Interior: ground plan and naves 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... read more
“Pórtico de la Gloria” The Cathedral’s west entrance was finished in 1188 with the culmination of Romanesque sculpture: the “Pórtico de la Gloria.” This magnificent series of three arches,... read more
High altar The high altar reflects the lavish baroque intervention in the Romanesque Cathedral. To “brush up” the old 12th-century altar, it was surrounded by 36 Solomonic re-gilded columns... read more
The “Botafumeiro” The “Botafumeiro” is a giant censer, used since the Middle Ages to purify the air in a Cathedral that was full of crowds. Today, 800 years later, it continues to marvel those present... read more
Exterior: squares and façades The medieval Cathedral’s three main entrances still exist today, although due to successive modifications, they lost the unity of their iconographic programmes, which depicted the history... read more
Cathedral Museum, cloister and crypt We can only fully understand the Cathedral of Santiago by entering the doors of its valuable museum. Touring the museum has the charm of an exciting journey through time, because it combines... read more
Cathedral rooftops The visit to the Cathedral rooftops includes two consecutive guided tours: the Archbishop’s Palace of Gelmírez and going up to the church’s rooftops. You enter via... read more
Going down to the cemetery Fifty years after archaeological excavations in the Cathedral, the Cathedral Chapter offers the public the unique possibility of going down to the church’s subsoil and contemplating... read more
