The Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago). Botafumeiro | Documentary Part 6

The Way of Saint James (Camino de Santiago) is the perfect mix of touristic-sports adventure and religious sentiment. This documentary shows all of the story from the origins until today.
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The discovery of the sepulcher of the Apostle Santiago, in the first third of the IX century, compelled many Christians to make pilgrimages to Compostela to worship his relics.
This required the construction of a church. This building, besides guarding and honoring the relics of the Apostle and his disciples Teodoro and Atanasio, had to take in a greater number of pilgrims coming from the Peninsular kingdoms, as well as from the rest of Europe. The purpose of its builders was not only to construct the most perfect church dedicated to the cult of the pilgrims; they wanted to make Compostela a religious and artistic reference for the world, like Rome and Jerusalem.
These are the beginnings of a fascinating story, a fabulous saga spanning centuries carried out
by thousands of people united in their devotion to the figure of the Apostle Santiago, in a remote corner of Finisterre. They called it Compostela: the field of stars.
The present state of the Santiago Cathedral is the result of numerous changes, projects, works, remodeling; in short, an evolving and impassioned architectural and artistic creation developed throughout many centuries.

Botafumeiro: sixth part of the documentary The way of ST. James (Camino de Santiago). The Temple of stars.

Today is a very special day. Pope Benedict XVI visits Santiago and its cathedral. This year, the day of Santiago Apostle falls on a Sunday, and when this happens, the Holy Year at Santiago de Compostela,
or Jacobean Year, is celebrated.Taking a cue from the Christian Jubilee that originated in 1300, pilgrims that arrived at the Holy Sepulcher during these Jubilee year would receive full indulgence for their sins.

Such a privilege was conceded two centuries after the consecration of the Romanesque cathedral by Pope Martin V, thanks to the dealings of then Archbishop Lope de Mendoza.The first Jacobean year was in1428, and since 1434, they have been celebrated regularly.
This huge event required the repair of certain parts of the basilica that were harmed during the previous centuries’ attacks. The main repair work resulted in the construction of the present gothic lantern tower.
And it is very possible that the idea to hang a great thurible from it was due to the scaffolding necessary to undertake this work, thus giving way to the ingenious botafumeiro.
The first reference to the botafumeiro appears in a marginal note of the Codex Calixtinus, written precisely in the dawn of the XV century. It links it to the grand solemnities celebrated in the interior of the basilica.

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