Rather than explore Vigo, Spain, Shea and I made it up to Santiago de Compostela to watch pilgrims finish their journeys , and to admire Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque buildings from the 11th century. It is a small town where tourism is it's focus (in fact, the city claims to be the world's first major tourist destination). It is also believed to be the final burial place of St. James.
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| One of the many churches in the town. |
The legend of Apostle James the Greater asserts that he came to Spain to convert the country to Christianity and preached for seven years before returning to Judea where he was martyred by Herod. His disciples smuggled his body back to Spain. His burial place was unknown (forgotten,) for many years until a star revealed the location to Theodomir, Bishop of Ira Flavia in 813. However, scholars have cast doubt on the legend (he never went to Spain alive, the record of this death in the Acts of the Apostles does not mention his body going to Spain). Whatever the truth is, the cathedral, the main attraction of the city, certainly is devoted to St. James.
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| The Cathedral. The more impressive front side was covered in scaffolding. |
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| Here in the courtyard outside the church, pilgrims collapse at the end of their 100 km journey from France. They are required to collect stamps at various checkpoints to prove they have completed the route. |
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| The weather was fabulous. It made the sangria taste wonderful! |
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| This is part of the alter. It was too shiny and gold for my camera to pick up decent pictures in the dark church. It was truly impressive. The bit attraction was a huge statue of St. James that you can climb stairs to get behind. The crown St. James is worn from all the people rubbing it for good luck. |
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| Under the alter, is the burial place of St. James. |
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| It's quite blurry, but in the centre is the Statue of St. James. |
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| A view of the alter from the far side of the church. Nice chandelier! |
Though the town is quite small and there is not much to do, it was a fantastic spot to walk for a few hours, then move on to sangria and tapas!
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