The Obradoiro façade of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela: an all-but-Gothic composition generated entirely of classical details

Santiago de Compostela (2003 pop. 92,339), the "European City of Culture" for the year 2000, is located in the northwest region of Spain in the province of A Coruña. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia. Download high resolution version (600x800, 117 KB)This is an Original work by Wikipedia editor. I took this picture of the obradoiro façade in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain in autumn of 2003. ... Download high resolution version (600x800, 117 KB)This is an Original work by Wikipedia editor. I took this picture of the obradoiro façade in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain in autumn of 2003. ... The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union for a period of one year during which it is given a chance to showcase its cultural life and cultural development. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... In addition to its seventeen autonomous communities, Spain is divided into fifty provinces. ... A Coruña province Corunna (in Galician A Coruña, in Spanish La Coruña) is a province of extreme northwestern Spain, in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Galicia. ... Autonomous communities of Spain. ... Motto: Capital Santiago de Compostela Official languages Galician and Castilian Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 7th  29 574 km²  5,8% Population  â€“ Total (2003)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 5th  2 737 370  6,5%  92,36/km² Demonym  â€“ English  â€“ Galician  â€“ Spanish  â€“ Portuguese  Galician  galego  gallego  galego Statute of Autonomy April...

A popular etymology of the name "Compostela" holds that it comes from Latin campus stellae, i.e. "field of stars", making Santiago de Compostela "St. James of the Field of Stars". This name would come from the belief that the bones of St. James were taken from the Middle East, to Spain. These bones were then buried where a shepherd had spotted a star and a church was eventually built over the bones and later replaced with the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela. The City lies at the end of the important medieval pilgrim route, the Camino de Santiago or Way of St James from Kapel in 't Zand to Santiago de Compostella. A more probable etymology is Compositum, i.e. "The well founded", or Composita Tella, meaning "burial ground". The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... For albums named Pilgrim, see Pilgrim (album). ... St James the Moor Slayer. ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ...

The site

Santiago is only a few miles inland from the westernmost coast of mainland Europe facing the Atlantic, so prior to Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492, it was considered the edge of the known world, the Finis Terrae in Latin, Finisterre in Spanish and Fisterra in Galician (See also Finistère in France and Land's End in England). Also, as the lowest-lying land on that stretch of coast, it took on added significance. Legends supposed of Celtic origin made it the place where the souls of the dead gathered to follow the Sun across the sea. Those unworthy of going to the Land of the Dead haunted Galicia as the Santa Compaña. Christopher Columbus (conjectural image) For information about the film director, see the article on Chris Columbus. ... Events January 2 - Boabdil, the last Moorish King of Granada, surrenders his city to the army of Ferdinand and Isabella after a lengthy siege. ... Finisterre is an album by the British pop band Saint Etienne. ... Finistère (Penn-ar-Bed in Breton) is a département of France, located in Brittany (Bretagne in French). ... Location within the British Isles. ... A Celtic cross incorporating the Celtic knotwork motif associated with later Celtic cultures Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, the apparent religion of the Iron Age Celts. ... The soul according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is the ethereal substance — spirit (Hebrew:rooah or nefesh) — particular to a unique living being. ... First fan poster for Land of the Dead Second fan poster for Land of the Dead Land of the Dead (formerly known as Dead Reckoning) (2005) is the name for the fourth installment of the Living Dead zombie movie series. ... The Santa Compaña (Holy Company) is probably one of the most deep-rooted mythical beliefs in rural Galicia. ...

The prevailing wind from the Atlantic and the surrounding mountains combine to give Santiago some of Europe's highest rainfall: about 66 inches annually.

The relics

"Santiago" ("Sant' Iago") means "St. James", and the city is supposedly the final resting place of the Apostle Saint James the Great, the brother of John. His remains are said to be beneath the altar in the crypt of the cathedral. According to another theory the actual remains in the crypt belong to Priscillian, an ascetic from Avila who was beheaded as a heretic at Treves, France, in 385 AD, but was venerated as a martyr in Galicia and other parts of northern Spain. For people and places called Saint James, see the diambiguation page. ... John the Apostle (יוחנן The LORD is merciful, Standard Hebrew Yoḥanan, Tiberian Hebrew Yôḥānān) was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. ... A cathedral is a Christian church building, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy (such as the Roman Catholic Church or the Lutheran or Anglican churches), which serves as the central church of a bishopric. ... Priscillian of Avila (died 385) was a Spanish theologian and the founder of a party which advocated strong asceticism. ... vila is a town in the south of Castile, the capital of the province of the same name, now part of the autonomous community of Castile-Leon, Spain. ... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the ‘catholic’ or orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ... Trier: The Porta Nigra, viewed from outside Trier (French: Trèves), is Germanys oldest city. ... Events February 11 - Oldest Pope elected: Siricius, bishop of Tarragona. ...

The Roman Catholic Church affirms that the belief that St James had found his way to the Iberian peninsula, and had preached there, was current before AD. 400. topographic map of the Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe. ...

According to a tradition that cannot be traced before the 12th century, the relics were said to have been discovered in 835 by Theodomir, bishop of Iria Flavia in the far northwest of the principality of Asturias. Theodomir was guided to the spot by a star, the legend affirmed, drawing upon a familiar myth-element, hence "Compostela" was given an etymology as a corruption of Campus Stellae, "Plain of the Star." Other etymologies derive it from "San Jacome Apostol". (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... Events Ragnar Lodbrok rises to power (approximate date) The celebration of All Saints is made an obligation throughout the Frankish Empire and fixed on November 1. ... Iria Flavia or simply Iria in Galicia, northwestern Spain, was a Celtiberian port, the main seat of the Caporos, on the road between Braga and Astorga, which the Romans rebuilt as via XVIII or Via Nova [1]. The Romans refounded it as Iria Flavia (Flavian Iria) to compliment Vespasian. ... In historical linguistics, etymology is the study of the origins of words. ...

Whose bones were actually found, and precisely when and how, may be unknowable, and perhaps it does not matter. What the history of the pilgrimage requires, but what the meager sources fail to reveal, is how the local Galician cult associated with the saint was transformed into an international cult drawing pilgrims from distant parts of Christendom. At Santiago itself, a building more substantial than the first shrine was begun in 868, but was totally destroyed in 997 by the Moors, who, however, respected the sacred relics. On the reconquest of the city by Bermudo III of Leon (died 1037), the roads that led pilgrims from across northern Spain to the shrine were improved, and the reputation of the shrine spread. The earliest recorded pilgrims from beyond the Pyrenees had visited the shrine in the middle of the 10th century, but it seem that it was not until a century later that pilgrims from abroad were regularly journeying there in large numbers, even the first recorded pilgrims from England, between 1092 and 1105. By the early 12th century the pilgrimage was a highly organized affair. Four established pilgrimage routes from starting points in France converged in the Basque country of the western Pyrenees. From there a single combined track crossed northern Spain, linking Burgos, Carrión, Sahagún, León, Astorga and Lugo. Pilgrim at Mecca A pilgrimage is a term primarily used in religion and spirituality of a long journey or search of great moral significance. ... Events 11 May: Printing of The Diamond Sutra, the oldest dated printed book. ... Events City of Gdansk is founded Saint Adalbert of Prague is sent to Prussia by Boleslaus I of Poland Samuil of Bulgaria crowned Tsar by Pope Gregory V The town of Trondheim is founded. ... The Moors were the medieval Muslim inhabitants of al-Andalus (the Iberian Peninsula including the present day Spain and Portugal) and the Maghreb, whose culture is often called Moorish. Juba II king of Mauretania // Origins of the name The name derives from the old Berber tribe of the Mauri and... // Events Construction of the church of Saint Sophia Cathedral is started in Kyiv. ... Central Pyrenees The Pyrenees (French: Pyrénées; Spanish: Pirineos; Occitan: Pirenèus or Pirenèas; Catalan Pirineus; Aragonese: Perinés; Basque: Pirinioak) are a range of mountains in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ... Events May 9 - Lincoln Cathedral is consecrated. ... Events Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor deposed by his son, Henry V Tamna kingdom annexed by Korean Goryeo Dynasty. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... The Basque Country (Euskal Herria in Basque) straddles the western Pyrenees mountains that define the border between France and Spain, extending down to the coast of the Bay of Biscay. ... Burgos coat of arms A city of northernwestern Spain, at the edge of the central plateau, Burgos has 166,000 inhabitants in the city proper and another 10,000 in its suburbs. ... The city of León, located at 42. ... Episcopal Palace of Astorga Astorga (Latin Asturica Augusta) is a city in the province of León, Spain. ... Lugo is a city in northwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Lugo in the autonomous community of Galicia in Spain. ...

Diverse requirements of the pilgrim trade were met by a series of hospices along the way, by royal protection of such a lucrative source of revenue, by the evolution of a new genre of Romanesque ecclesiastical architecture designed to cope with huge devout crowds; and by the familiar paraphernalia of tourism, selling badges and souvenirs, and the remarkable guide-book put together in about 1140. The pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela internationalized the entire route to a degree unheard of in this impoverished and isolated backwater on the outermost fringes of Europe, which was opened most particularly to the influence of France, whence the great majority of pilgrims always came. Enterprising French people settled in the pilgrimage towns, where their names crop up in the archives. Palliative care is any form of medical care or treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of the symptoms of a disease or slows its progress rather than providing a cure. ... Romanesque St. ... A tourist boat travels the River Seine in Paris, France Beaches make popular tourist resorts Tourist redirects here; for the album by Athlete, see Tourist (album) Tourism can be defined as the act of travel for the purpose of recreation, and the provision of services for this act. ... Events Henry Jasomirgott was made count palatine of the Rhine. ...

Pilgrims would walk Way of St James for months to arrive finally at the great church in the main square to pay homage, and so many pilgrims have laid their hands on the pillar just inside the doorway to rest their weary bones, that a groove has been worn in the stone. So numerous were the pilgrims that the popular Spanish name for the Milky Way is El Camino de Santiago. St James the Moor Slayer. ...

The Galician government hopes to make the Way into a powerful tourism destination. For the Holy Compostellan Year: whenever July 25 is a Sunday, the Xacobeo campaign is reinforced. St James the Moor Slayer. ... A tourist boat travels the River Seine in Paris, France Beaches make popular tourist resorts Tourist redirects here; for the album by Athlete, see Tourist (album) Tourism can be defined as the act of travel for the purpose of recreation, and the provision of services for this act. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... Sunday is considered either the first or the seventh day of the week, between Saturday and Monday, and the second day of the weekend in some cultures. ...

The cathedral

Main article:Catedral Metropolitana de Santiago de Compostela.

At the front of the Baroque cathedral, a golden mollusc shell adorns the altar. A steady stream of pilgrims still queue there to kiss the shell, as another sign of homage. The cathedral preserves its original barrel-vaulted cruciform Romanesque interior. Perhaps the chief beauty of the cathedral, however, is the 12th-century Portico de la Gloria, behind the Late Baroque facade. The shafts, tympana and archivolts of the three doorways which open onto the nave and aisles are a mass of strong and nervous sculpture representing the Last Judgment. Faint traces of color remain. The cathedral's facade (illustration, right) gains from forming part of an extended architectural composition on the Plaza del Obradoiro, a grand square surrounded by public buildings. The ground rises to the cathedral, which is reached by a magnificent quadruple flight of steps, flanked by statues of David and Solomon. Access to the staircase is through some fine wrought-iron gates, and in the centre, on the level of the Plaza, is the entrance to a Romanesque chapel, the Iglesia Baja ("Lower Church"), constructed under the portico and contemporary with the cathedral. To the north and south, and in a line with the west front, are dependent buildings of the 18th century, grouping well with it. Those to the south contain a light and elegant arcade to the upper windows, and serve as a screen to the late Gothic cloisters, built in 1533 by Fonseca, afterwards archbishop of Toledo. They are said to be the largest in Spain. The north side of the cathedral is in the rich Spanish Baroque style called Churrigueresque. The Obradoiro façade of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela: an all-but-Gothic composition generated entirely of classical details Santiago de Compostela Cathedral is the historic burial-place of Saint James, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ. ... Adoration, by Peter Paul Rubens: dynamic figures spiral down around a void: draperies blow: a whirl of movement lit in a shaft of light, rendered in a free bravura handling of paint In arts, the Baroque (or baroque) is both a period and the style that dominated it. ... Genera See text Scallops are the family Pectinidae of bivalve molluscs. ... In Christian eschatology, the Last Judgment is the ethical-judicial trial, judgment, and punishment/reward of individual humans (assignment to heaven or to hell) by a divine tribunal at the end of time, following the destruction of humans present earthly existence. ... See also Gothic art. ... Events January 25 - King Henry VIII of England marries Anne Boleyn, his second Queen consort. ...

In the cathedral's Capilla del Relicario ("Chapel of the Reliquary") is a gold crucifix, dated 874, containing a piece of the True Cross. Events March 13 - The bones of Saint Nicephorus are interred in the Church of the Apostles, Constantinople. ... According to Christian tradition, the True Cross is the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. ...

The city

The cathedral fronts on the main Plaza of the old and well-preserved city. Across the square is the Pazo de Raxoi, the town hall, and on the right from the cathedral steps is the Hostal de Los Reyes Católicos, founded in 1492 by the Catholic Kings, Isabela and Fernando, as a pilgrim's hospice. Today, this beautiful Renaissance building with four cloisters serves as a luxurious hotel. The Obradoiro façade of the cathedral, the best known, is depicted on the Spanish euro coins of 1 cent, 2 cents, and 5 cents (€0.01, €0.02, and €0.05). Spanish euro coins feature three different designs for each of the three series of coins. ...

Santiago also has a fine university which can be seen best from an alcove in the large municipal park in the centre of the city. The University ensures youthful night life. Within the old town there are many narrow winding streets full of historic buildings. The new town all around it has less character though some of the older parts of the new town have some big apartments in them. The Universidad de Santiago de Compostela is a spanish university in Santiago de Compostela. ...

Santiago gives its name to one of the four military orders of Spain: Compostela, Calatrava, Alcantara and Montesa.

External links

• www.santiago-today.com, Tourist related news from Santiago de Compostela
• Official site of the city of Santiago de Compostela
• Live Cam of Galicia from CRTVG including the Cathedral
• Confraternity of St. James
• The pilgrimage route described for the modern backpacker, with photos.
• www.backpack45.com/camino2.html - English language based site with planning information for walking the Camino Francès
• http://Groups.msn.com/ElCamino Santiago: An English language site full of resources for The Pilgimage Way to Santiago
• Over 1600 high res photographs of the Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

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Santiago de Compostela