Vigo - Santiago de Compostela

Vigo 3rd April 2011

Obradoiro facade

Nestled on the northwest coast of Spain, Vigo is a very pleasant town full of amenities that any flourishing town needs. The only problem we encountered was that we docked on a Sunday, never visit Vigo on a Sunday, it's closed, literally. Luckily for us we had booked an excursion to the Galician capital of Santiago de Compostela with its medieval cathedral dominating its rugged skyline.

SDC is a beautiful medieval town which is dominated by the very imposing cathedral. It was in the 9th century that remains were discovered and were believed to be those of the Apostle James.  The cathedral is located on one of SDC's many squares, directly opposite the 16th century Palace of Archbishop Bartolome Rajoy and flanked on one side by a luxury hotel, which was built to house the thousands of pilgrims that visited in the 16th century.

If you were to stand in front of the Obradoiro facade you would be be greeted by the enormous double staircase which leads you up to the main doors of the cathedral. As you enter the doors you are greeted by quite a dark interior. On first impressions I was disappointed, however as I gazed down the nave I was greeted by a sumptous golden light which is the high alter. It shines like a beacon that is guiding the pilgrims to the shrine of St James. Situated behind the alter is the ornate statue of St James himself. It can be accessed via a very narrow stone staircase. We qued for only about 10 minutes, when I reached the statue the people in front of me were kissing and embracing the statue. I felt slightly uneasy with the open outpouring of faith but I had to react as you file pass the statue rather quickly so I kissed the cloak of the statue and said a little prayer, I felt quite overwhelmed that I had taken part in a ritual that many people before me had participated in, many of which had followed one of the parts of the pilgrimage route known as The Way of St James. Down another tight staircase is the casket which it is said hold the mortal remains of St James, again you pass in single file whilst taking a glimpse at the spectacular silver urn.

In the main body of the church suspended from the ceiling by eight supporting cords is the enormous incense burner that has the capability to swing out over the congregation so far down the nave that it nearly reaches the opposite end. This had just been swung just as we entered so unfortunately I cannot tell what that would have been like to experience that ritual.

Incense Burner & High Alter

Many of the visitors took the opportunity to use the wooden confessional boxes that lined one side of the wall. We lit 3 candles in a side chapel and exited by the same huge wooden doors that we entered an hour earlier.

As we entered back into the daylight and the warm Spanish air I felt I had witnessed one of Europe's gems and had the privilege to witness peoples most intimate moments with God.

It would be very unfair of me to base this entire post on the cathedral.With its haphazard passages, steps leading to split level streets SDC has a feeling all of its own and has many other sights waiting to be discovered by any intrepid traveller. We took a delightful road train ride around the city which took in the many parks and cafe lined squares that this town has to offer. As we weaved our way through the cobbled streets, turning the tight bends and climbing the steep hills I got the sense of a very close knit community that was set apart from the hustle and bustle of the cathedral's many visitors in the main square and the streets that surround it.

Would I go back to Santiago de Compostela? No probably not. That's not because I didn't like it, it is simply because I have seen it and experienced it and I see it as a once in a lifetime experience to visit a place as sacred as that. Would I visit Vigo? Yes, just not on a Sunday!