ktchnofdngr
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- Time of past OR future Camino
- September '13, June '16, July '21, And July '22
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Can you actually enter the Cathedral through the Portico de la Gloria? Aren't these free tickets to visit only the space in front of the Portico de la Gloria for about 25 minutes to view the sculptures, without access to the actual Cathedral space behind it?
Entrance into the Cathedral is through the Puerta de Platerías and through the Puerta Santa which is only open this year and next year.
For more on the conservation/humidity see thisThere are no tickets for entering the Cathedral through the Puerta Santa/Holy Door during this Holy Year and next year. Just queuing may be necessary when there are too many people.
As to the Portico de la Gloria, according to news reports, they have started to dismantle the wooden boards that separated the Portico from the Cathedral space, down to a height of 1,80 m. They plan to remove the rest on the 22th of July for the Apostle's feastday on the 25th so that the Spanish king can walk through for the ceremony. And presumably also the procession.
But it sounds as if access to the Portico de la Gloria for the public will remain restricted afterwards, and the reasons have to do with conservation/humidity, apparently. No touching allowed.
2016 was declared as Extraordinary Year of Mercy by Pope Francis. Worldwide, Catholic cathedrals and some other Catholic churches either opened their Holy Door if they traditionally had one or assigned one of their portals as Holy Door. You probably referred to the Plenary Indulgence of Catholic teaching and Catholic faith when you erroneously wrote “absolve sins” and "future credits".When I walked the CF about 4-5 years ago, for some reason the year was declared holy and the Portico de la Gloria was open for anyone who wanted to pass through it. I understand it absolves sins? I'm not sure about that. Anyway, since I have NO sins, I figure I now have credit toward future ones.
It's so unfair that we non-Catholics peregrinos do not have this benefit...I understand it absolves sins? I'm not sure about that. Anyway, since I have NO sins, I figure I now have credit toward future ones.
It can, but there are a few other prerequisites to get the absolutions. Some might say that the assertion that you have NO sins might be indicative of the sin of Pride, chief among the mortal sins.When I walked the CF about 4-5 years ago, for some reason the year was declared holy and the Portico de la Gloria was open for anyone who wanted to pass through it. I understand it absolves sins? I'm not sure about that. Anyway, since I have NO sins, I figure I now have credit toward future ones.
2016 was declared as Extraordinary Year of Mercy by Pope Francis. Worldwide, Catholic cathedrals and some other Catholic churches either opened their Holy Door if they traditionally had one or assigned one of their portals as Holy Door. You probably referred to the Plenary Indulgence of Catholic teaching and Catholic faith when you erroneously wrote “absolve sins” and "future credits".
People walk through Holy Doors because they are open and not closed as they usually are, and that is the attraction. Catholics may walk through it because they have performed the required tasks and have the intention to gain a Plenary Indulgence. However, walking through the Holy Door is merely a tradition in Compostela Holy Years. It is symbolic. The door doesn't have spiritual or magic powers. What counts is visiting the tomb of the Apostel and being in the Cathedral for that purpose, no matter where you entered.
In any case, if you did indeed walk through the Portico de la Gloria - was it even accessible in 2016? - you walked through the wrong door.
I'm not Catholic, either.It's so unfair that we non-Catholics peregrinos do not have this benefit...
Well these rules are clearly made by man not God and so the purported benefit might well be questioned? In any case, I’d make sure you get a receipt.It's so unfair that we non-Catholics peregrinos do not have this benefit...
Wow, it wasn't busy at all in 2016, at least when I was there. I walked through a couple of times, admiring the special doors.I don’t know if things have changed, but here are some suggestions for how to get in. I wrote this in 2019 on another thread. I am not sure if the pilgrims’ office is still giving out free tickets as I describe, but I would not be surprised if they discontinued this option given the fact that a large number of the pilgrims to accept one of the free tickets never showed up.
It would be great to get an update and correction to this, @t2andreo do you have any inside info?
Having just been to Santiago and almost unable to visit the Pórtico de la Gloria, I have some suggestions for pilgrims who wish to visit.
The safest way is to book online in advance. The guided tours are sold out weeks in advance, so that could be a problem for those who don’t know their arrival date into Santiago until a few days ahead of time.
A second way to get a ticket is to show up at the museum office in the early morning when they open and see if new tours have been scheduled. That happened several of the days when I was there; a few additional tours were scheduled throughout the day, in both English and Spanish. The office is to the left as you face the main (now closed) cathedral entrance in Obradoiro.
The third way is the cheapest but the least certain. The museum has given the Pilgrims Office 25 free tickets for unguided pilgrim visits, Monday through Saturday, always at 7 pm. (Note there are none on Sunday). It’s the Pilgrims’ Office that is in charge of handing out those tickets. The office has decided to offer them to the first people arriving at the pilgrims office to get their compostela. You MUST be in line to get your compostela to be eligible for these tickets; having gotten the compostela the day before will disqualify you. So if you’re not very very early in the line, you won’t get one of these. Problem is, many people who take the tickets don’t use them. The night I went up to the Pórtico at 7, only 12 of the 25 people even showed up. So you might be able to get in by just showing up at the Pórtico entrance, with your compostela, and seeing if someone will let you in if there are no-shows (the people at the desk told me there are usually many who don’t show). That is not, obviously, a sure way but it may work.
In any event, seeing the restored Pórtico is one of those jaw-dropping opportunities. I read that all of the paint that you see is paint that was uncovered from the cleaning, and it dates to a 17th (?) century re-painting, not the original Romanesque painting. No new paint was added; that seems to be a no-no in restoration.
Even though it may be somewhat of a hassle, perservere in your quest for a ticket. And remember our pal @jerbear who waited 11 hours (yes that’s right 11 hours) in line to see it during the brief stint when it was open to the public for free. He described quite a chaotic and aggression-laden long snaking line, so we can be glad we have alternatives to that!
I was just noticing the confusion. I have to admit that it had slipped past me when I first responded to JillCat's post #9.There is still confusion in this thread between the Portico de la Gloria and the Puerta Santa.
We visited the Portico de la Gloria in late 2019. I got the tickets beforehand but cannot remember whether it was free of charge or against payment. I had reserved our spots online. After all the anticipation following the reports and photos that I had seen after the completion of the amazing restoration work, the viewing left us with a feeling of disappointment. We were obliged to join the guided tour and our time in front of the Portico was limited (20 minutes or so). I was left with the feeling of not having seen anything at all. It was all so rushed.
The conditions for a viewing of the Portico de la Gloria have apparently changed since then. Judging by the Cathedral's website, you can now get an audioguide. You can either apply for the free tickets, which they call "invitation" or you can buy a ticket for €12 with access to the Cathedral museum and the Portico. In each case, you will be assigned a time slot. This being the summer months, both the free tickets and the paying tickets are sold out for up to a week and longer.
I deleted the last sentence, after having actually checked availability again. At the moment of writing, there are spots available for the booking of free places to view the Portico de la Gloria on the 24th, 26th and 28th of July. Access to the Portico is closed to the public on the Apostle's feastday on the 25th. The Cathedral's website currently says this about bookings for the Portico de la Gloria:The conditions for a viewing of the Portico de la Gloria have apparently changed since then. Judging by the Cathedral's website, you can now get an audioguide. You can either apply for the free tickets, which they call "invitation" or you can buy a ticket for €12 with access to the Cathedral museum and the Portico. In each case, you will be assigned a time slot.This being the summer months, both the free tickets and the paying tickets are sold out for up to a week and longer.
Also, it looks like both the Cathedral's museum and the Portico de la Gloria are closed to the public on Mondays. Can someone confirm or correct this?At the moment of writing, there are spots available for the booking of free places to view the Portico de la Gloria on the 24th, 26th and 28th of July. Access to the Portico is closed to the public on the Apostle's feastday on the 25th.
I had a hard time finding the link that provided information about the difference between paid tickets and free tickets/invitation. I’m putting it in here in case others had that problem, too, and also so that the next time I am headed for Santiago I will be able to come to this thread and find the link to reserve!The Cathedral's website currently says this about bookings for the Portico de la Gloria:
- For paid tickets: can only be made with a maximum of 60 days in advance.
- For free tickets: can only be made with a maximum of 7 days in advance.
Ok Puerta Santa is what I passed through.I was just noticing the confusion. I have to admit that it had slipped past me when I first responded to JillCat's post #9.
The Portico de la Gloria is the entry that is directly on the Plaza del Obradoiro (where you see all of the pilgrims congregating and looking up at the cathedral facade). It is at the top of those immense stairs, between the two tall towers. It isn't a special door, it is a special entrance, filled with marvelous Romanesque sculptures. In times past, it was where the pilgrims entered the cathedral. (It's where I entered after my 1989 Camino). It is no longer used as an entrance, but it seems it is now accessible only from inside the cathedral. In 2016, it wasn't accessible as it was still under renovation.
The Puerta Santa (Holy Door) is on the opposite side of the Cathedral, not too far from where you go up the stairs to hug the Apostle or go down the stairs to visit the casket. It is open only during Holy Years, when the plenary indulgence is available. This is a special, sculpted door (rather than large entrance, like the Portico). 2016 was one of the years it was open.
They are both special entrances, but in very different ways.
So the trick is to book right after midnight local time - or at least early in the morning - when you get the largest choice because the slots for the seventh day from the current day are made available.For free tickets: can only be made with a maximum of 7 days in advance
Thank youHere is the link for visiting el Portico de la Gloria.
Venta de entradas Catedral de Santiago de Compostela. Informacion de Visitas gratuitas Pórtico de la Gloria
Página web oficial de la Catedral de Santiago de Compostela para la compra online de entradas para visitas de la colección permanente, el Pórtico de la Gloria y Santa María La Real de Sar.entradas.catedraldesantiago.es
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