Santiago de Compostela is one of the cities of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain, which is worth visiting not only for the remains of the apostle Santiago, the final destination of the Christian pilgrimage that crosses the Iberian Peninsula, but also for its characteristic historical centre, which since 1985 it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage.
Before delving into this last aspect, one of the considerations to be made concerns the name of the city. There are several interpretations that explain the origin of the toponym; one of these is that it derives from the Latin compositum tellus, “be composed of or beautiful land” that with the passing of the centuries acquired the meaning of “arranged, adorned” when the city was rebuilt and fortified. Another theory asserts that it derives from the Latin expression campus stellae, which means “star field”, for the star that appeared to a hermit indicating him this place, according to a legend.
As for the history of the city, it is known that it was occupied by the Romans who built a village there, between the second half of the first century and the fifth century AD. Later, between 820 and 835 the body of the apostle was discovered, and the king of Asturias, Alfonso II, decided to found a church to which he granted some privileges and around it began to establish the first inhabitants and groups of Benedictine monks in charge of safeguarding the relics.
Slowly the city developed favoured by the pilgrimage, and the sanctuary began to acquire considerable political importance, so that it was necessary to fortify the village in the year 969.
Shortly thereafter it was destroyed and rebuilt with a new wall. And starting from the year 1075 people began to build the Romanesque cathedral.
WHAT TO SEE IN SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
CHURCHES AND PLACES OF INTEREST
- Plaza del Obradoiro: is the square where the cathedral, the Rajoy palace, the Parador de tourism, the San Jeronimo College, the palace of Gelmírez are located. His name refers to the stonemason’s workshop that worked in the square during the construction of the cathedral.
- Cathedral: it was built in 1075 on the remains of other churches that over the centuries have guarded the remains of the apostle Santiago, beheaded in Palestine in the year 44 AD. and then transported to the coasts of Galicia. Between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries the cathedral was embellished and improved externally and internally until it assumed the appearance of a fortress that holds precious treasures.
- Parador de turismo: at the beginning it was a hospital that was built after the visit by the Catholic kings to the city in 1486, to help the pilgrims coming from the Way of Saint James. Later the Catholic Kings ordered the construction of a large hostel that was used until the nineteenth century. Today it is a Parador de turismo, a hotel chain that adapts historic buildings into luxury hotels.
- Rajoy Palace: an eighteenth-century building built as a seminary of confessors who assisted pilgrims, but also as a prison; today is the city town hall.
- College of San Jeronimo: Currently is the university rectorate, founded by Archbishop Alonso III of Fonseca in the 16th century for poor students and artists.
- Palace of Gelmírez: ancient episcopal palace of the cathedral, dating from the twelfth century, it is now a museum.
Abastos Market: a market where you can buy typical products of the local gastronomy. - Monastery of San Martín Pinario: a Benedictine convent founded in the 10th century. Inside it stand out the main cloister, the dome and the museum.
- Convent of St. Francis: founded in the early 13th century, it was declared an historical and artistic monument in 1986.
- Casa da Parra: a seventeenth-century building where you can appreciate the characteristic chimney of the Baroque period.
Plaza de Mazarelos: in this square you can see the only arch or gate of the ancient wall that surrounded Santiago and that allowed access to the city to pilgrims coming from the Ruta de la Plata.
MUSEUMS
In addition to its beautiful old town, to discover the ancient history of Santiago de Compostela you can visit its museums.
Some of these are:
- Museum of the Galician people: located inside the convent of Santo Domingo de Bonaval, it has an interesting permanent collection on traditional crafts, on the world of sea, the countryside, archeology, painting and Galician sculpture.
- Galician centre of Contemporary Art
- Museum of pilgrimages: inside it there are objects of pilgrimages from all eras.
- Museum of the Cathedral: you can see different artistic and archaeological works
- Foundation museum Eugenio Granell
- Museum of Sacred Art: it is located inside the Monastery of St. Pelayo
- Museum of the Holy Land: inside the Convent of San Francisco
- Museum Colegiata de Santa Maria del Sar: inside the monastery of Santa Maria del Sar, declared Bien de interés cultural (Good of Cultural Interest)
- Casa da Troia: recreates the students residence and the university life of Santiago in the late nineteenth century, reproduced in the novel “La Casa de la Troya” by Alejandro Pérez Lugín.
- Pedagogical Museum of Galicia (MUPEGA)
- University of Santiago Natural History Museum
ART GALLERY
For art lovers, in addition to museums, it is possible to visit, for free, the galleries that are located in historic buildings, to get to know more closely the local artists who usually make their exhibitions.
Some of these art galleries are:
- Sargadelos
- El Taller
- Galería Nordés
- Trinta
- José Lorenzo Contemporary Art Gallery
- Metro Contemporary Art
- Casa da Parra
- Torrente Ballester Foundation
- Araguaney Foundation
PARKS AND GARDENS
Between parks and gardens of Santiago de Compostela, where you can spend your free time or practicing sports, there are:
- Park Alameda
- Park of San Domingo de Bonaval
- Park of Belvís
- Park Carballeira de San Lourenzo
- Park Eugenio Granell
- Park Galeras
- Park la Finca do Espiño
- Park del Monte da Almáciga
- Park of Música in Compostela
- Park Avenida Burgo das Nacións
- Parks Fermín Bouza Brey and Alexandre Bóveda
- Park Carlomagno
GASTRONOMY
The gastronomy of Santiago de Compostela offers a wide variety of typical dishes based on meat, fish and vegetables. Some of these dishes to try are:
- Vieiras gratinadas: scallops cooked au gratin
- Caldo de grelos gallego: a broth made with rapini, cabbage, potatoes, chickpeas, beans
- Ternera gallega: veal with protected geographical indication
- Pulpo a feira: click here to see the “feira” style octopus recipe
- Empanada gallega: click here to see the recipe
- Queimada: alcoholic beverage
- Tarta de Santiago: cake made with almonds
TRADITIONAL FESTIVALS
Some of the popular festivals of Santiago de Compostela are:
- Semana Santa: Easter week
- Feast of the apostle Santiago: from the 15th to the 31st of July, religious festival in honour of Santiago where cultural activities, folk dances and fireworks are also held
- Feast of San Roque on August 16th
- Magostos and chestnuts in November: roasted chestnuts accompanied by a good wine
- Offer to the apostle Santiago on the transfer party on December 30th to commemorate the removal of the apostle’s remains in the cathedral.
OTHER CITIES OF GALICIA TO SEE
- A Coruña: the second largest city in the Galicia region is located on a peninsula joined to land by a narrow isthmus, it has a renowned historic port and enchanting beaches on the vast and blue Atlantic ocean. It has very ancient origins dating back to the Iron Age, and the oldest functioning lighthouse in the world, linked to the legend of Hercules. To know more about A Coruña click the following link: What to see in A Coruña and also Read more about A CORUÑA THE GLASS CITY
- Lugo
- Pontevedra
A Coruña. The Glass City
