The real mastery is in the assured marshalling of the ensemble. As this guide was researched, it was undergoing extensive renovation, which may not be complete by the time you read this.Ĭompleted in 1188 under the supervision of Maestro Mateo, the Pórtico represented both the culmination of all Romanesque sculpture and a precursor of the new Gothic realism, each of its host of figures being strikingly relaxed and quietly humanized.

The acknowledged highlight of Santiago’s cathedral – indeed, one of the great triumphs of medieval art – is the Pórtico de Gloria, the original west front, which now stands just inside the main doors, immediately behind the Obradoiro facade. Although, perhaps not surprisingly, he failed to find the body of the saint, he forced the citizens to carry the bells of the tower to the mosque at Córdoba – a coup that was later dramatically reversed.īook tickets and tours for Santiago de Compostela Cathedral Pórtico de Gloria No other work of Spanish Baroque can compare with it, nor with what Edwin Mullins sublimely called its “hat-in-the-air exuberance”.īehind the facade, the main body of the cathedral is Romanesque, rebuilt in the eleventh and twelfth centuries after a devastating raid by the Muslim vizier of Córdoba, al-Mansur, in 977. This is the famous Obradoiro facade, built between 17 in the efflorescent style known as Churrigueresque by an obscure Santiago-born architect, Fernando de Casas. Directly ahead stands a fantastic Baroque pyramid of granite, flanked by immense bell towers and everywhere adorned with statues of St James in his familiar pilgrim guise with staff, broad hat and scallop-shell badge. You first appreciate the sheer grandeur of the cathedral upon venturing into the vast expanse of the Praza do Obradoiro. Water glistens on the facades, gushes from the innumerable gargoyles and flows down the streets.īook tickets and tours for Santiago de CompostelaĪll roads in Santiago lead to the Catedral. Uniquely, Santiago is a city that’s at its best in the rain situated in the wettest fold of the Galego hills, it suffers brief but frequent showers. Wander away from the zona monumental in most other directions, however, and you can quickly reach open countryside. A high hillside 2km southeast of the city is topped by an unfinished 400-million-euro extravaganza known as the City of Culture ( which will at some point hold a museum and performance centre. Most of the commercial activities and infrastructure lie a short distance downhill to the south, in the less appealing modern quarter, which is also where the students tend to live. Almost everything of interest to visitors is contained within the densely packed historic core, known as the zona monumental, which takes roughly fifteen minutes to cross on foot but several days to explore thoroughly. Its total population is estimated at 116,000, of whom 33,000 are students at its venerable university. The next will be in 2021.įor all its fame, however, Santiago remains surprisingly small. Those years in which the saint’s day falls on a Sunday are designated “Holy Years”, and the activity becomes even more intense. Each year at the Festival of St James on July 25, a ceremony at his shrine re-dedicates the country and government to the saint.

Modern tourists are as likely to be attracted by its food, drink and history as by religion, but pilgrims still arrive in large numbers, sporting their vieira (scallop shell) symbol.

To this day, locals and visitors alike continue to flock to the old quarter for its round-the-clock sense of life and vibrancy, making it far more than a mere historical curiosity. To enjoy an overall impression of the whole ensemble, take a walk along the promenade of the Paseo da Ferradura (Paseo de la Herradura), in the spacious Alameda just southwest of the old quarter. Warrens of honey-coloured streets wind their way past a succession of beautiful monasteries and convents, culminating in the approach to the immense Praza do Obradoiro, flanked by the magnificent Catedral, the supposed resting place of the remains of St James.

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