Santiago de Compostela: the goal of the pilgrimage
In Santiago itself the great Romanesque Cathedral is now encased in 18th
century 
splendour,
but the elaborately carved Romanesque 'Portico de la Gloria' of 1188 remains
to welcome the pilgrim or visitor now as in medieval times. The relics
of St James are housed in a silver casket below the high altar, above which
his statue presides over the cathedral. On the feast of St James,
25th July, and other high days and holy days, a giant censer, the Botafumeiro,
is swung on ropes by red-coated attendants in a great arc from floor to
vaults, emitting clouds of incense over delighted crowds. Among
the old buildings of the city statues of St James abound, whether as a mounted
warrior or as a pilgrim with wide-brimmed hat, staff and bottle. The
scallop shell was and still is the emblem of the pilgrimage, carried back
by the proud pilgrim as proof of the successful completion of the long and
arduous journey to the shrine of St James.
On arrival, pilgrims present their Pilgrim Passports, duly stamped at each of their halts along the way, at the Cathedral's Pilgrim Office, and apply for the Compostela, the traditional certificate in Latin confirming their completion of the pilgrimage. It also entitles them (provided they are among the first 10 in the queue) to three free meals a day for three days in the staff quarters of the Hostal de los Reyes Católicos, now a parador, but formerly the pilgrim hospital established by Ferdinand and Isabela as a thank offering for the final recovery of Spain from the Moors in 1453: the pilgrims' right to hospitality has survived the change in the status of the hospital.
Visit our gallery for pictures of Santiago, and click here for another website which includes pictures of the cathedral and the city.
The Comarca de Santiago website, while not particularly pilgrim-oriented, will give you some basic information about the city and its surrounding region.
The Pilgrimage to Santiago website, which includes the largest and most active pilgrimage-related Discussion Forum, will give you up-to-the-minute news of events in the city.
A pilgrim reports (12 August 2007):
"There is now a prayer service only for pilgrims who have travelled by foot, bike or horseback from 9 - 10 pm in the Cathedral each day. It is in the format of readings and some prayers and the Our Father and sung Salve. Pilgrims of the nationalities attending read in their own language and there is a sharing of personal experiences. The service ends with a visit to the Tomb for private reflection and a blessing - quite touching.
They have a set format with leaflets in different languages containing the readings and prayers."