A carving of San Francisco in homage to the order in its Vigo headquarters

The passion for wood sculpture led Fidel Velasco Calleja to create images that little by little have created a small universe of figures, among which those of Santiago Apóstol or San Francisco stand out. Many of these small treasures emerged from a piece of wood are now in churches and pilgrim hostels in Galicia and other parts of the Spanish geography.
The last image donated was this weekend to the Franciscan order in Vigo. An image that can be seen in the Franciscan Office of the city. The delivery took place in the small office of the parish of Santa Marta and the parish priest and the artist were present in it in a simple but very emotional act.
Velasco Calleja was born in Burgos in 1953, studied Baccalaureate with the Paules de Burgos Fathers and in the capital of Spain.
Fidel Velasco Calleja has a degree in Geography and History from the University of Valladolid and Burgos, later practicing for 36 years as a professor of the same subjects.
Parallel to teaching, he also devoted himself to painting, another of his great passions. In the early years, he was advised by the unforgettable colleague Jesús Calabuig, in addition to training at the Vigo School of Arts and Crafts, even entering the world of ceramics.
For the last six years he has dedicated almost all his free time to small-format wood carving. In his already extensive curriculum as a carver there are exhibitions at the Burgos Welcome House; Chapel Hostel of Pilgrims of Ponferrada; Foncebadón church, in the heart of the Leonese maragatería.
In Galicia he also has numerous pieces distributed from his workshop. One of them is in the Peregrina church in the city of Pontevedra and in the Pilgrim’s Hostel in the same town. In addition, you can also find his polychrome wood carvings in the Collegiate Church of Baiona and in the church of Santa María de Oia, on the Camino de Santiago de la Costa and from now on also in Vigo.
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