The Saint, City, and Cathedral from its origins to modern day, with a heavy emphasis on the Medieval era.

5. On their journeys, Christian pilgrims generally followed the paths depicted above.The paths highlighted in blue are the four most traveled paths, with the path highlighted in red showing where they converged to form the Way of St. James, or the final leg of the journey. Pilgrims still use the paths today. Picture from the Daniel en Santiago Blog .

6. A panoramic view of the city with the Cathedral in the background. The city of Santiago de Compostela grew around the site of St. James’ tomb. In A.D. 813 Bishop Theodomir re-discovered the tomb, which had been forgotten during the Arab raids in the previous centuries. Bright lights, supposedly stars, guided him to the site which led him to name the place “compostela,” a condensation of the Spanish phrase “campo de las estrellas” or “field of the stars.” Around A.D. 830 Alfonso II ordered the building of a small basilica over the site of the tomb, and by A.D. 844 it was already a pilgrimage site. By the end of the century, Alfonso III added a basilica in the same location over the baptistery. At the end of the tenth century, the Arabs attacked, destroying the basilica and carrying off the church bells to Córdoba (they returned them later). Instead of repairing it, in A.D. 1078 Bishop Don Diego Peláez commissioned the building of a grand cathedral which took over 100 years to build and made Santiago the climax of the medieval pilgrimage.

7. Obradioro Plaza, outside the Cathedral, was the area where pilgrims bought the traditional pewter or tin shell souvenirs of St. James. The plaza is still a leading tourist attraction and continues to sell souvenirs, now of a much larger, and more commercial, variety. Since the finding of the tomb a small settlement, composed mostly of clergy, has existed in Galicia. The population began to grow as more and more pilgrims began to travel to Santiago de Compostela, and the area gradually developed into a city. Pope Alexander III declared the city a Holy Town in the 12 th and 13 th centuries, and Pope Calixto II deemed that any pilgrim who traveled to Santiago de Compostela in a Holy Year would be absolved of all his or her sins. Today many pilgrims still travel to the city using the Camino de Santiago, though like most historical places of renown it has developed elements of tourism that coexist along with the religious.

9. Early Architecture, Continued The basilica was built in the Austurian style, a modest design that had an oriental feel to it. Though only 175 and 170 feet wide feet long, at the time it equaled the size of two churches put end to end. This type of architecture had some similarities to Western design, but mainly came from the Near East. This style utilized cut stone for the foundation as well as lime and marble for the pillars. The main structure would have been made of recycled stone and marble. There are many architectural incongruities concerning the basilica, as many of the documents regarding the layout seem to describe impossible designs when compared to the remaining foundations. However, from assumptions and comparisons to other churches of the time, historians have been able to discern that the basilica had A floor plan from San Martin de Fromista, similar to the basilica Alfonso III built. three altars, one for the Holy Savior, one for St. Peter, and one for St. John the Apostle. The two lesser altars had compartments for themselves at the ends of side aisles. There were small marble columns that could indicate iconostasis, but no other proof has surfaced.

10. This grand Baroque front was mostly incomplete during the Middle Ages. There were many interruptions in construction along the way, including a period from A.D. 1088 – 1095 when construction halted altogether.

11. Built on a small hill , the cathedral reflects the flowering of art in the late 11 th century. Despite the Baroque façade, the majority of the cathedral is done in a Romanesque style, giving it an almost “precocious” feeling. A gothic tallness of proportion gives the interior a comfortable majesty. The cathedral is built in a basic cruciform design, with a very long transverse arm and chapels radiating from the nave at the end. The Episcopal palace lies to the North, while the cloister and offices are to the South. Nine towers surround the building. There were originally 111 windows that allowed the cathedral to be lit by the Spanish sun, but over the years many have been obscured by renovations. The majority of the cathedral consists of hard brown granite that, when exposed to sunlight, turns from a soft color to a pleasant gray. Pilgrims from Trascastela also brought limestone with them that workers mixed with mortar and cut stone to form parts of the building. A large part of the interior is stucco, as there is very little heavily detailed artwork.

12. Below: P órtico de la Gloria. Considered the most majestic piece of Medieval art, Maestro Mateo carved it in A.D. 1188 as the original Western front. It was moved to the interior when the Gothic front was added. Left: Adam and Eve on the Puerta de las Platerias (Goldsmiths' Doorway),12th century carving.

13. Above: Relics of St. James as they are today underneath the altar in the Cathedral. Below: the Gothic-style altar. A statue of St. James stands on the altar (center). The large Botefumeiro that hangs from the ceiling is so heavy that it takes seven to eight men to swing when dispensing incense.

16. Today many Christians still make pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela. Some travel by modern means such as plane and car, but others continue to use the paths pilgrims have traversed since the Middle Ages. These roads are maintained and pilgrims can hire a guide to accompany them. Catholic mass is still held in the cathedral, and is open to the public. Tourists can visit at no cost, but it is only open during certain hours.