Santiago de Compostela

Construction of the present Catedral de Santiago began in 1075, and the Romanesque church was consecrated in 1211. Behind the later Baroque façade survives Mestre Mateo's 12^th-century Pórtico da Gloria, created as the monumental western entrance to the cathedral. Beneath the high altar, a silver reliquary contains the remains venerated as those of St James. Pilgrims can also pass behind the high altar to embrace the seated 13^th-century statue of the Apostle, a tradition that developed during the Middle Ages. The enormous Botafumeiro, or incense burner, is used on major feast days and for some specially requested pilgrimages, not at every Pilgrim Mass.

Praza do Obradoiro is the traditional finishing point for pilgrims arriving at Santiago Cathedral. Its name comes from the obradoiros, or stonemasons' workshops, established here during construction of the cathedral's western façade. Around the square stand the cathedral, the former pilgrim hospital of the Hostal dos Reis Católicos, the Pazo de Raxoi and the former Colexio de San Xerome.