Today is the feast of St James the Great, whose great shrine church is, of course, the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.
Santiago de Compostela cathedral
Image:sacredsites.com
Recently, with the help of a friend, I acquired a very handsome glossy handbook - it is more than the usual guide book - to this remarkable and majestic building.
There is a detailed, illustrated online account of the building and its complex history at Santiago de Compostela Cathedral.
An article from the Financial Times travel pages writes about the current conservation of the twelfth century sculpture of the Portico de la Gloria in the west front at Santiago de Compostela's sacred sculptures.
The Portico de la Gloria
Image:turnbacktogod.com
Statues of Prophets on the Portico
Image:turnbacktogod.com
The late medieval cloisters
Image:turnbacktogod.com
On this his feast day may we entreat St James to ever pray for Spain, its King and people, and for the Church in that realm and for all pilgrims to Compostela
On this his feast day may we entreat St James to ever pray for Spain, its King and people, and for the Church in that realm and for all pilgrims to Compostela
For anyone wanting a taster, there is a plaster cast of the Portico de la Gloria in the Cast Court of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have not visited Santiago I have seen the cast of the Portico ge la Gloria in the V&A. What is awe-inspiring is not only the wonderous sculpture but the sheer scale of the composition of the doorways.
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