The eccentric American newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst built a vast mansion in California in the middle of the last century and adorned it with priceless architectural and artistic jewels from across the world Mudéjar refers to a style of ornamentation developed from the 12th century by the Moors – or Mudéjar – who remained in the south of Spain despite the Christian reconquest the foundation was set up in 2017 in a bid to foster economic social and cultural activity in the region it acquired the convent of San Bernardino de Siena which had been used for five centuries by the Poor Clares order of nuns who had inherited it from María Fernández de Velasco a member of one of the most powerful families of Kingdom of Castile One of the foundation’s first projects was the restoration of the convent As it is the only monastery from that period built in Castile and León the foundation had been trying for years to save it from falling into irreversible disrepair suggested removing the vaults that remained in the high choir area given the deterioration of the brickwork there and the extra cost of its refurbishment Their removal revealed the remains of the old coffered ceiling which was left behind because taking it would have entailed dismantling the roof and weakening the walls The remains amount to around two meters of the old coffered wooden ceiling which is relatively well preserved with the polychrome squares and tiny pieces of tile clearly visible decided to sell the coffered ceiling in 1930 to an antique dealer in Palencia province the nuns managed to survive in the village until March 1967 they left Cuenca de Campos taking with them the altarpiece several treasured paintings and the marble tomb of the aristocrat who had given the order the monastery back in the 15th century But where had the greater part of the coffered ceiling gone Members of the foundation launched their own investigation into the matter Their first clue came from pediatrician Alfredo Blanco del Val who put them in contact with history teacher María José Martínez Ruiz including one co-authored with architect José Miguel Merino de Cáceres called The Destruction of the Spanish Artistic Heritage Hearst: “The Great Hoarder,” published by Cátedra in 2012 his research in US libraries and archives linked to Hearst led to an inventory of 83 coffered ceilings bought by the tycoon who paid $12,000 (€10,800) for 372 meters of “ceiling and frieze from Campos.” Bingo This was the key that the foundation had been seeking to unlock the mystery director of the Tierra de Campos Restoration Foundation is convinced that the ceiling is one and the same “I looked for images of that room on the internet and found elements identical to those that are conserved in the Cuenca de Campos church A definitive element that totally identifies it as such is the Fernández de Velasco family’s coat of arms we have ruled out recovering the coffered ceiling taking advantage of the workshops we organize at the Tierra de Campos Restoration Foundation,” she says adding that new members and additional economic support is welcome Part of the coffered ceiling from the San Bernardino convent in Cuenca de Campos is allegedly adorning W Hearst’s extravagant Californian mansion but it doesn’t account for the entire missing portion It is thought it could be languishing in a warehouse that the newspaper magnate owned in the Bronx in New York together with countless other works of art and antiques it was quite possibly stored there alongside a large chunk of the Cistercian monastery of Sacramenia members of the foundation are planning to travel to the United States in the near future Architect Izaskun Villena has already contacted Mary Levkoff included on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and now open to visitors as part of the Californian state’s assets The hope is to confirm that the Mudejar jewel of Cuenca de Campos lies within and Levkoff and her colleagues are keen to cooperate and get to the bottom of the matter English version by Heather Galloway ¿Quieres añadir otro usuario a tu suscripción ¿Por qué estás viendo esto? cambia tu suscripción a la modalidad Premium Cada uno accederá con su propia cuenta de email lo que os permitirá personalizar vuestra experiencia en EL PAÍS ¿Tienes una suscripción de empresa? Accede aquí para contratar más cuentas En el caso de no saber quién está usando tu cuenta, te recomendamos cambiar tu contraseña aquí. Si decides continuar compartiendo tu cuenta, este mensaje se mostrará en tu dispositivo y en el de la otra persona que está usando tu cuenta de forma indefinida, afectando a tu experiencia de lectura. Puedes consultar aquí los términos y condiciones de la suscripción digital. Take a look at our selection of bars and restaurants open 24 hours a day and enjoy the best of São Paulo until dawn the Riviera Bar is a classic of São Paulo nightlife milkshakes and delicious snacks that are served all night long The bar’s decor is inspired by Brazilian modernism which gives the atmosphere a retro and refined touch The Classique unit, in Jardins, is the only 24-hour restaurant in São Paulo and serves delicious food at any time of the day. Be sure to check it out! Among the 24-hour places in SP, we also have New Dog Hamburger, in Itaim Bibi. The atmosphere is relaxed and the menu offers various types of sandwiches, side dishes, draft beer and desserts, such as the beloved petit gâteau. Perfect for when you get hungry in the middle of the night. 📍 Rua Joaquim Floriano, 254 – Itaim Bibi Estadão Bar e Lanches is located in the center of São Paulo and is popular with those who want to get together with friends and share a good beer. The place is famous for its ham sandwich, and is an unmissable option for the owls on duty. 📍 Viaduto Nove de Julho, 193 – Centro Hungry for a bagel at dawn? Don’t worry. Among the 24-hour places is Padaria Bella Paulista, the capital’s benchmark bakery. Throughout the day, the place serves a varied menu of freshly baked bread, as well as snack options such as pizzas and hamburgers, plus gellato for dessert. 📍 Rua Haddock Lobo, 354 – Cerqueira César For those who want to go wild in Consolação, the tip is to stop off at BH Lanches. The snack bar, which has been open since 1956, is open 24 hours a day and serves typical SP ham sandwiches, as well as the famous chicken coxinha. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rui Sun (@rui.sun.1969) Another 24-hour bakery in São Paulo is Viana, which serves savory snacks, warm bread and tasty pizzas throughout the night. So whenever hunger strikes late at night, you know where to go. 📍 Avenida Bernardino de Campos, 334 – Paraíso View this post on Instagram A post shared by Padaria Viana (@vianapadaria24hr) For those looking for a sophisticated restaurant that is open 24 hours a day in São Paulo, our tip is Vila Conte. After all, it serves refined Italian-Mediterranean cuisine, such as risotto, fish and crab cakes. 📍 Mercure São Paulo Ibirapuera Privilege: Avenida Macuco, 579 – Moema View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vila Conte Restaurante 24 horas (@vilaconte24h) This snack bar in the West Zone is also open 24 hours a day, making it another option to visit in the early hours of the morning. There you’ll find portions, snacks, executive dishes and lots of cold beer, of course! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lanchonete Souza (@lanchonetesouza24h) Another restaurant to go to at dawn is Rotisserie Bologna. Among the options are the famous coxa creme, pies and sandwiches, as well as dishes such as bacalhoada, strogonoff and grilled salmon with pasta. And to make your visit even sweeter, it’s worth ordering a banana split for dessert. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bologna Padaria e Rotisserie (@bolognasp) as drought and unemployment in north and northeast Brazil drove the poor into the city in search of opportunity Anyone walking through La Pedreira’s streets these days will see waste piling up in the street and people living in unsanitary shacks there is no water or electricity and the streets are unpaved Healthcare and educational services are scarce The most fortunate inhabitants are renting unfinished houses with just one or two rooms cooperators and friends of Opus Dei started a professional school for neighborhood men and boys It was the sort of initiative often encouraged by St “We have to uphold the right of all men to live,” he wrote “to own what is necessary to lead a dignified existence to bring children into the world within marriage and to be allowed to educate them to pass peacefully through times of sickness and old age to join with other citizens to achieve legitimate ends the right to know and love God in perfect liberty will discover the imprint of the Creator in all things.” (Friends of God Opus Dei’s prelate Bishop Javier Echevarría visited La Pedreira and encouraged the school’s sponsors to start a similar school for the barrio’s women and girls They took his suggestion to heart and set to work a professional training school with a focus on healthcare With the help of La Asociação Feminina de Estudos Sociais e Universitarios –AFESU – they purchased a 3-story building for the school’s premises Brazil is a developing country with a shortage of healthcare professionals professional training in this area is particularly useful both for the students and for the country and it is relatively easy for a school to set up internship relationships with hospitals and health centers The current program for Veleiros students involves attending healthcare classes while participating in an internship a first-year student in the Family Healthcare program went to Veleiros to get trained to care for elderly patients “I wasn’t sure about this program,” she says “because the school was something new in the neighborhood But at Veleiros I have learned basic patient care I have learned the respect that a patient deserves as a person.” many students participated in a program called “Quality Healthcare” and were then able to get work As a result of this positive response from employers the course has been repeated for the past three years the first “Family Care” program was offered teaching students about caring for children and the elderly so that home health care could be provided for the sick of the community Most of the students have already been hired and are putting their knowledge into practice Veleiros plans on starting a “Nursing Techniques” program Veleiros also offers spiritual and cultural formation A number of improvements have been made to Veleiros’ premises in the last few months A donation from the Japanese government made it possible to purchase hospital beds and other necessary technical equipment a nursing lab and a data processing lab have been added For more information or to make a donation please contact La Asociación Femenina de Estudios Sociales y Universitarios: Printed | document generated automatically from https://opusdei.org/en/article/a-sao-paulo-professional-school-helps-women-find-work-and-serve-their-community/ (04/24/2025)