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This subject came up in a Facebook group yesterday. Apparently the entrance through the Portico had already been closed for more than a year before the filming of that scene in "The Way". The film crew paid a substantial sum for privileged access. So it was anachronistic even then.gaze upon the Portico of Glory as our heroes did in The Way, but it seems that route has now been closed off.
Unless I am mistaken: The portals just in front of the Portica de la Gloria are only open to enter the Cathedral nave for the Solemn Mass at noon on 25 July. There are videos and live broadcast where you can see the King and a party of special guests entering as a procession. The rest of the congregation is already seated. I don't know where they got in. The portals for the Portica de la Gloria is not open all day on the 25th of July.the Portico de Glory are now only opened on special "holy days" and/or during a Holy Year (when July 25 falls on a Sunday)
Yes, usually 2 accesses are opened:I think those who visit the Cathedral or attend mass enter through a different portal than those who wish to hug the apostle and visit the crypt but I am not sure.
Yeah. I was disappointed. I wanted to fall to my knees like the movie at the statue but that was not the case. As for Botafumeiro, even though it’s only guaranteed special days, many times they do it anyway when some group pays for it. I spent about 4 days in Santiago and I saw it and heard it was also done at another mass so that was at least 2 days when it wasn’t supposed to be done. Just attend all the masses and maybe you’ll get lucky.OK I am now the full bottle on the Botafumeiro thanks to all the replies but IF I make it to Santiago as I hope I really would like to climb those steps, enter through those huge doors and gaze upon the Portico of Glory as our heroes did in The Way, but it seems that route has now been closed off.
Any help from the Camino regulars?
Always worth remembering that (a) the film was made 15 years ago and things do change, and (b) the movie was light entertainment and fiction rather than documentary.Yeah. I was disappointed. I wanted to fall to my knees like the movie at the statue but that was not the case.
Thank for this confirmation![For] Mass, enter via south portal from Plaza Praterias
To venerate the relic and hug the statue, queue start at north portal from plaza immaculada.
If you go to the Cathedral website, and click on the Book Your Ticket option it will open a new window. At the bottom of the new widow under Get Invitations is a box to request free tickets to view the Pórtico of Glory. Two time slots are offered, 16:00 and 16:30 and you are allowed about 25 minutes to stand in awe at Master Mateo’s masterpiece.
You are not allow to touch anything. One woman on my visit tried to place her hand into the groove created by thousands of hands before her, and she was promptly expelled. Not only had the staff given the no touch instruction, her boy friend had warned her (he didn’t leave with her), but I had talked about how sad it was you couldn’t touch unlike back when I arrived on my first Camino.
When I first walked into Santiago you were able to view the Portico without a problem. There were specific instructions that touching was not permitted. Bradyplus I think you have far more camino history than I. Memories fade and change but I do remember that I was able to walk up the front steps into the Cathedral after my first camino. But of course this may be just a fantasy and a memory gone bad!This subject came up in a Facebook group yesterday. Apparently the entrance through the Portico had already been closed for more than a year before the filming of that scene in "The Way". The film crew paid a substantial sum for privileged access. So it was anachronistic even then.
Well thank you. I am surprised. The many posts that I have read about this had given me the impression that it was only in recent years that nobody could put their hand on the Parteluz of the Portico. So nobody has done so during the last 16 years or even longer???Apparently the entrance through the Portico had already been closed for more than a year before the filming of that scene in "The Way". The film crew paid a substantial sum for privileged access. So it was anachronistic even then.
2008 is quite recent for some of us...Well thank you. I am surprised. The many posts that I have read about this had given me the impression that it was only in recent years that nobody could put their hand on the Parteluz of the Portico. So nobody has done so during the last 16 years or even longer???
In the Facebook discussion yesterday someone stated that there was an interim period when the main doors from the Obradoiro were closed but entry was still possible from a smaller door to the side. Before the Portico itself was closed off for a long-term restoration and became a ticket-only museum piece. Perhaps your visit was in that middle period? Johnnie Walker tells me that the Tree of Jesse was already out of bounds and protected by metal bars by the time of his arrival in Santiago in 2007.Bradyplus I think you have far more camino history than I. Memories fade and change but I do remember that I was able to walk up the front steps into the Cathedral after my first camino. But of course this may be just a fantasy and a memory gone bad!
My understanding is along these lines. There are actually entrances on all four sides of the Cathedral:Yes, usually 2 accesses are opened:
- one to visit the cathedral and to attend mass.
- the other to do a hug to the apostle statue.
A third door allows to visit museum and Portico de Gloria.
You can see Portico de Gloria by paying a visit. If you understand spanish, it is worth to pay a guided visit. Furthermore, it is coupled with the visit of the museum: if you visit on the afternoon, perhaps you will be lucky enough to see the attendants preparing the Botafumeiro. That means that on the evening mass, it will swing...
Anyway, Portico de Gloria is very interesting. Look for the statue of the Maestro Matteo (who makes this marvellous portal): he had no right to represent himself among the apostles and prophets...
Thanks David I'll see how that translates on Google MapsMy understanding is along these lines. There are actually entrances on all four sides of the Cathedral:
From the Plaza Obradoiro there is the entrance to the museums. Through this entrance you can also make your way to the Portico of Glory if you have purchased a timed ticket for a visit. This can be purchased through the Cathedral website. Facing the Cathedral in the Plaza de Obradoiro, around the corner to your right is the Plaza de Platerias. There is an entrance there which gives access to the main cathedral. Use this entrance to visit the cathedral proper and attend mass. Keep walking around the cathedral and in the back, behind the altar and as far as possible from the Plaza de Obradoiro is the Quintana facade. This is where you will find the Holy Door, opened in Holy Years. On the opposite side to the Platerias is the Azabacheria facade (just before the tunnel down to the Plaza Obradoiro). This is where you enter in order to view the reliquary of St. James and to hug the bust of the apostle above the altar.
The queue for veneration of relic was after the pandemic, when they decided its ok to hug the statue.Thank for this confirmation!
Is this separation of the flow of visitors something fairly new?
The wooden screen was a provisional measure to protect the newly (and splendidly) renovated sculptures of the Portico de la Gloria from dust etc due to renovation work going on in other parts of the Cathedral. It is no longer there.Thanks for all those replies but nobody mentioned the (horrible) modern (blonde) woodwork blocking the whole portal in all 3 spaces with tiny doors and glass in the middle.
Strange. When I arrived at the Cathedral in July 2012 I was able to approach the Tree of Jesse and put my hand in the imprint. Not so on my second arrival in 2014, although we were still able to enter the Cathedral through the Portico.In the Facebook discussion yesterday someone stated that there was an interim period when the main doors from the Obradoiro were closed but entry was still possible from a smaller door to the side. Before the Portico itself was closed off for a long-term restoration and became a ticket-only museum piece. Perhaps your visit was in that middle period? Johnnie Walker tells me that the Tree of Jesse was already out of bounds and protected by metal bars by the time of his arrival in Santiago in 2007.
Here is closeup of James's head with finger holes above
No@Camo, I am getting curious again: What is this "full Virtual Tour of the route" that you are working on? Is this question and our answers part of it?
Just remember that things are changing as the posts in this thread show.
I had a look at the photos: the person who is putting his hand on the Tree of Jesse column and who is clearly standing inside the metal rails that indicate that people should stay out of it; the person who is putting his hand on the Tree of Jesse column and his forehead on the sculpture at the foot of the column and obviously not knowing that the ritual that developed among the inhabitants of Santiago consisted of knocking one's forehead against the statue on the OTHER side of the column ...This subject came up in a Facebook group yesterday
At the top of the column with the Tree of Jesse is a detailed figure of Santiago. I think that the older pilgrims were probably acknowledging that image rather than misidentifying the carving at the base which I agree is much more likely to represent Daniel and the lions.Frankly, I can understand that the Cathedral chapter was keen to do away with these rituals that are not related to the saint and what is considered as his relics.
The woodwork was not present in Sep 2023.Thanks for all those replies but nobody mentioned the (horrible) modern (blonde) woodwork blocking the whole portal in all 3 spaces with tiny doors and glass in the middle.
Here is closeup of James's head with finger holes above and the woodwork all around, erected some time after 2015?
This is a danger of relying on Google as a gospel source of truth. It isn't always accurate and up to date. Having been at that location last year, I can assure you that the woodwork you are concerned about no longer exists.Thanks for all those replies but nobody mentioned the (horrible) modern (blonde) woodwork blocking the whole portal in all 3 spaces with tiny doors and glass in the middle.
Here is closeup of James's head with finger holes above and the woodwork all around, erected some time after 2015?
Looks like the cathedral website was also concerned per the word "mutilated"This is a danger of relying on Google as a gospel source of truth. It isn't always accurate and up to date. Having been at that location last year, I can assure you that the woodwork you are concerned about no longer exists.
Really....damn those Hollywood people....so when I let my rucksack fall into a river I was wasting my time ...and being a bit of an idiot ....never mind I caught it on my phone.Always worth remembering that (a) the film was made 15 years ago and things do change, and (b) the movie was light entertainment and fiction rather than documentary.
It was part of the provisional altar during the restoration works. See the Cathedral’s communication on their own website. They are a “iglesia viva” - a living and working church.Jesus "hanging free" (ie no cross). Wonder what they did with this expensive sculpture?
Beware of webpages that have not been updated. This English text refers to the time when there was scaffolding because of the restoration works and which did not embellished viewing the Portico if you could view it at all during the works. This text is now gone from the original version of this webpage which is in Galician.Looks like the cathedral website was also concerned per the word "mutilated"
"A masterpiece of the universal history of art, currently mutilated by the reforms carried out in its façade."
It was part of the provisional altar during the restoration works. See the Cathedral’s communication on their own website. They are a “iglesia viva” - a living and working church.
View attachment 165885Un crucificado gótico para el altar provisional de Santiago | Catedral de Santiago
catedraldesantiago.es
Thanks heaps Kath - all is now clearBeware of webpages that have not been updated. This English text refers to the time when there was scaffolding because of the restoration works and which did not embellished viewing the Portico if you could view it at all during the works. This text is now gone from the original version of this webpage which is in Galician.
Compare:
O Pórtico da Gloria | MUSEO CATEDRAL DE SANTIAGO. Santiago de Compostela
www.museocatedraldesantiago.gal The Portico of Glory | MUSEO CATEDRAL DE SANTIAGO. Santiago de Compostela
www.museocatedraldesantiago.gal
The English version of their webpages is sometimes not up to date or less complete.
Well it's mildly interesting to dive into the architectural history of the Cathedral during the last five years or so. There is of course a much longer and more interesting architectural history before that.
This is interesting. I wonder when pilgrims started entering through the west portal. I always thought it had been for centuries (convinced, I admit, by the handprint that had been worn into the central column).The main entry for contemporary pilgrims - the south portal of the Cathedral of Santiago - is not a “back door” as it has been referred to in another recent post.
The west portal - where the Portico de la Gloria is located - is not the “traditional” entry for pilgrims either.
The entry for medieval pilgrims was the north portal. This was not only the tradition in Santiago but in many other places with cathedrals or similarly large churches. Pilgrims entered through a door on the north side, went through the ambulatory where the relics were displayed and left through a door on the south side.
Thanks a lot for that David and although the Santiago behind the alter is also smiling (and huggable at a price) I agree that the Santiago in the Portico of Glory is the one I would rather have greet me (even if I have to pay).This is interesting. I wonder when pilgrims started entering through the west portal. I always thought it had been for centuries (convinced, I admit, by the handprint that had been worn into the central column).
I just went and checked my Gitlitz and Davidson. In describing the Portico de la Gloria, they describe the central figure of Santiago as "smiling to greet pilgrims after their arduous journey". In describing the Puerta de la Azabacheria (north portal) they say "Through the early 12th c. this was the principal entrance to the cathedral, sometimes called the French entrance." This makes it seem to me that they, at least, thought that pilgrims generally entered through the Portico de la Gloria, once it had been completed. Of course, I recognize that Gitlitz and Davidson are not the be all and end all of sources, and like all of us are subject to error. However, until I am presented with evidence to the contrary, I am inclined to trust them and their scholarship.
Huh???the Santiago behind the alter is also smiling (and huggable at a price)
What price? Other than the effort of getting there of course.although the Santiago behind the alter is also smiling (and huggable at a price)
Please keep us informed about these iconographic programmes of the portals - i.e. north, south and west portal. I have not got past this one as yetHere is a photo (copyright Shutterstock) that shows what one sees IF one looks up. The figures are coloured so the photo must have been taken after completion of the extensive restoration works. The dominant figure is Christ in Majesty. The Saint James statue is remarkably similar to the (touchable) Saint James statue at the High Altar. The importance of a haptic experience … What I found interesting was to learn more about the iconographic programme of the portals - i.e. north, south and west portal. There is no east portal of course, it is a medieval church after all.
Also until relatively recently, people did not have this great view from the Portico to the High Altar. There was what they call trascoro in Spanish - an area that was off limits for lay persons and right in the middle of the central nave with barriers more than a man’s height. First medieval and in stone originally, then destroyed and replaced by a trascoro in wood and in Baroque style. This was completely removed in the 1940s I think or was it later?
View attachment 165968
These Romanesque sculptures have been put there at the foot of the column by an artist-tradesman of the 12th century so that people have something to comment about some 850 years later …… looks dead … beasties …. feasting on him …
per Wiki:These Romanesque sculptures have been put there at the foot of the column by an artist-tradesman of the 12th century so that people have something to comment about some 850 years later …
Huh?So any takers on the identity of the head? It really is very easy
I am not particularly versed in the OT and the Book of Daniel and had to look it up. Nebuchadnezzar living among the wild animals is apparently a motif in religious art. The wild animals apparently don’t eat him.Nabucodonosor presente no libro de Daniel
Fascinating. Maybe his grandson will crop up next? Is there any writing on the wall?I am not particularly versed in the OT and the Book of Daniel and had to look it up. Nebuchadnezzar living among the wild animals is apparently a motif in religious art. The wild animals apparently don’t eat him.
So this is the second sculpture of a face of a person on the plinths of the Portico de la Gloria who is not represented as dead although it might appear so to the casual observer at first sight and without background knowledge. I am sure more of the same can be found.
That was already the case in 2005.Johnnie Walker tells me that the Tree of Jesse was already out of bounds and protected by metal bars by the time of his arrival in Santiago in 2007.
The west portal should be the "normal" entry point to those attending Mass, and certainly remains so in Santiago during certain specific rituals over the course of the liturgical year (though churchgoers can and do enter large churches through a variety of doors when they are open).The main entry for contemporary pilgrims - the south portal of the Cathedral of Santiago - is not a “back door” as it has been referred to in another recent post.
The west portal - where the Portico de la Gloria is located - is not the “traditional” entry for pilgrims either.
It says "possible" (in English) but Daniel is OLD Testament and so he is situated on the LEFT side of the Portal, and as he was not a martyr the base of "his column" has just beasties AND they are hungry for martyrs and don't look happy at all.Huh?
I am not sure why a discussion of such minor details of the Portico de la Gloria is of much interest to us here but to end it here is a better photo of the plinth and a description. The source is a webpage of the Museo de la Catedral de Santiago which I would privilege over Wikipedia entries and random quotes found on the internet:
View attachment 166192
I went of course to look it up myself in my own copy and it made me smile: "Santiago, with his pilgrim staff, smiling to greet pilgrims after their arduous journey"."smiling to greet pilgrims after their arduous journey"
All I can say is that I have vivid memories of approaching the Portico of Glory upon arrival at the Cathedral in 1989 and placing my hand on the column. Maybe I am misremembering and didn't come through those doors. It certainly wouldn't be the first time my memory was faulty. Maybe I approached it from the other side and don't remember doing so because my memory of the approach has been completely superseded by my memory of the Portico. It's been a few years after all.FWIW, Baedeker, a widely known publishing house for travel guides founded 200 years ago - a kind of pioneer and authority in their field, published a guide for Spain in English in 1898. It describes the Cathedral of Santiago at the time:
View attachment 166810
We have this idea that pilgrims climbed the great stairs on Obradoiro square and entered the cathedral through the Portico de la Gloria for centuries and centuries, and now we are denied this. Has it really been like this? You be the judge ....
What a fabulous piece of research! Well done.FWIW, Baedeker, a widely known publishing house for travel guides founded 200 years ago - a kind of pioneer and authority in their field, published a guide for Spain in English in 1898. It describes the Cathedral of Santiago at the time:
View attachment 166810
We have this idea that pilgrims climbed the great stairs on Obradoiro square and entered the cathedral through the Portico de la Gloria for centuries and centuries, and now we are denied this. Has it really been like this? You be the judge ....
That "opened only for the passage of the very highest secular and ecclesiastical dignitaries" sounds completely wrong.FWIW, Baedeker, a widely known publishing house for travel guides founded 200 years ago - a kind of pioneer and authority in their field, published a guide for Spain in English in 1898. It describes the Cathedral of Santiago at the time:
View attachment 166810
We have this idea that pilgrims climbed the great stairs on Obradoiro square and entered the cathedral through the Portico de la Gloria for centuries and centuries, and now we are denied this. Has it really been like this? You be the judge ....
I got such a visit on last November, and no, the entry is not through the main door, but through the church, after the museum visit.Apart from that, it is seemingly possible to get a guided visit to the Portico de la Gloria ; whether or not these visits enter through the main door or not,
The implication I got was that the entrance from the Plaza de Obradoiro had been closed except in unusual circumstances since before 1898, but I acknowledge I certainly may have been reading into the post something that wasn't intended.My previous post refers to 1898 and not to the 1990s.
Do you have a link to that virtual tour please?I see that we are back from the More Distant Past and again in the Present and in the More Recent Past. This turns out to be unexpected fun and has helped me to solve one of the enduring puzzles of my Camino life: How we got from the Obradoiro square to the Portico de la Gloria and back again.
I vividly remember that we entered from outside through the small door to the left of the large staircase where we had been instructed to pick up our pre-ordered tickets. We were asked to hang around in a small space with some sculptures before we were called to follow our group up and down and left and right to finally end up in front of the Portico. And the same way back again. I had lost all sense of orientation plus it was dark.
Thanks to the great Visual Tour web app I've figured it out now: We entered the Cathedral through a small internal door - yet another access point of this large Cathedral complex!
I'll just post the screenshots. The large dot marks where we came from. The crosses mark the doors that are permanently closed to the public but would lead to and from the Obradoiro square (i.e. one large double door in the middle and a smaller door on each side. The two screenshots show the same pathway, just from different perspectives, the first one looking toward the direction of the Obradoiro square and the second one in front of the Portico with the Obradoiro square at your back.
I feel so relieved ....
For those who visited in recent years - has this been nagging you too?
View attachment 166884
I have no intention of presenting evidence to the contraryHowever, until I am presented with evidence to the contrary, I am inclined to trust them and their scholarship.
I read but don't post on FB. I've done a bit of rereading recently and also scrolled through some relevant posts on FB. I am not alone: There is a small number of apparently Spanish participants who also know that the Obradoiro portal was not an established "traditional" entrance for pilgrims during the last 800 years. I feel less isolated now.This subject came up in a Facebook group yesterday. Apparently the entrance through the Portico had already been closed for more than a year before the filming of that scene in "The Way". The film crew paid a substantial sum for privileged access. So it was anachronistic even then [in 2010].
I found a photo of the postcard from the 1920s that is mentioned in the document linked above. It was taken by a professional photographer and became part of a series of postcards or souvenirs promoting tourism to Galicia. This photo of a man in pilgrim outfit is usually reproduced online or in books without the postcard frame. It was part of the start of popularising the ritual. The scene in the movie The Way would then mark the end of this phase.Here is a link to a summary of how this ritual became popular in the 20th century: The hand of the Parteluz of the Pórtico de la Gloria: From Legend to History (in Spanish). Medieval pilgrims did not know this ritual.
The article saysI found a photo of the postcard from the 1920s that is mentioned in the document linked above. It was taken by a professional photographer and became part of a series of postcards or souvenirs promoting tourism to Galicia. This photo of a man in pilgrim outfit is usually reproduced online or in books without the postcard frame. It was part of the start of popularising the ritual. The scene in the movie The Way would then mark the end of this phase.
If it is any consolation: There have been other pilgrim rituals in the Cathedral of Santiago that lasted for centuries and then fizzled out or ended for whatever reason (keywords: the hat, the crown, the staff on the pillar etc).
View attachment 167056
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