The Catedral de Santiago de Compostela is the destination of over 300,000 pilgrims who walk the Camino every year. Look at the cathedral from the Praza do Obradoiro. The original Romanesque structure was built between 1075 and 1211. Since then, Gothic and Baroque elements have been added. It is a stunning building.
The main altar is elaborately decorated. There are 3 representations of St. James. The one on top is James the Moor Slayer on top of a white horse. Under the canopy is James the Pilgrim. Below this is the original stone Apostle James by Maestro Mateo.
The organ and pipes suspended from the walls.
One of the highlights of the catedral is the Botafumeiro. It weighs 53 kg and takes 8 men to swing it. It swings toward the side naves and is swung on the following days and when someone makes a donation to have it swung. Those donation days are not known in advance and it's a hit & miss whether or not you will get to see the Botafumeiro swung.
The Epiphany: 6 January
Resurrection Sunday
The Apparition of the Apostle-Clavijo: 23 May
Pentecost
The Martyrdom of Saint James: 25 July
The Assumption of Mary: 15 August
All Saints: 1 November
Christ the King
The Immaculate Conception: 8 December
Christmas: 25 December
Transfer of the remains of the Apostle: 30 December
The elderly man who told us to head for the Catedral by noon was right. The Botafumeiro was swung at the noon mass and it was quite a sight. We were so lucky.
Down a short stairwell is the tomb of St. James. There's usually a line to get in. The remains of St. James reportedly are in the silver casket.
After the mass, we went to get our official compostela. The Oficina del Pelegrina is located at Rúa das Carretas, 33 and is open daily from 10am-6pm, except Christmas Day and NY Day. Use the computers to fill out information on your journey and a certificate is printed. You can also get a fancy certificate with specific details of your journey for €3. The staff are very helpful and can guide you on how to fill out your information.
We hadn't left the rock we carried on the Camino and found this statue of Jesus near the Oficina del Pelegrina. There were already some rocks there so we added ours to the pile.
View of the Catedral from Alameda Park. Definitely worth seeing.
We didn't spend much time touring Santiago de Compostela. We had just been there a few months prior. Here are details of things to do in Santiago:
2022 10 09
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