Santiago de
Compostela was originally founded by the Suebi in the early 400s, as part of
the collapse of the Roman Empire
The most
sacred Christian monument in Spain, the
Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is a sight worthy of an arduous pilgrim's
journey. The cathedral stands majestically on the Plaza del Obradoiro with its
towers soaring above the town. An outstanding example of Early Romanesque
architecture, the building was constructed between 1075 and 1211 on the site of
an earlier ninth-century church that was destroyed in 997 by Almansor's Moorish
army. The cathedral was renovated numerous times in different architectural
styles, including Gothic, Plateresque, and Neoclassical. Welcoming pilgrims is
a splendid entrance called the Portico
de la Gloria. Created by Master Mateo in 1188, this doorway is a
profusion of sculpture featuring 200 figures from the Apocalypse story and the
figure of Saint James the Apostle. The Obradoiro
Facade facing the square was created by Fernando de Casas y Novoa. This
lavish facade is considered to be the finest example of Spanish Baroque style.
The cathedral's
grand first impression sets the stage for an inspiring spiritual experience.
Enter the serene sanctuary, a grandiose space of three naves with an astounding
surface area of about 8,300 square meters. Directly beneath the opulent Baroque
main altar is the main draw for all pilgrims to Santiago, the Crypt of Saint James the Apostle,
patron saint of Spain.
Following the French model of Romanesque
pilgrimage churches, the Cathedral of Santiago’s interior space has a
traditional Latin-cross layout with three naves per arm. The main nave
measures, from west to east, around 94 meters long inside, and the transept,
much bigger than usual for churches of that time, attains 63 meters from north
to south, which makes this Cathedral the largest Romanesque church in Spain.
The maximum height of the naves is 20 meters, reaching 32 metros at the dome.
The central nave is covered by a
barrel vault and the side ones by groin vaults. The volumes are supported by
elegant semicircular, crowned by a tribune running along the length of the
church and continuing along the transept arms and ambulatory. This triforium
gives the naves an unusual slenderness and clarity (compared to other churches
of this time), as does the large window in its main façade.
The center of the main nave was
occupied, between the 12th and 16th c., by Maestro Mateo’s majestic stone
choir, part of which can be admired today in the cathedral museum. It was replaced in 1608 by a wooden Renaissance choir
that ended up being dismantled in 1946, which finally cleared the view of the
altar. In the sanctuary, an ambulatory surrounds the high altar to provide
access for worshippers and pilgrims to the radial chapels, on the one hand, and
to the relics kept in the underground mausoleum on the other.
A History of Western Architecture 6th Edition
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