Francisco “the mute of Triana”
He was born on February 15, 1933, into a gypsy family.
17 year old Francisco holds me in his arms while my baptism sponsor talks with Don José Arroyo, the priest of Santa Ana. (Detail that my uncle Manuel Sanz Tortosa “my godfather” always told me)
I will always remember the day that after a long trip I visited the Church of Santa Ana to show my fiancée the Church of my neighborhood, Francisco taught us and turned on the lights one after another of the whole Church, exclusively for us. I will never forget your smile because you remembered that boy on Rodrigo de Triana street number forty-three. Thank you Francisco with all my heart and if you keep reminding me where you are, pray to your Mother that she does not abandon me until our reunion.
Reviewing old photos that I took for a celebration, I found this snapshot of that man who was more than the sacristan of the parish of Santa Ana. When the bustle of Vázquez de Leca disappeared after the procession of the Virgin of Hope, the Mute was always there guarding the walls of what was his House.
Taken from the page of the magnificent photographer Quique Gómez http://quiquegomez.es/el-mudo-de-santa-ana/
The Mute of Santa Ana
THIS was once a city with palm trees, jacarandas, bougainvilleas, magnolias, swifts and canaries that sang their Mozartian magic flute in the cages hanging from the high balconies, where art denied logic at every step, with the greatest grace in the world and to the greater glory of God. In that city of which I speak, of which there is hardly even a shadow of his memory, there was once a Lame man named Enrique, who was a master of flamenco dance, and who by genius still have all generations of batas de cola . In that city there was a mad abacus in the face of such gloomy cathedral beauty, so that when he added six, he always got ten. That city also had a map of crazy towers according to whose planimetry the geodesic vertices determined that the bullfighters of Triana were born on Feria Street and in Triana, on the banks of the river, those of Alameda. Certainly unique place in the world, where, with the aforementioned abacus, Hercules was multiplied by two, so that they were The Hercules. In that magical city, in short, the mutilated torsos of the Roman statues were incredulous Men of Stone. From the same stone on which the cruel kings of Castile were beheaded, which the memory of all, magnanimously, made vigilantes.
And in the suburb and guardian of that dreamed city that I now recall and that no longer exists except in the memory of its people and in the mauve of its sunsets, there was an annual pilgrim prodigy of these marvels. Every Good Friday morning, when after crossing the bridge in his silver and green velvet ship, after having sailed undefeated and glorious, heroic and immortal all the seas on the other side of the river, a voice proclaimed brave and resounding, as An angel announcing spring, the Purity of the Virgin who gave her name to the Calle Larga of the neighborhood, and which turns out to be the Mother of the One Who, with her Great Power, that morning had re-created the beauty of her painting of the sunrise upon arrival at the Museum. Such a proclamation was not made in evangelical Latin, nor in doctors’ Greek, nor in Castilian verses by popular poets, but was translated into the language of the grace of the neighborhood with a single word: “Beautiful!” And lo and behold, at that very moment is when the annual marvel was being performed, because it was so profound and resounding proclamation, a mute was going to say, but no, it was El Mudo: the wisest, humble and suffering Mute of the city of so many vain words and so many cowardly silences. Not far from there, on the corner of the Cava, the anonymous Evangelist of that street said it with his letters of glazed clay from the Mesque ovens: «In Triana, when Christ rises from his Three Falls and makes the Altozano higher , the blind see God himself on the corner of Berrinche and the mute speak, proclaiming the Supreme Grace of their seafaring Mother ».
That Mudo, whose name was Francisco Rodríguez Moreno, was a sacristan of the royal parish of Santa Ana and always served the Church according to Triana. The oldest of the Corral del Cura assure that it was part of the parish, like a living black tile, and that it was an extension of the gypsy basin, where they poured the water of true grace, the grace of Triana, to those that later took their name from art or hard work throughout the universe. El Mudo, according to the chronicles written on the brown paper of Enrique’s pavías, was like the shell of the baptism of the Triana people since the time of Father Brick.
And when the first moon of spring was full, hours before his particular proclamation of Purity on Larga Street, El Mudo was also an itinerant pure gospel, because he took up his cross, the raised silver cross of a parish sleeve, he followed Christ in one step and opened the body of Nazarenes of a Virgin. Lifting a parish cross, silently, humbly, El Mudo proclaimed the Word of God better than many preachers. Miracles of that city with palm trees, jacarandas, bougainvilleas, magnolias and swifts, which hardly exists anymore than in the mauve of its evenings, whose prodigies reached the ears of the Pope of Rome, who imposed the Cross Pro Eclessia et Pontifice on the rebequita of point of that Mute who was a talkative exception, and borders on the river water among so many cowardly silences.
Antonio Burgos http://www.antonioburgos.com/abc/2008/09/re092208.html
Words for the Mute of Santa Ana
That city that I recall, of which hardly a shadow remains in his memory, was the one with the greatest contradictions. The faithful worshiped the eyes of a Purest woman whom they called La Cieguecita. And they dialogued in their prayers with an infant Christ whom they said The Mute Child. And a Lame man named Enrique was a flamenco dance teacher, by genius all batas de cola still have him. In that city a maddened abacus reigned before so much gloomy cathedral beauty, so that when counting six in this Octave of the Immaculate, ten would always come out. He also had a map of crazy towers according to whose planimetry determined that the bullfighters of Triana were born in Calle Feria and in Triana, on the river bank, those of Alameda. Certainly unique place in the world, where Hercules was multiplied by two: Hercules. In that magical city, in short, the mutilated torsos of the Roman statues were incredulous Men of Stone. From the same stone on which the cruel kings of Castile were beheaded in El Candilejo, which memory magnanimously made vigilantes.
And in the suburb and guard of that city a prodigious annual wonder occurred. Every Good Friday morning, when after crossing the bridge in his silver and green velvet ship, after having sailed undefeated and glorious, heroic and immortal all the seas on the other side of the river, a voice proclaimed brave and resounding, as an angel announcing spring, the Purity of Hope, the Virgin who gave her name to Calle Larga in the neighborhood. This proclamation was not made in evangelical Latin, but was translated into the language of the grace of the neighborhood with a single word: “Beautiful!” And at that very moment is when the annual marvel was being performed, because it was given such a deep and resounding proclamation, a mute was going to say. El Mudo de Santa Ana. The wisest, humble and suffering Mute of the city of so many vain words and cowardly silences. Not far from there, on the corner of the Cava, the anonymous Evangelist of that street said it with his letters of glazed clay: «In Triana, when Christ rises from his Three Falls and makes the Altozano higher, the blind come to God himself on the corner of Berrinche and the mutes speak, proclaiming the Supreme Grace of his seafaring Mother ». That Mudo, whose name was Francisco Rodríguez Moreno, was a sacristan of the Royal Parish of Santa Ana and always served the Church according to Triana. The oldest of the Corral del Cura assure that it was part of the parish, like a living Negro tile, and that it was an extension of the Pila de los Gitanos, where they poured the water of true grace, the grace of Triana, to those that later carried their name of art throughout the universe. El Mudo, according to the chronicles written on the brown paper of Enrique’s pavías, was like the shell of the baptism of the trianeros before the time of Don Aurelio, the altruistic apothecary from Altozano.
And when the first moon of spring was full, hours before his particular proclamation of Purity on Calle Larga, El Mudo was also an itinerant pure gospel, because he took up his cross, the raised silver cross of a parish sleeve, he followed Christ in one step and opened the body of Nazarenes of a Virgin. Lifting a parish cross, silently, humbly, El Mudo proclaimed the Word of God better than many preachers. There was once the wonder that El Mudo carried the raised cross of the Las Siete Palabras brotherhood. Miracles of that city divided in two by the river. El Mudo, raising a Cross and saying to follow him. That on Good Friday morning the miracle of the apocryphal gospel of Seville would be performed in which even the mute people speak to call “Guapa!” to his seafaring Hope. These prodigies, as well as his services to the Royal Parish, reached the ears of the Pope of Rome and the Cardinal of Seville imposed the Cross Pro Eclessia et Pontifice on the rebequita of that Mute who was a talkative exception, and line in the river water between so many cowardly silences. Dumb that now, what rather pronounced little words will he be saying to his Hope, in the perpetual light of Good Friday from heaven that Saint Peter has opened for him, after all, a colleague of his who has the keys to paradise as he carried so many years those of the Alfonsí Cathedral of Triana!
Antonio Burgo http://www.antonioburgos.com/abc/2019/12/re120919.html
EL MUDO DE TRIANA … “When Triana speaks, Seville is silent”
Paco the “múo”, the “múo” from Santa Ana or simply the mute from Triana …
“Francisco Rodriguez Moreno that particular character of the Trianera Cathedral, hides behind his gaze much more than we can simply observe …
Since always, since Triana has the use of reason, he has seen Paco the mute in Santa Ana, helping the priests, taking care of the temple, lighting tapers and candles, walking from here to there throughout the Parish, from the altar to the choir, from the upper galleries of the temple to the lower part … but if the mute could tell us, if the mute could tell us what is hidden in his heart … There is God!
That this singular character would let go of his mouth … !!
He was born on February 15 of the year of the Lord of 1933 and at 5 years of age Francisco was left completely orphaned and abandoned, because his father had been killed in the Civil War while his mother died shortly after a serious illness. The mute was alone in the streets of Seville when the parish priest of Santa Ana welcomed him into his home, since then Francisco Rodriguez Moreno would become the son of Triana’s Adoption …
His greatest protector, his main pillar in his life, was Don Jose Arroyo Cera (the priest of Santana) until he died around the 70s …
Triana recognizes the world not only as the sacritan of Santa Ana but also as a truly incredible person, with a hard history behind him and as a man who is only love for his Esperanza de Triana … Many have been the recognitions that Paco He has received, among them the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice cross that Pope Benedict XVI granted him, the mute also has his well-deserved monument, because an image of Saint Peter that crowns the choir of Saint Anne bears his face, a bust that Enrique Lobo will make in homage to this “Great Trianero and person” …
(The publication is dedicated from my heart to him …)
Manuel.
TRIANA.
El Mudo de Santa Ana is one of the most popular people in our city. Taking a picture of it has to be unexpected, but since I don’t consider myself a paparazzi, or anything like that, I have decided to photograph the image of San Pedro del Órgano that is in the Choir of the Parroquia de Santa Ana.
And you will say … But if he is mute! and I will answer you: yes, it is an image of Saint Peter, but with the face of the mute.
A few years ago the choir of the Trianera Cathedral was under construction and they saw that, on the sides of the choir, an image was missing to top off the organ. The parish priest of Santa Ana, Manuel Azcarate, came up with the idea of ordering a carving of Saint Peter and immortalizing the Mute by carving his face, and that’s how it was. Enrique Lobo Lozano was in charge of the carving and after a few months exhibited in the parish it took its final place at the top of the organ.
El Mudo has been awarded the Pro Ecclessia et Pontifice cross granted by Pope Benedict XVI, he is also Triana of Honor. Joaquín Corchero Arcos in “The Corners of my Seville
To Francisco Rodríguez Moreno
It was December 6th
when this time the heart
She said to you, come straight ahead.
You have already gone with her
from touching the sky so much
you can already be at her side.
Spreading hope
how every morning
when your step lifted.
And the Santa Ana bells ring out
because her mute is already
always praying with them.
Francisco’s house
Royal Parish of Santa Ana
The church has the title of Royal because it was founded by King Alfonso X El Sabio, and its invocation of Santa Ana is due to the fact that the monarch entrusted himself to this saint for the cure of a disease, with success, or at least that is how the history. History that dates back to no less than the year 1266, which makes this temple the oldest in the city of Seville.
Museum and crypt
In 2005, the restoration of what was once the crypt of the Royal Parish of Santa Ana concluded, a space that has been retaken as a Parish Museum
«Anna Radix Uberrima» Exceptional exhibition of pieces of sacred art
Before the Virgin of Victory they prostrated and prayed on September 8, 1522
Juan Sebastián Elcano and the other 17 crew members of the nao Victoria, the only survivors who completed the first circumnavigation of the Earth, of the 234 who left Seville on August 10, 1519 in the expedition of Francisco de Magallanes
Some photos and texts have been kindly provided by the blog that I recommend Legends of Seville by Pepe Becerra. Twitter @_pepebecerra http://leyendasdesevilla.blogspot.com/
