Santiago de Compostela

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Santiago de Compostela

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Location of the municipality of Santiago de Compostela within Galicia

Santiago de Compostela
Location of Santiago de Compostela within Spain

Coordinates:

42.880447N 8.546303WCoordinates: 42.880447N 8.546303W

Country Autonomous Community Province Comarca Parishes Government Type Body Mayor Area Total Elevation Population (2012)INE Total Density Demonym

Spain Galicia A Corua Santiago List[show]

Mayor-council Concello de Santiago ngel Currs Fernndez (PP)

220 km2 (80 sq mi) 260 m (850 ft)

95,671 428.81/km2 (1,110.6/sq mi) Santiagan santiagus, -guesa (gl/es) composteln, -ana (gl) compostelano, -na (es) CET (GMT +1) CEST (GMT +2) (UTC) +34 www.santiagodecompostela.org

Time zone Summer (DST) Area code(s) Website

Santiago de Compostela (Galician: [santjao e kompostla], Spanish: [santjao e kompostela]) is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the city's cathedral, as destination of the Way of St. James, a leading Catholic pilgrimage route originated in the 9th century. In 1985 the city's Old Town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Contents
[hide]

1 Toponym 2 The city

o

2.1 Climate

3 Population

4 History 5 Economy 6 Way of St. James

o o o

6.1 Legends 6.2 Establishment of the shrine 6.3 Pre-Christian legends

7 Main sights 8 Transport 9 Sister cities 10 See also 11 References 12 External links

Toponym[edit]
Santiago is the local Galician evolution of Vulgar Latin Sanctu Iacobu "Saint James". According to legend, Compostela derives from the Latin Campus Stellae (i.e., "field of the star"); it seems unlikely however that this could yield the modern Compostela under normal evolution from Latin to Medieval Galician. Other etymologies derive the name from Latin compositum, local Vulgar Latin Composita Tella, meaning "burial ground"; or simply from Latin compositellam, meaning "the well-composed one". Other sites in Galicia share this toponym, akin to Compostilla in the province of Len.

The city[edit]

Santiago's Old Town is aUNESCO World Heritage Site

The cathedral borders the main plaza of the old and well-preserved city. Legend has it that the remains of the apostleJames were brought to Galicia for burial. In 813, according to medieval legend, the light of a bright star guided a shepherd who was watching his flock at night to the burial site in

Santiago de Compostela.[1] The shepherd quickly reported his discovery to the bishop of Iria, Bishop Teodomiro.[2] The bishop declared that the remains were those of the apostle James and immediately notified King Alfonso II in Oviedo.[2] To honour St. James, the cathedral was built on the spot where his remains were said to have been found. The legend, which included numerous miraculous events, enabled the Catholic faithful to not only maintain their stronghold in northern Spain during the Christian crusades against the Moors, but also led to the growth and development of the city.[3] Along the western side of the Praza do Obradoiro is the elegant 18th century Pazo de Raxoi, now the city hall. Across the square is the Pazo de Raxoi (Raxoi's Palace), the town hall and seat of theGalician Xunta, and on the right from the cathedral steps is the Hostal dos Reis Catlicos, founded in 1492 by the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella of Castille and Ferdinand II of Aragon, as a pilgrims' hospice (now a parador). The Obradoiro faade of the cathedral, the best known, is depicted on the Spanish euro coins of 1 cent, 2 cents, and 5 cents (0.01, 0.02, and 0.05). Santiago is the site of the University of Santiago de Compostela, established in the early 16th century. The main campus can be seen best from an alcove in the large municipal park in the centre of the city. Within the old town there are many narrow winding streets full of historic buildings. The new town all around it has less character though some of the older parts of the new town have some big flats in them. Santiago de Compostela has a substantial nightlife. Divided between the new town (a zona nova in Galician, la zona nueva in Spanish or ensanche) and the old town (a zona vella in Galician or la zona vieja in Spanish, trade-branded as zona monumental), a mix of middle-aged residents and younger students running throughout the city until the early hours of the morning can often be found. Radiating from the centre of the city, the historic cathedral is surrounded by paved granite streets, tucked away in the old town, and separated from the newer part of the city by the largest of many parks throughout the city, Parque da Alameda. Whether in the old town or the new town, party-goers will often find themselves following their tapas by dancing the night away. Santiago gives its name to one of the four military orders of Spain: Santiago, Calatrava, Alcntara and Montesa. One of the most important economic centres in Galicia, Santiago is the seat for organisations like Association for Equal and Fair Trade Pangaea.

Climate[edit]
Under the Kppen climate classification, Santiago de Compostela has a humid oceanic (Cfb) climate, with drier summers, so sometimes being classified as a Csb climate, similar to the coasts of Oregon, Washington and Vancouver Island, in the western coast of North America. The prevailing winds from theAtlantic and the surrounding mountains combine to give Santiago some of Spains

highest rainfall: about 1,545 millimetres (60.8 in) annually. The climate is mild: frosts are common only in December, January and February, with an average of just 8 days per year,[4] while snow is rare; temperatures over 30 C(86 F) are exceptional.

[hide]Climate data for Santiago de Compostela (1931-1960) Month Record high C (F) Average high C (F) Average low C (F) Record low C (F) Rainfall mm (inches) Jan
15.7 (60.3) 10.9 (51.6) 4.3 (39.7) 1.3 (29.7) 214.0 (8.425)

Feb
18.5 (65.3) 12.0 (53.6) 4.1 (39.4) 1.4 (29.5) 145.0 (5.709)

Mar
21.0 (69.8) 14.5 (58.1) 5.8 (42.4) 1.2 (34.2) 188.0 (7.402)

Apr
24.7 (76.5) 16.5 (61.7) 6.5 (43.7) 2.3 (36.1) 114.0 (4.488)

May
26.9 (80.4) 18.3 (64.9) 8.3 (46.9) 3.7 (38.7) 106.0 (4.173)

Jun
31.0 (87.8) 21.6 (70.9) 11.0 (51.8) 6.9 (44.4) 63.0 (2.48)

Jul
33.6 (92.5) 23.6 (74.5) 12.5 (54.5) 8.7 (47.7) 37.0 (1.457)

Aug
32.2 (90) 23.9 (75) 12.9 (55.2) 9.2 (48.6) 54.0 (2.126)

Sep
29.7 (85.5) 21.8 (71.2) 12.0 (53.6) 8.0 (46.4) 90.0 (3.543)

Oct
25.7 (78.3) 18.4 (65.1) 9.6 (49.3) 4.2 (39.6) 134.0 (5.276)

Nov
19.6 (67.3) 14.2 (57.6) 6.9 (44.4) 1.6 (34.9) 197.0 (7.756)

Source: Worldwide Bioclimatic Classification System[5]

In Compostela it rarely snows more than once or twice a year

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Santiago de Compostela (Old Town)

Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List

Country

Spain

Type

Cultural

Criteria

i, ii, vi

Reference

347

UNESCO region

Continental Europe

Inscription history
Inscription 1985 (9th Session)

Population[edit]
The population of the city in 2012 was 95,671 inhabitants, while the metropolitan area reaches 178,695. In 2010 there were 4,111 foreigners living in the city, representing a 4,3% of the total population. The main nationalities are Brazilians (11%), Portuguese (8%) and Colombians (7%). By language, according to 2008 data, 21% of the population always speak in Galician, 15% always speak in Spanish and the rest use both interchangeably.

History[edit]

knockers in the city's old quarter

The Library and the Chapter at the Cathedral, Collotype 1889

Portico da Groria, old faade of the Romanesque cathedral, 12th century

Sepulcher of king Ferdinand II(d. 1187), in the Royal Pantheon of the cathedral
The area of Santiago de Compostela was a Roman cemetery by the 4th century,[6] being occupied by the Suebi in the early 400s, during the initial collapse of the Roman Empire when they settled in Galicia and Portugal. The area was later attributed to the bishopric of Iria Flavia in the 6th century, in the partition usually known as Parochiale Suevorum, ordered by king Theodemar. In 585 the whole settlement together with the rest of Suebi Kingdom was annexed by Leovigild into the Visigothic kingdom of Spain as the sixth province of the realm. Possibly raided from 711 to 739 by the Arabs,[citation needed] the bishopric of Iria was incorporated into the Kingdom of Asturias c. 750; some tens of years later. At some point between 818 and 842,[7]bishop Theodemar of Iria (d. 847) claimed to have found some remains which were attributed to Saint James the Greater, during the reign ofAlfonso II of Asturias. Allegedly, the Pope and Charlemagnewho anyway was dead by 814may have had an important role in the discovery and acceptance of this finding. It was actually these political and religious figures who acknowledged Alfonso II's reign and Asturias as a kingdom altogether, besides starting close political and ecclesiastic ties[8] Around the place of the discovery emerged a new settlement and centre of pilgrimage, which was already known by Usuard in 865,[9] and that was called Compostella at least from the 10th century. However, during the 10 and 11th centuries, the cult of Saint James of Compostela was but one of many arising at the time in different political regions of northern Iberia, whose rulers didnt doubt to encourage their own region-specific cultsSaint Eulalia in Oviedo, Saint Aemilian in Castile.[10] Since the early 10th century, Compostela started to become a politically more relevant site after the centre of Asturian political power moved from Oviedo to Len, and several kings of Galiciaand of Len were acclaimed by the Galician noblemen, and crowned and anointed by the local bishop at the cathedral, among them Ordoo IV in 958,[11] Bermudo II in 982, and Alfonso VII in 1111, so Compostela becoming capital of theKingdom of Galicia. Later, 12th-century kings were also sepulchered in the cathedral, namely Fernando II andAlfonso IX, last of the Kings of Len and Galicia before both kingdoms were united with the Kingdom of Castile. During this same 10th century and in the first years of the 11th century Viking riders tried to assault it[12]Galicia is known in the Nordic sagas as Jackobsland or Gallizalandand bishop Sisenand II,

who was killed in battle against them in 968,[13] ordered the construction of a walled fortress to protect the sacred place. In 997 Compostela was assaulted and partially destroyed by Ibn Abi Aamir (known as al-Mansur), Andalusian leader accompanied in his raid by Christian lords, who all received a share of the loot.[14] However, the Andalusian commander showed no interest for the alleged relics of St James. In response to these challenges bishop Cresconio, in the mid-11th century, fortified the entire town, building walls and defensive towers. According to some authors, by the middle years of the 11th century the site became a panEuropean place of peregrination, second only to Rome andJerusalem,[15] and others make it clear that the cult to Saint James was before 11-12th centuries an essentially Galician affair, supported by Asturian and Leonese kings to earn faltering Galician loyalties.[10] In the 12th century, under the impulse of bishop Diego Gelmrez, Compostela became an archbishopric, attracting a large and multinational population. Under the rule of this prelate, the townspeople rebelled, headed by the local council, beginning a secular tradition of confrontation of the people of the citywho fought for selfgovernmentwith the local bishop, the secular and jurisdictional lord of the city and of its fief, the semi-independent Terra de Santiago ("land of Saint James"). The peak of this confrontation was reached in the 14th century, when the new prelate, the Frenchman Brenger de Landore, treacherously executed the counselors of the city in his castle of A Rocha Forte ("the strong rock, castle"), after attracting them for talks. Santiago de Compostela was captured and sacked by the French during the Napoleonic Wars; as a result, the remains attributed to the apostle were lost for near a century, hidden inside a cist in the crypts of the cathedral of the city. The excavations conducted in the cathedral during the 19th and 20th centuries uncovered a Roman cella memoriae or martyrium, around which grew a small cemetery in Roman and Suevi times which was later abandoned. This martyrium, which proves the existence of an old Christian holy place, has been sometimes attributed to Priscillian, although without further proof.[16]

Economy[edit]
Santiago's economy, although still heavily dependent on public administration (i.e. being the headquarters of the autonomous government of Galicia), cultural tourism, industry, and higher education through its university, is becoming increasingly diversified. New industries such as timber transformation (FINSA), the automotive industry (UROVESA), and telecommunications and electronics (Blusens and Televs) have been established. Banco Gallego, a banking institution owned by Novacaixagalicia, has its headquarters in downtown ra do Hrreo. Tourism is very important thanks to the Way of St. James, particularly in Holy Compostelan Years (when 25 July falls on a Sunday). Following the Xunta's considerable investment and hugely successful advertising campaign for the Holy Year of 1993, the number of pilgrims completing the route has been steadily rising. More than 272,000 pilgrims made the trip during the course of the

Holy Year of 2010. Following 2010, the next Holy Year will not be for another 11 years. Outside of Holy Years, the city still receives a remarkable number of pilgrims. Editorial Compostela owns daily newspaper El Correo Gallego, a local TV, and a radio station. Galician language online news portal Galicia Hoxe is also based in the city. Televisin de Galicia, the public broadcaster corporation of Galicia, has its headquarters in Santiago.

Way of St. James[edit]

Main article: Way of St. James

Way of St. James

A partial view of Santiago de Compostela, with the Pico Sacroin the background
The legend that St James found his way to the Iberian Peninsula, and had preached there is one of a number of early traditions concerning the missionary activities and final resting places of the apostles of Jesus. Although the 1884 Bullof Pope Leo XIII Omnipotens Deus accepted the authenticity of the relics at Compostela, the Vatican remains uncommitted as to whether the relics are those of Saint James the Greater, while continuing to promote the more general benefits of pilgrimage to the site.

Legends[edit]
According to a tradition that can be traced back at least to the 12th century, when it was recorded in the Codex Calixtinus, Saint James decided to return to the Holy Land after preaching in Galicia. There he was beheaded, but his disciples managed to get his body to Jaffa, where they found a marvelous stone ship which miraculously conducted them and the apostle's body to Iria Flavia, back in Galicia. There, the disciples asked the local pagan queen Lupa('She-wolf') for permission to bury

the body; she, annoyed, decided to deceive them, sending them to pick a pair of oxen she allegedly had by the Pico Sacro, a local sacred mountain where a dragon dwelt, hoping that the dragon would kill the Christians, but as soon as the beast attacked the disciples, at the sight of the cross, the dragon exploded. Then the disciples marched to pick the oxen, which were actually wild bulls which the queen used to punish her enemies; but again, at the sight of the Christian's cross, the bulls calmed down, and after being subjected to a yoke they carried the apostle's body to the place where now Compostela is. The legend was again referred with minor changes by theCzech traveller Jaroslav Lev of Romitl, in the 15th century.[17]

Depiction of Saint James in the 12th century Codex Calixtinus

The relics were said to have been later rediscovered in the 9th century by a hermit named Pelagius, who after observing strange lights in a local forest went for help after the local bishop, Theodemar of Iria, in the west of Galicia. The legend affirms that Theodemar was then guided to the spot by a star, drawing upon a familiar myth-element, hence "Compostela" was given an etymology as a corruption of Campus Stellae, "Field of Stars." In the 15th century still it was preserved in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela the banner which guided the Galician armies to battle, red, in the centre Saint James riding a white horse and wearing a white cloak, sword in hand:[18] The legend of the miraculous armed intervention of Saint James, disguised as a white knight to help the Christians when battling the Muslims, was a recurrent myth during the High Middle Ages.

Establishment of the shrine[edit]

The Scallop Shell, emblem of St James, worn by pilgrims

The 1,000 year old pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is known in English as the Way of St. James and in Spanish as the Camino de Santiago. Over 100,000 pilgrims travel to the city each year from points all over Europe and other parts of the world. The pilgrimage has been the subject of many books, television programmes, and films, notably Brian Sewell's The Naked Pilgrim produced for the British television channel Channel 5 and the Martin Sheen/Emilio Estevez collaboration The Way.

Pre-Christian legends[edit]
As the lowest-lying land on that stretch of coast, the city's site took on added significance. Legends supposed of Celtic origin made it the place where the souls of the dead gathered to follow the sun across the sea. Those unworthy of going to the Land of the Dead haunted Galicia as the Santa Compaa or Estadea.

Main sights[edit]

Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela 12th century Colegiata de Santa Mara del Sar 16th century Baroque Abbey of San Martn Pinario University of Santiago de Compostela Centro Galego de Arte Contempornea (Galician Center for Contemporary Art), designed by Alvaro Siza Vieira

Parque de San Domingos de Bonaval, redesigned by Eduardo Chillida and Alvaro Siza Vieira City of Culture of Galicia (will be completed in 2012), designed by Peter Eisenman

Transport[edit|edit source]

Santiago de Compostela is served by Santiago de Compostela Airport[19] and a rail service. The town is linked to the Spanish High Speed Railway Network. On 24 July 2013 there was a serious rail accident near the city in which 79 people died and at least 130 were injured when a train derailed on a bend as it approached Compostela station.[20]