Cathedral for Pilgrimage

I am sitting in front of one of the most amazing buildings from the medieval period. The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela was one of the three spiritual centres for Christian Pilgrims in Middle Ages. The remains of the apostle James were said to have been discovered on this site in about 800 AD and the first church built on this site about that time. That was destroyed by the invading Moors but after they were expelled from this area in about 1000 AD the present church began to be built. So this Cathedral pre-dates Notre-Dame in Paris.

Today the Way of St James is still a very popular pilgrimage which thousands of pilgrims undertake each year. It straits in eastern Spain and ends here in this square and then they enter the church to visit the tomb of James the Apostle.

The architecture of the building and those around it is Gothic and dates from the Middle Ages. The exterior facade of the Cathedral was renovated in the Middle Ages to give it the appearance it still has today. The interior remains much as it was and therefore is older than the exterior.

An incredible building and the whole gothic area of this town is amazing.Read more