails of King Alfonso X were kept in a chest, until finally they reached the Velez chapel.
The entrance was open to the public because a group of Japanese tourists had paid in advance for a tour of the premises at the church's office. They were accompanied by a guide who translated into Japanese the explanations he, in turn, received from his Spanish colleague. While everyone was gazing at the starry vault, Monroe and his guests slipped inside the chapel.
Without attracting attention, they went from one side to the other, admiring the beauty of the carved stone ornaments inside the arches, the shelves, the coats of arms inside the crowns and canopies that, in a precise manner, presented themselves as an architectural mosaic of Gothic elements, a divine equation, comprehensible only to those capable of mastering sign language.