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The Cathedral’s Obradoiro facade dominates the square to which it gives its name, the site where the stonemasons worked during its construction. Built between 1738 and 1750 by Fernando de Casa y Novóa, it is the finest expression of Spanish Baroque. Two initially Romanesque towers reinforce its vertical force and the impression it gives of an immense altarpiece, with the bell towers on the right and the Carraca tower on the left.

Apart from Años Jubilares, (Holy Years), when main access is by the ‘Puerta Santa’ (Holy Door), the Obradoiro is the cathedral’s most commonly-used entrance, and is reached by a seventeenth-century flight of steps. Moving inside, the traveller is left speechless by the most stunning example of Romanesque art, the Pórtico de la Gloria, completed under the supervision of Maestro Mateo at the end of the twelfth century.

The pilgrim ritual is to first of all to place the hand on the Tree of Jesse, in the same holes that millions of hands have worked in the stone and, then, to tap the forehead of Maestro Mateo three times - also known as the Santo dos Croques -, a figure located on the other side of the Tree of Jesse.

The interior of the cathedral has remained virtually intact and is a veritable display of the wisdom of the old medieval masters: a characteristically Romanesque distribution of a Latin-cross plan with three naves and an ambulatory with radiating Romanesque, Baroque or Neoclassical chapels, with the Pilar Chapel considered to be the most beautiful of these.

The spiritual centre of the cathedral is the Sepulcro del Apóstol Santiago (Tomb of St. James the Apostle), where the remains of St. James are kept in the crypt beneath the high altar. In the upper part, a passageway crosses over the ambulatory, allowing visitors to embrace the Apostle.

At the foot of the flight of steps of the Obradoiro facade, there is a museum where you can visit what is known as the Catedral Vieja, Treasury and relics, Cloister, Archaeology Museum, lavish tapestry collections, Chapter House, Library and the Archive.
When it is not being used, the celebrated Botafumeiro - the largest incense-burner in the world - is housed in the Library. In major, liturgical ceremonies the incredible arcs it makes when it is swung from side to side by the experienced tiraboleiros fill the cathedral with smoke. The Archive, for its part, contains valuable manuscripts such as the Códice Calixtino.

On the southern side of the transept you can exit by the cathedral’s oldest facade, through the Puerta de Platerías (the Silversmiths’ Door), embellished with an exceptional array of figures and which leads out into the square of the same name.

The most modern construction in the Obradoiro is the Pazo de Raxoi, a compact example of Neoclassical architecture, built at the end of the eighteenth century, and currently shared by Santiago City Council and the Presidency of the Government of Galicia. It was built by order of Archbishop Bartolomé de Raxoi y Losada and on its central pediment can be seen a minute depiction of the battle of Clavijo with a large sculpture of St. James above.


The northern side of the Praza do Obradoiro is occupied by the Hostal de los Reyes Católicos, as a royal hospital and hospice built by Ferdinand V of Aragón and Isabella I of Castile for pilgrims in the sixteenth century. Today it is a parador - a five star hotel - and one of the most luxurious hotels in Galicia. Rich and varied Plateresque decoration can be seen in the entrance and its four interior patios are also outstanding.

The huge dimensions of the rest of the buildings on the Praza do Obradoiro emphasise the humble appearance and the unusual charm of the Colegio de San Jerónimo, where the University Rector has his office. The facade, a beautiful example of late-Romanesque architecture, originates from an old hospital.


Completing the square is the Pazo de Xelmírez, (Guelmírez Palace) built between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and considered the most outstanding example of Romanesque civil architecture in Spain. Its sober exterior conceals an interior full of superb Romanesque features such as the vaults of the refectory, adorned with scenes from a medieval banquet.

Still on the square, from the outer terrace of the Hostal and alongside the typical Rúa das Hortas, can be seen the Iglesia de San Fructuoso, a Baroque church of the eighteenth century, where four particularly interesting sculptures representing Prudence, Justice, Strength and Temperance can be seen on the cornice.


Before moving off towards the Plaza de las Platerías, it is worth paying a visit to the Colegio de Fonseca, on the small, cool square which shares the same name. The University Library is to be found there and its Renaissance facade and its cloister, where exhibitions are held, catch the eye. The Seminary of Galician Studies was based there and it was also the seat of the first democratic parliament of the autonomous region of Galicia.
The medieval silversmith unions gave their name to the Plaza de las Platerías and to the southern facade of the cathedral, with the only remaining Romanesque door in existence. The many shops still selling jewellery today create a lively atmosphere in the square which has a stylish fountain in the centre known as the Fuente de los Caballos. Opposite the fountain stands the Casa del Cabildo, a Baroque building, measuring only three metres from front to back wall as it has a purely decorative function; to close one of the sides of the beautiful square.

The majestic Torre del Reloj or Berenguela, over seventy metres high, stands over both the Plaza de las Platerías and the Plaza de la Quintana. At the height of the Baroque period, Domingo de Andrade constructed his master work on a Gothic base, extravagantly sculpting its walls. The tower houses the Berenguela bell, which marks the passing of time there with its sonorous and powerful ringing, as well as the lantern which guided the pilgrims and which is lit in Holy Years and on special occasions.

Aside from the majestic solemnity of the Obradoiro, the Plaza de la Quintana is even more spectacular for its stone bareness. A meeting point par excellence, it is a wonderful array of light and shadow, both day and night. It is on two levels; the lower part is known as Quintana de Mortos and the upper, Quintana de Vivos. The royal Portico is located here, where the religious processions exit, and the famous Puerta Santa, which is opened only in Holy Years.

The southern side of the square is formed by the Casa de los Canónigos or Casa da Conga, also built by Domingo de Andrade and completed by Casas y Novoa in the eighteenth century, a building notable for its huge fireplaces and the pleasant cafes in its colonnades. Directly opposite, on the other side of the square, in the Quintana de Vivos, the Casa de la Parra, covered with exuberant vegetation, catches the eye.

The disconcerting, for its inspired and dizzying enormity, wall of the Benedictine Monasterio de San Paio de Antealtares closes the Plaza de la Quintana on its eastern side. This seemingly endless wall, incorporating 48 barred windows which appear to be making a silent call, has been admired by architects through the centuries. An seemingly endless stone bench runs along the foot of the wall catching the last rays of the evening sun.

Staying close to the cathedral, by passing through the narrow alleyway of the Travesía de la Quintana you come to the Inmaculada or Acibechería facade in the street of the same name, so-called because of the famous jewellers union who worked and still work the beautiful stone, azabache (jet). A mix of Baroque and Neoclassical styles, it is modest in contrast to the Monasterio de San Martiño Pinario which stands opposite; an example of the power once attained by the Benedictine Order, even rivalling the cathedral and the Inquisition itself. Its western facade and its gargoyles are outstanding as are its interior cloisters. The restored Iglesia de San Martiño Pinario is impressively grand and houses elaborate altarpieces. Its facade is reached by the most hidden-away streets of the city, Campás de San Xoán and Moade Vella, and once there, you can admire the amazing staircases which turn back on themselves.