Meaning of Latin Words on Santiago Cathedral's Main Door?

[Stuart arthur]

can someone tell me what are the words in Latin that are above the main door to the cathedral. It will contain the words alpha and omega And refers to the end is the beginning

 

[Kathar1na]

It will contain the words alpha and omega And refers to the end is the beginning

It is not an inscription in Latin but a sculpture - known as a Chrismon - on the south portal of the Cathedral of Santiago. The Cathedral's website describes and interprets it with these words:

Starting the Pilgrimage of Life​

When you finish, leave the cathedral through the southern door, La Puerta de las Platerías. Focus on the facade. On the mullion between the arch of the two doors, there is a Crismón, a monogram of Christ. But the letters are backwards: The Alpha has changed places with the Omega. The end is at the beginning. The goal of el Camino has now started another Camino, you have started a new life.​

​

A Chrismon is a familiar motif in Christian religious art. Usually, the Greek letter alpha is placed on the left and the letter omega is on the right but it can also be inverse as in this case. As with many expressions in art, one can attribute all sorts of meanings to it. Whether the interpretation on the Cathedral's website was originally intended is anyone's guess. Here is a link to the meaning of the expression "I am the alpha and the omega" in a Christian context: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_and_Omega

During the Pilgrim‘s Mass you can often hear words to the effect that the end of your camino to Santiago is the start of the camino of your new life.

 

[henrythedog]

can someone tell me what are the words in Latin that are above the main door to the cathedral. It will contain the words alpha and omega And refers to the end is the beginning

Give us the script in Latin and we’ll be on it like a tramp on chips, as my maternal grandmother might have said.

 

[JabbaPapa]

There's an inscription :

D.O.M.
TOTIVS
HISPANIÆ
PATRONO
ET PROCE
CTORI
SACRVM
1700

https://es.dreamstime.com/detalle-de-inscripción-en-la-fachada-catedral-santiago-compostela-este-mostrando-un-signo-conmemoración-latina-image173647675

D.O.M. is Deo Optimo Maximo meaning : (In the Name of) God the most good (and) most great

Then : Dedicated to/for/in the name of the Patron and Protector Of All Spain 1700

It is an inscription for the Holy Door which was completed in its current state in 1700.

1700 was a Jacobean Holy Year.

https://amawalker.blogspot.com/2008/06/holy-years-in-santiago-de-compostela.php

This is a list of Holy Years from 1604 as supplied by the Archdiocese in Santiago:

1604 1700 1802 1909 2004 2100 2202
1610 1706 1813 1915 2010 2106 2213
1621 1717 1819 1920 2021 2117 2219
1627 1723 1824 1926 2027 2123 2224
1632 1728 1830 1937 2032 2128 2230
1638 1734 1841 1943 2038 2134 2241
1649 1745 1847 1948 2049 2145 2247
1655 1751 1852 1954 2055 2151 2252
1660 1756 1858 1965 2060 2156 2258
1666 1762 1869 1971 2066 2162 2269
1677 1773 1875 1976 2077 2173 2275
1683 1779 1880 1982 2083 2179 2280
1688 1784 1886 1993 2088 2184 2286
1694 1790 1897 1999 2094 2190 2297

 

[dick bird]

The Alpha has changed places with the Omega. The end is at the beginning. The goal of el Camino has now started another Camino, you have started a new life.

Isaiah 46.10 has: I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.

John 20.21: In my beginning is my end

Revelation 21:6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.

The theme of an end being also a new beginning is repeated in the bible.

T.S.Eliot used the words from John 20.21 as the first lines of East Coker and they are engraved on his tomb.

Or, as he wrote in Little Gidding:

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

The curious thing about Eliot´s poetry is that he never (to my knowledge) mentions pilgrimage, yet a lot of his poems refer to journeys and have a clear, strong relevance to pilgrimage and transformation.

 

[Kirkie]

It is not an inscription in Latin but a sculpture - known as a Chrismon - on the south portal of the Cathedral of Santiago. The Cathedral's website describes and interprets it with these words:

Starting the Pilgrimage of Life​

When you finish, leave the cathedral through the southern door, La Puerta de las Platerías. Focus on the facade. On the mullion between the arch of the two doors, there is a Crismón, a monogram of Christ. But the letters are backwards: The Alpha has changed places with the Omega. The end is at the beginning. The goal of el Camino has now started another Camino, you have started a new life.​

​

View attachment 161604

A Chrismon is a familiar motif in Christian religious art. Usually, the Greek letter alpha is placed on the left and the letter omega is on the right but it can also be inverse as in this case. As with many expressions in art, one can attribute all sorts of meanings to it. Whether the interpretation on the Cathedral's website was originally intended is anyone's guess. Here is a link to the meaning of the expression "I am the alpha and the omega" in a Christian context: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_and_Omega

During the Pilgrim‘s Mass you can often hear words to the effect that the end of your camino to Santiago is the start of the camino of your new life.

As ever, your sleuth credentials are impeccable. thank you. The last line of the quote from wiki is indeed the alpha and the omega.

 

[JabbaPapa]

The Α and Ω, Χ and Ρ, are of course not Latin, but Greek.

The Latin inscription is at the Holy Door, not the main entrance.

 

[Bert45]

can someone tell me what are the words in Latin that are above the main door to the cathedral. It will contain the words alpha and omega And refers to the end is the beginning

What do you mean by "the main door" to the cathedral? North, south, east, or west? Can you link to a photo or a written copy of the words you are referring to?

 

[Kathar1na]

As ever, your sleuth credentials are impeccable. thank you. The last line of the quote from wiki is indeed the alpha and the omega.

Thank you. No sleuthing this time, just calling up information stored in my memory banks that still function, sometimes to my surprise and relief.

The topic of an alpha and an omega in reverse order in connection with the Cathedral of Santiago and the end of the path being the start of a new path has come up a few times on the forum over the years, and I myself participated in one of these threads a few years ago. Just search the forum for omega and then discard the posts containing omega-3 and omega variant .

So all I had to do is make two screenshots, put them together, and add a few links and my work was done.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

So all I had to do is make two screenshots, put them together, and add a few links and my work was done.

I don't think you'll ever get all your work done @Kathar1na. Thank you for that.

 

[JabbaPapa]

There is another Latin inscription at the Holy Door :

ERA / IC / XVI / V IDUS / JULLII

This is a date given in the Roman calendar, July 11, 1078. It commemorates the laying of the first stone in the construction of that entrance.

 

[JabbaPapa]

There is another Latin inscription at the Holy Door :

ERA / IC / XVI / V IDUS / JULLII

This is a date given in the Roman calendar, July 11, 1078. It commemorates the laying of the first stone in the construction of that entrance.

Thinking about this, will 2077 and 2078 be another double Holy Year ?

Some of us may still be here to find out !!

 

[t2andreo]

What do you mean by "the main door" to the cathedral? North, south, east, or west? Can you link to a photo or a written copy of the words you are referring to?

The "Main" entry doors to the Cathedral are on the West facade, facing Plaza Obradoiro and the Raxoi Palace. Traditionally, most old churches and cathedrals were built with the altar - and celebrant - facing East.

I do not know the genus of this practice. Perhaps someone could clue me in. But, in my layman's observations over the years, it DOES seem that most Catholic and mainline Protestant churches are aligned with the altar end is on the East facing side of the church.

I accept ignorance, if someone wishes to educate me, I would appreciate it.

Thanks

Tom

 

[Bert45]

The "Main" entry doors to the Cathedral are on the West facade, facing Plaza Obradoiro and the Raxoi Palace. Traditionally, most old churches and cathedrals were built with the altar - and celebrant - facing East.

I do not know the genus of this practice. Perhaps someone could clue me in. But, in my layman's observations over the years, it DOES seem that most Catholic and mainline Protestant churches are aligned with the altar end is on the East facing side of the church.

I accept ignorance, if someone wishes to educate me, I would appreciate it.

Thanks

Tom

The reason that I asked which door the OP meant is that we cannot enter the cathedral by the main, i.e. west, door, the Pórtico da Gloria. So the south door may be now considered the main door. I was told, years ago. that churches in England were orientated east-west so that we would be facing Jerusalem when we were facing the altar. This always seemed to be nonsense, as Jerusalem is south-east of England. The angle from London is 127°, but it obviously varies from the south of England to the north of England.

 

[henrythedog]

The "Main" entry doors to the Cathedral are on the West facade, facing Plaza Obradoiro and the Raxoi Palace. Traditionally, most old churches and cathedrals were built with the altar - and celebrant - facing East.

I do not know the genus of this practice. Perhaps someone could clue me in. But, in my layman's observations over the years, it DOES seem that most Catholic and mainline Protestant churches are aligned with the altar end is on the East facing side of the church.

I accept ignorance, if someone wishes to educate me, I would appreciate it.

Thanks

Tom

Google ‘orientation of churches’ Tom, it’s all there; and you’re correct it’s common for churches to be orientated such that the object of worship - the altar - is in the east; ‘the orient’.

 

[David Tallan]

The "Main" entry doors to the Cathedral are on the West facade, facing Plaza Obradoiro and the Raxoi Palace. Traditionally, most old churches and cathedrals were built with the altar - and celebrant - facing East.

I do not know the genus of this practice. Perhaps someone could clue me in. But, in my layman's observations over the years, it DOES seem that most Catholic and mainline Protestant churches are aligned with the altar end is on the East facing side of the church.

I accept ignorance, if someone wishes to educate me, I would appreciate it.

Thanks

Tom

I expect that it is so the celebrant is facing the Holy Land. I wonder if it is different in churches east of the Holy Land.

 

[Kathar1na]

Google ‘orientation of churches’

I second this suggestion.

Or look up Wikipedia on 'Orientation of churches'. The Wiki article in English has the basics, the Wiki articles in French and German have more interesting details.

 

[t2andreo]

Thank you all for the assist. I should have Googled it first. Doh!

 

[JabbaPapa]

I expect that it is so the celebrant is facing the Holy Land. I wonder if it is different in churches east of the Holy Land.

We're not Muslims and we do not face towards material locations, except the altars in our churches.

Ad oriens is towards the Dawn, and so as much towards the Resurrection in sunrise as towards the Eternal Light of God.

I am somewhat surprised that even some well-experienced pilgrims are so confused about such basics.

 

[SabsP]

I second this suggestion.

Or look up Wikipedia on 'Orientation of churches'. The Wiki article in English has the basics, the Wiki articles in French and German have more interesting details.

Sometimes it is really easy.

Ad orientem.

Ad orientem - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[David Tallan]

We're not Muslims and we do not face towards material locations, except the altars in our churches.

Ad oriens is towards the Dawn, and so as much towards the Resurrection in sunrise as towards the Eternal Light of God.

I am somewhat surprised that even some well-experienced pilgrims are so confused about such basics.

I stand corrected. In my defence, it is not only Muslims that face east towards a physical location. Jews do, too (unless they are east of Jerusalem). And the very fact of pilgrimages shows that the Church cares about physical locations. I don't think it was farfetched to suppose there might be an orientation of worship towards the location of the Crucifixion and Resurrection.

 

[JabbaPapa]

I stand corrected. In my defence, it is not only Muslims that face east towards a physical location. Jews do, too (unless they are east of Jerusalem). And the very fact of pilgrimages shows that the Church cares about physical locations. I don't think it was farfetched to suppose there might be an orientation of worship towards the location of the Crucifixion and Resurrection.

OK I can see that, but Christian worship is not directed to places as such ; though in Eucharist, it is directed towards the Real Presence, which is physically located but not in one location only.

It's just not geographically located in one single place to the exclusion of others.

Otherwise, of course the Church cares about physical locations !! Churches just for starters !!

 

[Kathar1na]

I don't think it was farfetched to suppose there might be an orientation of worship towards the location of the Crucifixion and Resurrection.

It may not be far fetched to suppose so but the association does not exist - certainly not today and also not in the Middle Ages when most of the churches were built that are still standing and were built lengthwise with (roughly) an east-west axis.

The most common association and interpretation says that the east stands for sunrise which in turn is a symbol for the Resurrection (of Jesus) and/or the future resurrection of the faithful - also that Christ will appear from the east on Judgment Day and that the Heavenly Jerusalem aka the New Jerusalem and/or Paradise are in the east. These are ideas that medieval people were probably more familiar with than we are today.

It is not about the terrestrial Jerusalem in the Middle East.

 

[David Tallan]

It may not be far fetched to suppose so but the association does not exist - certainly not today and also not in the Middle Ages when most of the churches were built that are still standing and are built lengthwise with (roughly) an east-west axis.

The most common association and interpretation says that the east stands for sunrise which in turn is a symbol for the Resurrection (of Jesus) and/or the future resurrection of the faithful - also that Christ will appear from the east on Judgment Day and that the Heavenly Jerusalem aka the New Jerusalem and/or Paradise are in the east. These are ideas that medieval people were probably more familiar with than we are today.

It is not about the terrestrial Jerusalem in the Middle East.

That's why I was ready to stand corrected. I am not immune to being in error and quite willing to accept it the many times it occurs.

 

[Kathar1na]

This whole side discussion started with someone saying that he “was told, years ago. that churches in England were orientated east-west so that we would be facing Jerusalem when we were facing the altar. This always seemed to be nonsense, as Jerusalem is south-east of England.“

One should not believe everything that one is told or that one reads on social media.

 

[Kathar1na]

There are inaccuracies in this thread. To recapitulate:

The OP's question has been answered. The main entrance of the Cathedral of Santiago is the Platerias Portal on the south facade. This has been the main entrance for nearly two decades now. Numerous peregrin@s in this forum, probably the majority, have never known any other main entrance.

The emblem that the OP had enquired about - with the letters omega and alpha in this order - can be found above and in the middle of the set of two large double doors of the Platerias portal. It is a symbol for God who has no beginning and no end (biblical references). It is sometimes interpreted as the end of your camino is the beginning of your new camino in your life but this was not on the minds of the medieval designers and architects.

An inscription - ERA / I C / XVI / V / ILII plus some other characters - can be found on the left side of the large double door on the right. This inscription is a date, and the interpretation is controversial among current scholars and researchers.

So, when you stand in front of the portal or enter the cathedral through it, you can look up and look sideways to view these two items. Buen Camino!

 

[JabbaPapa]

The main door in every church is the one opposite to and leading to the altar, in this case the West door. This is not an "inaccuracy".

That some churches, usually Cathedrals, keep this door closed on most days does not turn any other door into the main door. Only in some cases where there is no door directly opposite the altar and/or if the church is not oriented West-East is the Western door not the main door.

 

[Bert45]

This whole side discussion started with someone saying that he “was told, years ago. that churches in England were orientated east-west so that we would be facing Jerusalem when we were facing the altar. This always seemed to be nonsense, as Jerusalem is south-east of England.“

One should not believe everything that one is told or that one reads on social media.

I respectfully refute this allegation. It was Tom (t2andreo) who started this whole side discussion in his post #13 :
But, in my layman's observations over the years, it DOES seem that most Catholic and mainline Protestant churches are aligned with the altar end is on the East facing side of the church.
I accept ignorance, if someone wishes to educate me, I would appreciate it.
My response, quoted by Kathar1na, was, post #14.

 

[Kathar1na]

I respectfully refute this allegation.

. What can I say?

Looking further back in the thread: Despite the words “Latin” instead of “Greek” and “main door” instead of “main entrance” in the thread title I knew immediately what the OP meant, namely a small part of the sculptures that decorate the main portal for visitors including pilgrims to enter and to leave the cathedral. It is on the side of the Platerias square (post #2).

I see that the OP has not logged into the forum since December 31, 2023 when he posted his question. It does not mean of course that he has not seen the 28 comments (so far) that this thread has spawned as one can read forum posts without logging into the forum …

I’ve been wondering about this the other day: With the doors of the entrance to the Portico de la Gloria being closed to the public for so many years now how many first-time peregrin@s do even know what is behind those closed doors? The Portico is not part of the facade and people cannot see it when they are looking at the cathedral from the Obradoiro square after their arrival there.

 

[JabbaPapa]

This is more or less what the Cathedral was like in the 13th Century :

 

[Perambulating Griffin]

The "Main" entry doors to the Cathedral are on the West facade, facing Plaza Obradoiro and the Raxoi Palace. Traditionally, most old churches and cathedrals were built with the altar - and celebrant - facing East.

I do not know the genus of this practice. Perhaps someone could clue me in. But, in my layman's observations over the years, it DOES seem that most Catholic and mainline Protestant churches are aligned with the altar end is on the East facing side of the church.

I accept ignorance, if someone wishes to educate me, I would appreciate it.

Thanks

Tom

The excavated ruins in Lugo give us some clue: first churches were often built using sites of previous temples and a "kind of" architectural syncretism followed from there. Indeed the apparent temple to Mithras uncovered in Lugo was used as a church and the floor plan and later arrangement are pretty much indistinguishable in terms of orientation and design to any Romanesque church with the usual alter and celebrant (or priest in our parlance) facing east, and the main entry being at the western end of the building.

 

[Kathar1na]

It is sometimes interpreted as the end of your camino is the beginning of your new camino in your life but this was not on the minds of the medieval designers and architects.

This interpretation has definitely become part of contemporary pilgrimage lore.

Whoever had been commissioned with filling the website anosantocompostelano with text did so by composing this (with thanks to Deepl.com translation):

Beginning the path of life​

​

When you finish, leave the Cathedral through the South door, the Puerta de las Platerías. Look at the façade. On the mullion, between the arches of the two doors, there is a Chrismon, symbol of Christ. But the letters are reversed: Alpha has become Omega, and vice versa. The end becomes the beginning. The end of the Way is now the beginning of another way, of the new life you are starting.​

Source: https://anosantocompostelano.org/en/ritos-del-peregrino/