Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
The Cathedral of Saint James is part of the Santiago de Compostela World Heritage site in Galicia, Spain. The cathedral is also the burial place of Saint James, the apostle, although this fact seems to be refuted by some. Groundbreaking for this beautiful cathedral took place in 1075. The Cathedral was completed and consecrated in 1211.
It is always difficult to show the beauty of these magnificent cathedrals from a photo. But, here is my attempt to do so.
Because of the dedication to the pilgrims, Mass at the Cathedral is said every day at 7:30am, 9:30am, 12 noon, and 7:30pm. Priests are also available throughout the cathedral daily for confessions. Because my hotel was within walking distance, I was able to attend Mass each day.
As I walked around the perimeter of the cathedral, I found the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. This was a beautiful domed chapel dedicated to prayer.
There were also many other side altars beautifully decorated with sculptures and artwork.
In the center of the church, behind the main altar was an entrance to the crypt where Saint James is buried.
Another staircase led to a hallway behind the statue of Saint James which was located on the main altar above the tabernacle. The sign leading to the statue read, “Embrace of the Apostle.” People were able to say a prayer and hug the statue if they desired.
To learn more about the cathedral and to make sure I didn’t miss anything, I purchased a ticket for a self-guided tour of the museum. The artwork throughout the museum was beautiful.
On the third floor of the museum was the courtyard. Along the perimeter were burial places for many of its citizens.
Another part of the museum displayed a beautiful monstrance and a Chapel of Relics.
Inside the Chapel of the Relics were also several burial places for Spanish kings and queens. One of the kings buried in this chapel was King Fernando II (1137-1188).
Here are some of my favorite paintings in the Cathedral Museum.
This is a painting of the Blessed Mother and the baby Jesus. I love the expression on her face.
This is a painting of the Visitation – the Blessed Mother visits Saint Elizabeth shortly after the Annunciation.
Here are some more great treasures displayed throughout the museum.
The Botafumeiro was displayed in one of the rooms in the museum.
The Botafumeiro is a famous thurible used at Saint James Cathedral. Its name comes from the Galician language. Botar means to eject, to throw away, to expel. The Latin word fume means smoke. A thurible is a metal censor suspended from chains in which incense is burned during worship services. The sweet aroma from the smoke symbolizes sanctification and purification. It also symbolizes the prayers of the faithful rising to heaven. The thurible is also used at funeral Masses to bless and purify the corpse.
The main difference between the Botafumeiro at Saint James Cathedral and the thuribles in our local Catholic parishes is its size. I was hoping that I would have an opportunity to see the Botafumeiro in action, however, this thurible is only used for special occasions such as the Epiphany. To give you an idea of how this works within the Catholic Mass, here is a video taken five months ago at the Saint James Cathedral.
As I continued through the Museum, I found a beautiful painting of the transfer of Saint James’ body to the cathedral site.
According to Jacobean tradition, the painting represents the disembarkment of Santiago’s body in Padron after the miraculous journey made from the port of Jafa in Palestine. Shortly after what is portrayed in the painting, the group of disciples began the last stretch of the trip which took them to Mount Libredon where the current Cathedral of Compostela was built.
The museum continued with the crypt and an outside walkway with beautiful views.
After a thorough review of the cathedral and its museum, I was ready to explore the town of Santiago.
As I walked through the narrow streets of this beautiful town, I found many more churches, beautiful architecture, and great food.
Santiago de Compostela was the perfect ending to an amazing Spain adventure.
Let me know in the comments below if walking the Way of Saint James is on your bucket list. A member of our church and her husband will be walking the Camino in April 2024. I will be partnering with her when she returns for a special presentation in October 2024 at our parish in Palm Harbor, Florida. Let me know in the comments if you would be interested in attending a presentation on the Way of Saint James. We will add your name to our mailing list and provide updates as it gets closer to the date of the presentation.
Well folks, this is the end of my 17-day Spain adventure. I hope you enjoyed all the blogs about beautiful Spain. I have several other trips planned for 2024. Stay tuned as I share the history and beauty of Iceland.
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