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A huge number of churches and cathedrals in Europe (and the UK) charge fees to wander around in them and most do not have audio-tours. The cost of upkeep of these ancient buildings is enormous and is the responsibility of the parish, so with mounting costs and dwindling attendance, many are in serious trouble.I just never heard of paying to visit a church before and just now learned that you have to pay in Leon, Burgos and Oviedo! LOL. I learn something new every day I'm on this forum. I don't know how I missed not knowing this in all my years of researching the Camino but I did.
At least I can get over the shock now. I guess I just assumed it was free. But Kelleymac makes a good point that it does take money to keep things running. I also think the audioguides can be very informative so I do like that.
The article is about the Basilica in Lugo .Here is the link for the article I just read:
Los turistas, salvo si van a rezar, ya pagan por visitar la catedral
Preservar el entorno de recogimiento propio de la catedral y hacerlo compatible con las visitas ...www.radiocaminodesantiago.com
I'm really not sure what to think except what I'm reading can't possibly be true but I keep reading and re-reading to make sure I'm reading it correctly. My initial reaction is utter disbelief followed closely by disgust. However, I'm trying to check these emotions.
As a recent convert to Catholicism, I have not visited Rome. Do this go on there?
Canterbury waived the entrance fee when I showed my pilgrim's credential. I was invited to leave my rucksack with the security office. There's a stone in the garden that marks the starting point of the Via Francigena and an office nearby where you can get the first stamp for your VF credential (or the last stamp for my Pilgrim's Way credential). They encouraged me to enter the Cathedral and receive a blessing from the pastor on duty if I wished. All in all, it's one of the most welcoming churches that I have visited.I remember two fees though: Canterbury Cathedral was 5 pounds ($6) about 15 years ago, which seemed a lot then.
The article is about the Basilica in Lugo .
When I was in Canterbury an Australian Priest from the Cathedral took me outside to that stone and gave me blessing before I headed off on my journey. It really was something quite special - an Australian pilgrim, given a blessing, in the UK, by an Australian priest. A very special start to a special journey.There's a stone in the garden that marks the starting point of the Via Francigena and an office nearby where you can get the first stamp for your VF credential (or the last stamp for my Pilgrim's Way credential). They encouraged me to enter the Cathedral and receive a blessing from the pastor on duty if I wished. All in all, it's one of the most welcoming churches that I have visited.
I have been in the fortunate position of being able to go into the Leon Cathedral as often as I want. I remember on one Camino I was in and out probably a dozen times over a couple of days. However that privilege is now denied one unless you have a bottomless purse. That said, the audio guide provided is jam packed with information and enabled me to see that glorious building with new eyes.However, there is a charge in Leon and in Burgos.
Useful to know. That stone looks very new (on photos). I don't think it was there 15 years ago ...There's a stone in the garden that marks the starting point of the Via Francigena and an office nearby where you can get the first stamp for your VF credential (or the last stamp for my Pilgrim's Way credential).
In PISA we couldn't go into the cathedral except to pray and pay penance.Here is the link for the article I just read:
Los turistas, salvo si van a rezar, ya pagan por visitar la catedral
Preservar el entorno de recogimiento propio de la catedral y hacerlo compatible con las visitas ...www.radiocaminodesantiago.com
I'm really not sure what to think except what I'm reading can't possibly be true but I keep reading and re-reading to make sure I'm reading it correctly. My initial reaction is utter disbelief followed closely by disgust. However, I'm trying to check these emotions.
As a recent convert to Catholicism, I have not visited Rome. Do this go on there?
Small time girl welcome to the real world. Whenever I go even in a little church I leave a donation. The up keep on these places are expensive.Here is the link for the article I just read:
Los turistas, salvo si van a rezar, ya pagan por visitar la catedral
Preservar el entorno de recogimiento propio de la catedral y hacerlo compatible con las visitas ...www.radiocaminodesantiago.com
I'm really not sure what to think except what I'm reading can't possibly be true but I keep reading and re-reading to make sure I'm reading it correctly. My initial reaction is utter disbelief followed closely by disgust. However, I'm trying to check these emotions.
As a recent convert to Catholicism, I have not visited Rome. Do this go on there?
This refers to Lugo Cathedral not SantaigoThey might regret this. I know pilgrims who have delayed their trips because the cathedral is not currently having mass.
You will be reading it right. Dont loose the faith I am Catholic as well and re found my faith on the first Camino. BUT things are changing after my third Camino this year I have found a change in the air and it is not for the good. I believe the tourism department is getting involved with the Camino. Things like knowing you will get a bed as long as you get there by the time they open is not always the case now. I think some organised groups are now able to pull strings and book at Municipals now, I saw a sign on a municipal door sold out at 12.30 how can that happen.Here is the link for the article I just read:
Los turistas, salvo si van a rezar, ya pagan por visitar la catedral
Preservar el entorno de recogimiento propio de la catedral y hacerlo compatible con las visitas ...www.radiocaminodesantiago.com
I'm really not sure what to think except what I'm reading can't possibly be true but I keep reading and re-reading to make sure I'm reading it correctly. My initial reaction is utter disbelief followed closely by disgust. However, I'm trying to check these emotions.
As a recent convert to Catholicism, I have not visited Rome. Do this go on there?
Perhaps you can add "Lugo" to the title of the thread? Thanks.I'll edit the title of the thread.
I walked the VF in 2014 and wasn’t aware of the ‘starting stone, so missed it. I returned to Canterbury a couple of years later and resolved to be photographed by the aforementioned marker. To my horror, the stone had been removed just a few days earlier as it had been damaged, so all I could photograph was the bare patch of earth where it usually resides!!Canterbury waived the entrance fee when I showed my pilgrim's credential. I was invited to leave my rucksack with the security office. There's a stone in the garden that marks the starting point of the Via Francigena and an office nearby where you can get the first stamp for your VF credential (or the last stamp for my Pilgrim's Way credential). They encouraged me to enter the Cathedral and receive a blessing from the pastor on duty if I wished. All in all, it's one of the most welcoming churches that I have visited.
Oviedo is free to pilgrims. This was made clear to me at the entrance as I went to collect my del Salvador Compostella.I just never heard of paying to visit a church before and just now learned that you have to pay in Leon, Burgos and Oviedo! LOL. I learn something new every day I'm on this forum. I don't know how I missed not knowing this in all my years of researching the Camino but I did.
At least I can get over the shock now. I guess I just assumed it was free. But Kelleymac makes a good point that it does take money to keep things running. I also think the audioguides can be very informative so I do like that.
I’m kind of mixed on this. I am a Catholic and on my last Camino (Portugués)I stopped at almost every church/chapel/oratory to pray or meditate. Only in the cathedrals or basilicas did I encounter admission charges. In Tui at the Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de Tui, for example, I was free to visit and pray in the Blessed Sacrament chapel and later attend Mass. I did pay a separate fee, however to take the self guided audio tour of the rest of the cathedral, museum and cloister gardens. Same experience in Ponte Vedra. At Santiago I was happy to hug St James behind the High Altar and pray before his tomb in the crypt and attend Mass. I would hope that for valid pilgrims this would continue to be free.Here is the link for the article I just read:
Los turistas, salvo si van a rezar, ya pagan por visitar la catedral
Preservar el entorno de recogimiento propio de la catedral y hacerlo compatible con las visitas ...www.radiocaminodesantiago.com
I'm really not sure what to think except what I'm reading can't possibly be true but I keep reading and re-reading to make sure I'm reading it correctly. My initial reaction is utter disbelief followed closely by disgust. However, I'm trying to check these emotions.
As a recent convert to Catholicism, I have not visited Rome. Do this go on there?
This quote firmly sums up my thinking. Especially for Catholic Churches. I hope they keep Pope Frances away from Leon and Burgos and Lugo when he comes in 2021. I worry that people who already know the great wealth of the Church are not further turned away from God altogether when they chose to visit and are asked money to enter. And hearing Father Tim's experience at being turned away for actual mass just breaks my heart. A believer still has tools to cope with this disappointment. Someone who seeks God might feel rejected.But the Church is not a tollhouse; it is the house of the Father, where there is a place for everyone, with all their problems.
This quote firmly sums up my thinking. Especially for Catholic Churches. I hope they keep Pope Frances away from Leon and Burgos and Lugo when he comes in 2021. I worry that people who already know the great wealth of the Church are not further turned away from God altogether when they chose to visit and are asked money to enter. And hearing Father Tim's experience at being turned away for actual mass just breaks my heart. A believer still has tools to cope with this disappointment. Someone who seeks God might feel rejected.
Most of my praying will be on the path itself, visiting smaller churches along the way but it does rankle my sensibilities. Churches in the US take care of their buildings. In mine, there is a financial report in every bulletin, where we are on our giving, where we are on our budget. So in this sense and only this sense do we "pay for a seat in mass" as Mina put it.
Thanks for the “straight skinny”. This should allay fears for many.I had to read a sketchy translation several times to get that fact. But, get it I did. So, for those who did not get the memo...
THIS NEWS STORY IS ABOUT THE CATHEDRAL IN LUGO - NOT SANTIAGO.
In my global travels, I find this is a very common experience, especially in less visited places. It simply is not easily manageable in large iconic destination, like the Vatican, Notre Dame (pre-fire) or the Cathedral at Santiago.
It is necessary to raise funds for maintaining the increasingly costly ancient structures. As the number of humans (low birth rates) and Catholics (increasing secularization) diminishes over the decades and centuries, alternative revenue sources must be developed. This is a fact of life...
Let us be grateful this notion has not spread to the Cathedral proper at Santiago. For now, they DO charge to visit all the ancillary spaces and places, not directly related to prayer or the Camino experience, per se.
You must pay to visit the Museum, Library, archaeological digs under the Cathedral, the roof, the Portico of Glory, and the Archbishop's Palace.
However, access to the Cathedral proper remains free, hopefully forever.
Hope this helps.
No need to pay in any church. The cathedral in Burgos and Leon are free to enter but the museum part has a charge, just like the Vatican museums charge but the church part is free. In Burgos cathedral museum, at certain times there is a reduced rate for pilgrims and at Easter 2013, it was free on production of your credencial. The huge cathedral in Malaga has two lines. One for those wishing to view the museum part and one for those wishing to pray. Security watch for people pretending to pray and then producing cameras. An odd arrangement. Entering a church to pray will never be charged for but museums do charge, and it is the cathedral museum you are paying for, and the upkeep has to be paid for somehow. Only Britain as far as I know subsidise museums and libraries so that they are free to allI just never heard of paying to visit a church before and just now learned that you have to pay in Leon, Burgos and Oviedo! LOL. I learn something new every day I'm on this forum. I don't know how I missed not knowing this in all my years of researching the Camino but I did.
At least I can get over the shock now. I guess I just assumed it was free. But Kelleymac makes a good point that it does take money to keep things running. I also think the audioguides can be very informative so I do like that.
Was in rome last week and st peters does not charge....don't think the church is exactly short of money. As a tip visit as near to 7pm when it is virtually empty...whe we were chucked out they would have been maybe 50 people insideHere is the link for the article I just read:
Los turistas, salvo si van a rezar, ya pagan por visitar la catedral
Preservar el entorno de recogimiento propio de la catedral y hacerlo compatible con las visitas ...www.radiocaminodesantiago.com
I'm really not sure what to think except what I'm reading can't possibly be true but I keep reading and re-reading to make sure I'm reading it correctly. My initial reaction is utter disbelief followed closely by disgust. However, I'm trying to check these emotions.
As a recent convert to Catholicism, I have not visited Rome. Do this go on there?
I went into Burgos Cathedral in 2017 and 2018 and into Leon Cathedral in 2018 and we paid each time for entering and for staying in the cathedral itself (nave, side chapels etc). In Burgos, the museum part appears at the very end of the walk through the cathedral, in Leon it is separate and there is an extra fee.The cathedral in Burgos and Leon are free to enter but the museum part has a charge, just like the Vatican museums charge but the church part is free.
I was speaking of the Roman Church as a whole. Even my piddly parish gets funds from the Diocese if they fail to meet their mark. I'm sorry if you did not pick up on the fact I was referencing the Church as a whole with their billions in tithes.The great wealth of the church in Spain that you do not tire of mentioning is stuck in buildings and art. It isn't cash at all. It costs a fortune to maintain these buildings and art.
I would never suggest that, especially if I am concerned about the people who are not in a friendship with God or the Church, how they might feel facing a charge to enter. I would say any church that does refuse to care for the poor, the old and the vulnerable, and even their own building, is no longer a part of the universal church. But this comment relates not at all to the discussion so I hope others will not get too-far off topic because of it. In America, we do not rely on the government to subsidize our churches. We do have separation of church and state. This is an obvious cultural difference. Mainly because we don't have many-centuries old buildings to go and visit beyond Washington DC and if we do, it is not likely they are churches. Another difference is that income churches take in are not subject to country-wide tax. Contributions are tax-deductible.Another part of that 'wealth' goes to the elderly and the poor. Should the church stop supporting them to cater to the visitors?
Unfortunately there have been many violent attacks inside houses of worship. The 2019 Notre Dame fire was not a terrorist attack, but there was an attempted situation near the cathedral in 2016..I am also well aware of the defacing of the Cathedral in Santiago, the terrorist attack on Notre Dame but all of these attacks were done by people on the outside of the building
@kirkie: in modern usage "a person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts." which doesn't sound like you friend. Or you could try: "Philistine, one of a people of Aegean origin who settled on the southern coast of Palestine in the 12th century BCE, about the time of the arrival of the Israelites." I'm minded that Samson "killed two thousand with the jaw-bone of a mule" according to the old song. Claim ancestry if you wish.I am a bit of a Philistine. Not exactly sure what that means, by the way.
Go through the doors at the side by the steps and fountain. They take you into the Burgos cathedral for prayer and Mass. In 2016, the Holy Door was open as well. Obiviously, this part of the cathedral is open to all at all times. The doors in the main square down from the ticket office take you into the basement museum which has a fee . As I said, the day I went in back in 2013 (Holy Thursday), it was free to pilgrims between 3 and 5pm. The only time I went into Leon was a Sunday morning Mass and I just followed the crowd. The only church I spent money in, other than to light candles, was the church in Navarette where you can pop a euro in the slot and the magnificent altar and sanctuary are lit up.I went into Burgos Cathedral in 2017 and 2018 and into Leon Cathedral in 2018 and we paid each time for entering and for staying in the cathedral itself (nave, side chapels etc). In Burgos, the museum part appears at the very end of the walk through the cathedral, in Leon it is separate and there is an extra fee.
There are no entry fees in Burgos for visits on Tuesday afternoon.
In Burgos, there are two side chapels that are permanently reserved for personal prayer and liturgical celebrations. I don't know how this is organised in practical terms. ArtiSplendore is involved with ticketing etc, it's the same company as for the cathedral in Lugo.
These are extraordinary places - places of worship but also places of extraordinary history with extraordinary art and extraordinary visual expressions of the Christian faith.
Current fees:
Web Oficial de la Catedral de León - Visitas
Web Oficial de la Catedral de Leónwww.catedraldeleon.org Catedral de Burgos. Pagina Oficial | Precios de Entrada
Catedral de Burgos. Patrimonio de la Humanidad. Pagina Oficialcatedraldeburgos.es
We were just in Oviedo and Lugo a month ago if you show you pilgrim passport they let us in free in Oviedo and Lugo.I just never heard of paying to visit a church before and just now learned that you have to pay in Leon, Burgos and Oviedo! LOL. I learn something new every day I'm on this forum. I don't know how I missed not knowing this in all my years of researching the Camino but I did.
At least I can get over the shock now. I guess I just assumed it was free. But Kelleymac makes a good point that it does take money to keep things running. I also think the audioguides can be very informative so I do like that.
I visited Rome last year and we didn't pay to go in any cathedral. I think this is unique to Spain. Also saddens me. I paid 40 euro to go to la Sagrada. Granted it's a huge tourist attraction. I had a really really really hard time being allowed to sit in the silent section to pray. They kept saying tourists not allowed. I've overall found Spain to be the least friendly country I've ever visited. hUGe bummer! I keep hoping that will shift but so far it's been hard on many levels and being kicked out of churches on a pilgrimage is a little heartbreaking.Here is the link for the article I just read:
Los turistas, salvo si van a rezar, ya pagan por visitar la catedral
Preservar el entorno de recogimiento propio de la catedral y hacerlo compatible con las visitas ...www.radiocaminodesantiago.com
I'm really not sure what to think except what I'm reading can't possibly be true but I keep reading and re-reading to make sure I'm reading it correctly. My initial reaction is utter disbelief followed closely by disgust. However, I'm trying to check these emotions.
As a recent convert to Catholicism, I have not visited Rome. Do this go on there?
Here is the link for the article I just read:
Los turistas, salvo si van a rezar, ya pagan por visitar la catedral
Preservar el entorno de recogimiento propio de la catedral y hacerlo compatible con las visitas ...www.radiocaminodesantiago.com
I'm really not sure what to think except what I'm reading can't possibly be true but I keep reading and re-reading to make sure I'm reading it correctly. My initial reaction is utter disbelief followed closely by disgust. However, I'm trying to check these emotions.
As a recent convert to Catholicism, I have not visited Rome. Do this go on there?
Hi there lizlane, this is a very sad development of churches here in Spain. I live here in Rioja Alta, which is where Santo Domingo de la Calzada is located. I moved to La Rioja just a few years ago, but I first came here in May/June of 1994 to celebrate "San Juan del Monte" in Miranda de Ebro, a town in Burgos province on the banks of the Upper Ebro River. I remember back then I took an excursion with my Mirandés friends to Rioja Alta and we stopped in Santo Domingo d.l. C. and we visited the cathedral there. That's the cathedral with a chicken in a cage, and back then it was free. That was of course 25 years ago, but last year I wanted to go inside and realized you had to pay to get in. I said "no thanks". This last December I spent a few days in the old town of Burgos just before Christmas with my wife and kid. Burgos of course boasts Spain's very first and thus oldest gothic cathedral; it's a magnificent and stunning temple, but I wanted to go inside and have a look around just to admire the arquitecture, but of course you must pay to do a tour, can't go in there just like that even if you're a believer. I sarcastically asked the employees at the counter "must I pay to enter the house of God?" If you want to attend mass or say you want to, you can enter through the main portal, and to the left inside the cathedral there is a side chapel where local Catholics attend mass on Sundays, HOWEVER, access to the main parts of the cathedral are closed, you can only access the entrance area to look at it from a distance or access the side chapel to attend mass. I guess they only use the main altar for "big shows"Here is the link for the article I just read:
Los turistas, salvo si van a rezar, ya pagan por visitar la catedral
Preservar el entorno de recogimiento propio de la catedral y hacerlo compatible con las visitas ...www.radiocaminodesantiago.com
I'm really not sure what to think except what I'm reading can't possibly be true but I keep reading and re-reading to make sure I'm reading it correctly. My initial reaction is utter disbelief followed closely by disgust. However, I'm trying to check these emotions.
As a recent convert to Catholicism, I have not visited Rome. Do this go on there?
Don't feel guilty Rappahannock, enjoy the privilege as a member of the company :-D LOL!!! Cheers.In 2012, on my first walking Camino, when I arrived in Burgos I made sure of my sleeping arrangements and then made a bee-line for the Cathedral. I was eager to tour it. I'd toured it once before, as a young train-ridin', backpackin', tourista in 1977, and remembered it vividly.... (BTW: in 1977 I found it awe-inspiring -- and very quiet -- and largely empty -- and there was no entrance fee charged.)
Anyway, in 2012 I lumbered into the entrance/gift shop/whatever. I wasn't toting my mochilla, but was very obviously a peregrino. I fully expected that there would be some sort of fee to pay this time, and so had my wallet out. Ah, but I was also wearing my clerical collar! ... The man behind the counter looked me up-and-down and asked, "Are you really a priest?" Surprized, I said that I was. He waved away my attempt to pay, saying "Just go in, Father. And welcome! Please pray for Espana." Which, you can bet, I did.
So I paid no entrance fee. ... And you know what? I've felt guilty about not paying ever since.
Never gonna make that mistake again. Certainly not when I tour it again in September, and pray once more for Espana.
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