“SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA”. THE END OF THE ROAD

Cathedral of Santiago (front view)

   Regardless of the eternal debate about whether what is venerated in the Cathedral of Santiago are really the remains of the Apostle  or the heretic Prisciliano, among other assumptions, the truth is that this place remains, along with Jerusalem and Rome, one of the most important sites of Christian pilgrimage  in the world.

 From many centuries ago, until today, by the different historical paths that make up the so called “Camino de Santiago”, have come, and continue to come, pilgrims of all sorts and conditions that, with different motivations and moved by the common bond of faith, have the purpose  of visit the temple to venerate the relics of the son of Zebedee and Mary Salome, James the Greater, and give a hug to his image, putting, with its distinctive and unique clothing, a special note of color in the old Square of Obradoiro and its surroundings.

Cathedral of Santiago (detail)

   The city of Santiago de Compostela, which belongs to the province of La Coruna and is now the capital of the autonomous region of Galicia, have your highest expression in your splendid cathedral and the tomb which tradition attributes the current Pattern of Spain, around which has been developed its entire historical heritage, artistic and cultural. Also highlights it university in a relevant way, with a history of more than five centuries, and which currently hosts over 30,000 students spread across its various faculties. The Cathedral of Santiago is, therefore, the jewel in the crown, in whose shadow has been developed a wide activity, not only religious but also economic and cultural, being an invaluable asset not only for the city itself where it is, also for Galicia and, by extension, for Spain, which must be preserved with the utmost care.

Cathedral of Santiago (detail)

    Although personally I have never done the “Camino de Santiago”, nor I have raised it for me, and be a poorly practicing Catholic, I always have felt a special serenity when I have gone to the temple of the Apostle for to do a visit to  the sites  considered holy, an matter  that, with irregular frequency, I come doing  for many years ago. For this reason, in each of my visits, I have seen how, gradually, but inexorably, this magnificent monument Romanesque, with Baroque air, is deteriorating and losing splendour, to which, in all likelihood, is contributing ineptitude and miserly behavior of the authorities, both regional and General Administration of the State.

Cathedral of Santiago (detail)

    If Santiago de Compostela, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985, is universally known for its cathedral and the monumental area that composes it and its surrounds, together with the legend of the star and the remains of the Apostle  to which be attributes  the Spain evangelization, which, in turn, is the basic engine of its economy, well worth destine the necessary resources for its conservation for that in the coming centuries will not miss the tourist attractions that make it destination of many Travellers, and do not stop the flow of pilgrims that, after a long and tiring walk, them can to find not only  the peace  that they are searching and the reward for reached his objective, but also the satisfaction to look an architectural monument worthy of representing what it is,  and not only a simple ruin of what was in the past. We must expect that, in this case, contrary to what has happened with other very important historical legacies, already virtually disappeared, can them proceed with the best sense and due diligence, before the damage is irreversible, and not to leave to future generations the legacy of a costly mortgage that can not satisfy and  have not other recourse but to mourn his loss.

C. Díaz Fdez.

May 24, 2011