The Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago). The Cathedral | Documentary Part 5

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.

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

Even though an increasing number of pilgrims came to worship Santiago’s relics, both the Compostelan diocese as well as the Jacobean belief and practice needed new drives. With the purpose of consolidating his plans as an Apostolic See, Pope Calixtus II, in 1120, raised Diego Gelmírez to the rank of Archbishop,
thus raising the metropolitan dignity of Santiago’s church above Merida’s. He then launched the writings of texts that spread and consolidated Jacobean tradition. And thus the Codex Calixtinus was born.
The original manuscript is still conserved in the Santiago Cathedral.

These are the moments of greatest splendor for the Jacobean cult. Thousands upon thousands of pilgrims from all over Europe head for Compostela to worship the Saint.
The Way of St. James undoubtedly transcends its religious function and becomes a torrent for cultural and economic exchange and development between the lands of northern Spain and the rest of Europe.
Diego Gelmírez had achieved all of his goals: the construction of the cathedral was well on its way and it was a benchmark for European Romanesque art; its diocese had metropolitan dignity; and Santiago,
thanks to its new constructions and to its support of culture, was seen as an open and prosperous city.

Finishing the cathedral was taking longer than expected because of a lack of resources and its vast complexity. It was early in the year 1168 thirty years had passed since the death of Gelmírez and King Fernando II, upon witnessing the unfinished building, entrusted Master Mateo with the conclusion of the cathedral.
One of the greatest difficulties the builders faced was the slope of the ground between the apse and the western end. To solve this problem and finish off the naves, Mateo decided to build a crypt that would help level the ground and serve to support the structure of a new and innovative portico one that would introduce the new Gothic style in the temple. The Pórtico de la Gloria is one of the most beautiful works of the Compostelan temple. It constitutes the atrium of the cathedral and is structured on three vanes that coincide with the naves of the church. It is presided upon by the seated statue of the Apostle Santiago,
who, from his mullion, or central arch column, welcomes the pilgrims.

Once Master Mateo finished off the western façade and built the majestic stone choir which today can be seen in the cathedral museum the building was finished. And finally, on April 21 1211, Archbishop Pedro Muñiz, in the presence of King Alfonso IX, consecrated the Romanesque cathedral of Santiago.

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