Camino de Santiago de Compostela

[PILGRIMSPLAZA]

News Springtime 2009: Scaffolding Gloria now accessible

See Booking guided tours of the Portico of Glory by PILGRIMSPLAZA on April 6th, 2009, 6:28 pm on miscellaneous-topics/topic5719.html#p33482

-------------------------------------------------------------- old news:

From http://www.elcorreogallego.es in soon accede by scaffold until Porch of the Gloria
by PILGRIMSPLAZA on April 5th, 2009, 7:25 pm on miscellaneous-topics/topic5719.html

- [1] Porch of the Gloria, one of the masterful pieces of the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, will be able to be visited as of morning in reduced groups with the possibility of approaching works of studies to recover that jewel of the Romanesque one, informed the organizers today.
- [2] The visitors will be able to in detail see the stone figures that surround the vault from access to the cathedral and to verify therefore the erosion and the disappearance of the original policromados ones that the experts now try to identify with the aim of recovering. …
- [4] Four guided visits, with a maximum of ten visitors to the day, will be able to see and almost touch the Porch of the Gloria after acceding by a metallic structure to six meters of height, where at the moment expert they analyze the oscillations of temperature and humidity, as well as other measurements, to determine the causes of the erosion that has caused almost complete disappearance of the paintings that cover the figures of apostles and relics. …

More on the new post topic 5719; the old news on this post has been removed.

[Gareth Thomas]

Any further news on this? I´m getting close to Santiago now - having decided to go for the feast day on the 25th (whether it´s crazy in the city or not!) - and I´d like to know whether climbing up the scaffolding is an option.

Maybe after two thousand kilometres, I shouldn´t be attempting to even walk up the steps, let alone climb up the walls...

Gareth

[PILGRIMSPLAZA]

I shouldn´t be attempting to even walk up the steps, let alone climb up the walls...

We'll let you know asap! For you it could mean your last pilgrim's trial (standing queues); for me -many pilgrims getting so close to their Gloria- it could bring the end of The Santiago Enigma (I secretely hope; but please don't tell anyone the count's passed 3500). You're doing great! Good Luck, Bon Courage, Buen Camino!

[Gareth Thomas]

for me -many pilgrims getting so close to their Gloria- it could bring the end of The Santiago Enigma

It was not possible to climb the scaffolding when I was in Santiago earlier this month, and nobody seemed to have any idea where that suggestion had come from! Certainly, when you look at the type of scaffolding and then realise that the Xunta de Galicia is very hot on health and safety regulations, it seems quite unlikely they will let anyone go up there. If a gibbon manages to escape from the local zoo he might stand a good chance of the opportunity to exchange grins with the prophet Daniel, but I don't reckon much on anyone else's chances!

Here's a photo I took of the scaffolding surrounding St James when I was there for the Feast day recently.

Scaffolding around St James

scaffold.jpg (99.86 KB) Viewed 1192 times

While the Portico de la Gloria is out of bounds, however, I would suggest that anyone interested in the work of Maestro Mateo should visit the cathedral museum where there is an excellent reconstruction of the stone choir by Maestro Mateo, including some of the original sculptures. (The choir complemented the Portal de la Gloria but it was demolished to make more space in the nave.)

Gareth

[PILGRIMSPLAZA]

it could bring the end of The Santiago Enigma

It looks like the Enigma will still challenge our fellow pilgrims a little longer! Thank you for this nice new post, Gareth! We're glad you're back on the forum; very much alive and kicking!

Yesterday I had a wonderful meeting on the beach with a couple of French pilgrims (Marie & Philippe) who are cycling from la Côte d'Opale (not far from your route?) to Berlin sponsoring a health program with a difficult technical name. I told them with pride about your quest! See http://philippe.velo.mauzesurlemignon.over-blog.net

My friend in Galicia who promised to get more new info on the access of the scaffolding tried to rescue a kitten from a tree in her garden but she fell and sprained her ankle badly; and the cat disappeared! She's doing alright now but no more news from this side yet. The old news came from public sources anyway, but your new news is clear enough. We'll keep in touch.

You made a very interesting suggestion, Gareth! One of my King-authors rang a bell the other day by mentioning that sculpting in cathedrals was most likely following an iconographic programm as it is called. So it's not just a collection of statues and images at random, but a professional plan was probably guiding master Mateo in his Gloria. One can guess that his bishop had the last word in that plan. We're after it now and hope some of our readers will join us in this research.

The count on The Santiago Enigma (topic 3794) has passed 3.700 and still nobody has guessed it. Now isn't that remarkable to say the least!? Today in my 111th post on this forum I tried to trigger some action. How and where will this end? When the count passes 10.000 without any result I'll throw a party on my local beach where ye'll all be welcome! A good time and place for a glorious and dramatic sailor's grave (bearing Padron and Fisterra in mind) for an in-spir-ing topic.

[Gareth Thomas]

My friend in Galicia who promised to get more new info on the access of the scaffolding tried to rescue a kitten from a tree in her garden but she fell and sprained her ankle badly; and the cat disappeared!

There you are, you see! The Xunta de Galicia are quite right to focus on Health & Safety issues: clearly you are not safe in your own garden in Galicia, let alone climbing up scaffolding to see the Portico de la Gloria... (But tell your friend to keep this news quiet, or the Xunta will erect Health & Safety notices all around her garden. I am not joking: I have even seen H&S posters under bridges: "Danger of water rising". Really? Who would have expected that?)

Gareth

[PILGRIMSPLAZA]

News Springtime 2009
See Booking guided tours of the Portico of Glory by PILGRIMSPLAZA on April 6th, 2009, 6:28 pm on miscellaneous-topics/topic5719.html#p33482

it is still very unclear regarding dates and possibilities.

Peter Robins mentioned an article in El Corrego Gallego:
http://www.elcorreogallego.es - Martes 27.01.2009 -
http://www.elcorreogallego.es/santiago/ ... cia-389074 -
Adiós al simbólico ceremonial de apertura de la Puerta Santa
Symbolic goodbye to ceremonial of opening of the Door Santa
It quotes the 'groupes of 14 people' getting access to the scaffolding in the Pórtico de la Gloria as mentioned last year, but still no details are given so the news is: no news (?)
Two fragments in Babel Fish translation:

Works in the Porch and restriction in the accesses
The Porch of the Gloria will be in works in the heat of Year Santo 2010. The project of rehabilitation of the sculptural set will extend like minimum until 2011. The scaffold to initiate the works already is installed for months and first stage will consist of the monitoring of the piece. Next, it will be come to study the successive layers, pigmentation, repintes, strings of gold, drawings… Surpassed this task, that will last around a year, the restoration proper will begin. Although the result has still not extended, the Cathedral also has ordered a study to regulate the visits to the temple.

Visits to the set of the Mestre Mateo
The positioning of the scaffold in the Porch of the Gloria offers the opportunity abrir a program of visits that will allow the peculiar ones to contemplate to the work summit of the Mestre Mateo around the eardrum. Tour will be realised in groups of 14 people who, in addition, will have the possibility of contemplating the work of the restauradores.

Does anyone know more? Please enlighten us!

[Gareth Thomas]

a program of visits that will allow the peculiar ones to contemplate to the work summit of the Mestre Mateo around the eardrum

Oh how I would love to be one of these lucky peculiar ones contemplating the summit around Master Mateo's eardrum. At last the enigma becomes clearer!

Gareth