800 Years of Santiago Cathedral
One Thursday morning during Holy Week, the Cathedral of Santiago was consecrated, an event that marked its 800th anniversary in 2011.
The record of this ceremony is transcribed in the Tumbo B (a parchment book) kept in the Library of the Basilica itself. According to this text, the ceremony was officiated by the bishop of the time, Monsignor Pedro Muñiz, and was attended by the King of León, Alfonso IX, accompanied by his son Fernando, as well as the bishops of the dioceses of Ourense, Lugo, Mondoñedo, Tui, Coria, A Guarda, Évora, Lisbon, and Lamego, who signed the document.
The nobility was also present, represented by the most important magnates of the kingdom at that time, such as Rodrigo Ordóñez, His Majesty's steward, and Nuño Núñez de Lara, among others, whose mission was to support the Archbishop of Santiago with his own army if necessary.
The Cathedral of that era was Romanesque, and Santiago was a city surrounded by a great wall with a perimeter of two kilometres, serving to protect it from invaders. Through its seven gates, goods arrived "from the various routes of the region," as cited in the Códice Calixtino.
Compostela had not yet adopted its characteristic Baroque appearance, and the old town was just beginning to emerge in three directions: from Porta do Camiño to the north facade of the Cathedral via what is now Casas Reais, Cervantes, and Azabachería. From Rúa das Fagueiras to Rúa do Vilar. And, thirdly, "from Rúa de Mazarelos to the streets of Mámoa (Orfas), do Castro, dos Ferreiros (Calderería), and Preguntoiro, leading to the Plaza do Campo (now known as Plaza de Cervantes)," as described in the book History of the City of Santiago de Compostela, published by the City Council and the Consorcio de Santiago and coordinated by Ermelindo Portela.
Returning to the consecration ceremony of the Cathedral 800 years ago, documents from the time state that all attendees walked three times around the outside of the temple with chants and prayers before entering. After this initial act, the ceremony continued with solemn processions inside the temple, where twelve crosses with Latin verses were installed, anointed, and blessed by the bishop.
These crosses, which are still preserved, were surrounded by symbols such as the sun, the moon, and the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet (alpha and omega). According to historian María Pilar Ramos Vicent, "there were some strange rituals" in this ceremony. Even years later, "the Bishop of Santiago was accused of necromancy and of being inclined towards the study of magic, as noted by the Santiago canon López Ferreiro," says Ramos Vicent. Additionally, in the book Feudal Galicia, by Victoria Armesto, Muñiz is described as "the sorcerer bishop" with "an interest in magic."
It was, it seems, a very peculiar ceremony in a Santiago vastly different from today. The Berenguela tower had not yet been built, nor the Raxoi Palace, let alone the Hostal dos Reis Católicos or the Rectorate of the University. Neither did Bonaval exist. Santiago was a small town surrounded by orchards. In fact, in front of the Cathedral itself, there was an open field where the stonemasons working on the temple settled, which later became the Plaza del Obradoiro.
This consecration, however, served to inaugurate the Portico of Glory, which was completed in that same year of 1211, although rain, cold, and time deteriorated it so much that in the 18th century it was decided to build the Baroque facade that we see today. And, according to López Ferreiro, it was also during this event that the seated image of the Apostle was placed on the High Altar of the temple.
In the book The History of Santiago de Compostela, it is also noted that during these years "near the Cathedral, plazas (or quintanas in medieval terminology) were created, hosting gatherings of the population for religious, commercial, or political purposes." The first was Cervantes, "as it was the place where the town crier made municipal agreements public." The Códice Calixtino also mentions that in Plaza del Paraíso, shells and Santiago emblems were sold, as well as all kinds of leather footwear for pilgrims.
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