Santiago de Compostela, the soul of Spain

Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Galicia, is worldly known for being the home of Saint James’ sepulchre, the goal for hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who every year run the Camino. But Santiago is so much more. As the core of Christianity for so many centuries, monumental structures have been built here that have turned it into one of the most beautiful city centres in the world. As such, it has been rewarded by UNESCO Patrimony Heritage. Its buildings cover all styles, from Romanesque to Baroque, and you will be hopelessly dazzled when you discover the wonders of Santiago de Compostela, the soul of Spain! 

A bit of history

The name of Santiago de Compostela has a dark origin. It can either be related to a necropolis (Composita tella), which actually existed where the cathedral stands nowadays, dating back to Roman times, or to a tradition. A tale says that a hermit saw lights in the middle of the night and alerted the local bishop, who then discovered the sepulchre of the Apostle and two of his disciples. Therefore, Compostela would come from Campus Stellae, the field of the star that the hermit saw. Santiago, or Saint James, was one of Jesus’ favourite apostles, and one of the first martyrs. 

In any case, this was an extremely convenient finding. It was 820 and the king of Asturias was having a hard time fighting the Moors. Plus, Galicia was threatening to become an independent kingdom. With this discovery, he found a solution to both problems. He built a church where Saint James had been found and he and his descendants gave a lot of privileges to those who wanted to move there. For instance, if a servant lived at Santiago de Compostela and nobody claimed him for 40 days, then he could become a free man. You can imagine how the city grew quite quickly! 

Initially, Santiago the Apostle was said to be buried at Mérida, the Roman capital of Hispania. But when Mérida fell under the control of the Moors, they moved all the important relics as far north as they could: Santiago de Compostela, practically the end of the known world! Lots of pilgrims started to arrive there from every corner of the Christianity. Rome was no longer the centre of the world and Jerusalem had been taken by the Arabs, so it was not a safe place anymore to do the pilgrimage. Santiago de Compostela was just at the right place and at the right time! 

Slowly but surely, its reputation grew and then it also became politically important. Kings were crowned and buried here, and a mighty fortress to protect the sepulchre was built. As Santiago de Compostela gained importance, it caught the attention of a dreadful Moorish general. He destroyed the city completely but was pious enough to respect the sepulchre. Santiago de Compostela had now become a symbol of the fight against the Moors, and as such, you can see the Apostle riding a horse inside the cathedral. This is why his sepulchre became an apostolic seat. 

After Santiago's destruction, a new city had to be created, and its inhabitants wanted to make it look great. And they had the means for it! It was so important that it gained control over all the other churches of the north of Spain. Even the Normans knew the area as Jakobsland! It only needed a cathedral adequate to its status, and it was built only a few years later. The city kept receiving a lot of funds over the years from very religious (and very rich) pilgrims, which allowed the city to become a centre of art. Many artists arrived at the cathedral’s workshop, and turned the city into the beauty that it is today. So let us have a look at its patrimony! 

Patrimony

We have to start, of course, by its cathedral. The construction began in 1075. Then, in 1101, Diego Gelmírez - whose palace you can still see next to the cathedral - became archbishop, and he turned Santiago de Compostela and its temple into an avantgarde centre of art. Many foreign artists worked together here and created a masterpiece of its time: a new altar for the Apostle. When Gelmírez died, the famous master Mateo took over. He was the one to create the work of art Portico of the Glory, on the west façade. Under his management, the cathedral adopted the Gothic style. Five centuries later, another big push was given to the temple, and turned it into the building you can appreciate today: the Renaissance stairway, the west façade, a couple of Baroque chapels. 

This cathedral is so huge and hides so many secrets, I advise you to take a guided tour to be able to fully appreciate it. 

Santiago de Compostela Catedral

Praza do Obradoiro, 1, 15704 Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain

Outside the cathedral, the Obradoiro square stands as the km 0 for all caminos leading to Santiago de Compostela. It is surrounded by magnificent palaces: Gelmírez, Rajoy, the Catholic Kings Hostal, and the San Jerónimo college, today hosting the University that had been previously founded in 1495. 

Parador Hostal de los Reyes Catolicos

Praza do Obradoiro, 1, 15705 Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, España

Also next to the cathedral, Platerías square hosts the Cabildo aka city hall, and at its centre you can admire a beautiful Baroque fountain with horses. And I could go on and on about Santiago de Compostela’s patrimony, but there is just so much, you better just get there and see for yourself. All seasons are good, but I would come in the summer, because the rest of the year is quite rainy. You can arrive by train from Madrid, or by car. Of course, if you are on a budget the best way to do it is by walking the Camino. For this, you need to travel light! 

Once you get here and have done all the due cultural tours, you cannot miss the culinary ones. This tour will take you to the Albariño area, where you can taste the prestigious wine from this area, as well as other delicacies like crema de orujo, which is a liquor, and local mussels, as well as sail the Rias Baixas while admiring the beautiful surrounding landscape.

As for where to stay, I would advise a place at the city centre, so you can enjoy the views. For instance, this cozy hotel is only 100m from the cathedral! Take a relaxing bath and admire the views over Obradoiro square. Take a deep breath and understand why Santiago de Compostela is indeed the soul of Spain…