Portico de la Gloria recovers its magnificence after ten years of restoration .

[Peter Fransiscus]

https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/notic...auracion/0003_201806201806281530183087655.htm

 

[SabsP]

Check. Must go back. Who will join?

 

[domigee]

Me!!! I’m leaving in less than two weeks

 

[SabsP]

Me!!! I’m leaving in less than two weeks

You lucky ducky...

 

[Bradypus]

Check. Must go back. Who will join?

Probably just you and 300,000+ close friends this year @SabineP Hope you are not too lonely

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Me!!! I’m leaving in less than two weeks

I'm a bit jealous . I don't have to be because I will be in Santiago the last week of September .

Wish you well , Peter .

 

[SabsP]

Probably just you and 300,000+ close friends this year @SabineP Hope you are not too lonely

hehe Was in Santiago in April . Guess I will see enough porticos and churches when visiting Ireland in August.
The simplicity and quietness of these places have a much greater appeal to me than the cathedral.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Many of the colours are clearly too muted, on the clothing and on the decorative non-figurative elements especially, but I must say that the work on the faces and so on is very good indeed, perhaps not perfect, but an excellent compromise between what was originally and what is expected now, including a sort of "patina" of age, no matter how artificial.

But of course, this sort of restoration work is extraordinarily expensive, and one has to remember that as far as the external walls are concerned, it's quite possible that no trace at all remains of the layer that was painted at the time, so that there is literally nothing left, not even a trace, of those original designs whether figurative or text.

All in all, I definitely prefer a restoration like this that is conservatively executed and muted instead of some bolder style that might be closer conceptually to the original colours, but perhaps overly distant from what is known of those colours as such.

The restoration certainly makes the Portico more beautiful in any case !!

 

[Devon Mike]

I will be back in SdC towards the end of August, so it will be interesting to see the west front of the Cathedral without scaffolding and also to see what I can of the Portico of Glory. Back in 2014 I went in through this entrance and got to touch the column where pilgrims have put their hand for centuries.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

The simplicity and quietness of these places have a much greater appeal to me than the cathedral.

They will most certainly.

 

[jmcarp]

After the reports and photos of the botched "restoration" in Estella, this is welcome news. Wish I could be there.

 

[Bala]

This is so beautiful. I hope to see it in person this October.

I don't think I've ever seen a medieval cathedral with its colors restored. Are there others? France? Italy? Other parts of Spain?

 

[SabsP]

This is so beautiful. I hope to see it in person this October.

I don't think I've ever seen a medieval cathedral with its colors restored. Are there others? France? Italy? Other parts of Spain?

Chartres.
http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/2496706/chartres-cathedral-restoration-in-controversy

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

The Schyven organ and Antwerp Cathedral .

 

[peregrina2000]

This is so beautiful. I hope to see it in person this October.

I don't think I've ever seen a medieval cathedral with its colors restored. Are there others? France? Italy? Other parts of Spain?

The portico in the Cathedral in Ourense is pretty beautiful -- I have read there is some support for the theory that Maestro Mateo was also involved with this one.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ourense,_catedral,_portico_Paraíso_03-09a.JPG

 

[VNwalking]

Who will join?

Me!
I'll be there next week.


And wow. They have done a fantastic job!!

 

[Kanga]

Well, from the photos it looks amazing. I'm longing to see it in person.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The last of the netting has just come down on the cathedral. The only scaffolding is on the right side of the staircase. It looks serious!

The doors are still covered with wood, so there is a bit of work still left.

 

[t2andreo]

I land at Santiago on 8 July. Plan to attend an evening Mass on Sunday. Will DEFINITELY make a stop to see and photograph the Portico. As I will be there for some six weeks in all (month volunteering at the Pilgrim Office and week +/- as tour guide for spouse), I will go back to soak it all up.

I managed to see it in 2013 on my first Camino. Of course, the rails were set so one could not get close enough to touch the pillar or place one's hand in the worn recess, as in "that movie." After 2013, the renovations to the Portico started and the areas has been covered these past four plus years.

Only 8 days to go until departure! Yippee (or 'Joepie' in Dutch/Flemish)...

 

[t2andreo]

BTW, the embedded video in the La Voz article is FABULOUS! it is great to see the colors back on the statues the way they were likely originally done, and not like a garish burlesque performer.

 

[elleley]

This is so beautiful. I hope to see it in person this October.

I don't think I've ever seen a medieval cathedral with its colors restored. Are there others? France? Italy? Other parts of Spain?

Hola!
Last year I visited the Catedral de Ourense during my Camino Sanabres where there is a fantastic Portico de la Gloria. The cathedral doesn't look like much from the outside, but one of the most beautiful I've seen inside. Worth a visit!!! Ultreia!

 

[Tom Vickers]

Leaving for Spain on Monday 2nd July to walk San Salvador, Primitivo and Fisterra. Looking forward to seeing cathedral at SDC without scaffolding.

 

[KJFSophie]

I will be back in SdC towards the end of August, so it will be interesting to see the west front of the Cathedral without scaffolding and also to see what I can of the Portico of Glory. Back in 2014 I went in through this entrance and got to touch the column where pilgrims have put their hand for centuries.

By October of 2014 it was all closed off. I did sneak past the barriers, but could not get close enough to touch the column and I was shooed out by the security after taking a few photos between the scaffolding. I walk again this fall and hope to see it all!

 

[tpmchugh]

Check. Must go back. Who will join?

Would love to but due to circumstances beyond my control it will be at least two years if ever before I can return

 

[t2andreo]

Santiago and the Portico of Glory will await your return. They have been there for nearly 1,000 years. They are not going anywhere any time soon.

 

[Tina M.]

hehe Was in Santiago in April . Guess I will see enough porticos and churches when visiting Ireland in August.
The simplicity and quietness of these places have a much greater appeal to me than the cathedral.

Sabine, when and where will you be in Ireland in August. My husband and I will be in Ireland from August 16-24.

 

[SabsP]

Sabine, when and where will you be in Ireland in August. My husband and I will be in Ireland from August 16-24.

Already back home then.Will visit the Burren, Connemara and Dublin.

 

[Tina M.]

Sounds great! We’re going to Dublin, Bunratty, Cliffs of Moher, uptheough Donagal, then flying from Londonderry to Scotland.

 

[peregrina2000]

After a few months of lines outside the cathedral lasting up to three or four hours, the Pórtico is closing once again for about 10 days.

During that time, researchers will create a high resolution set of photos for documentation purposes and they will also undertake to “encapsulate” the pórtico for preservation purposes. When it reopens, tickets will have to be bought ahead of time. No indication of what the price will be, but I would imagine it will be along the lines of the other cathedral visits, in the 10-12 € range .

I am sure that there will be some who complain about the price, and it is not cheap. But assuming that all of the ticket revenues will go to further preservation and conservation efforts, it seems like a fair quid pro quo. And, the real bonus is that you will once again be able to take your “I have arrived in Santiago” picture in the Plaza Obradoiro without that annoying long line snaking all around the lower level of the cathedral!

https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/notic...entrada-reserva-previa/0003_201809S1C5991.htm
Buen camino, Laurie.

 

[KJFSophie]

After a few months of lines outside the cathedral lasting up to three or four hours, the Pórtico is closing once again for about 10 days.

During that time, researchers will create a high resolution set of photos for documentation purposes and they will also undertake to “encapsulate” the pórtico for preservation purposes. When it reopens, tickets will have to be bought ahead of time. No indication of what the price will be, but I would imagine it will be along the lines of the other cathedral visits, in the 10-12 € range .

I am sure that there will be some who complain about the price, and it is not cheap. But assuming that all of the ticket revenues will go to further preservation and conservation efforts, it seems like a fair quid pro quo. And, the real bonus is that you will once again be able to take your “I have arrived in Santiago” picture in the Plaza Obradoiro without that annoying long line snaking all around the lower level of the cathedral!

https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/notic...entrada-reserva-previa/0003_201809S1C5991.htm
Buen camino, Laurie.

I'm not opposed to requesting a donation to contribute to preservation/restoration projects, but assigning actual prices for admission/viewing of a holy place just does not sit well in my soul. Paying to get into a church/cathedral is not something we see here in the US ( acknowledging our buildings certainly aren't close to those years of age ) I was actually shocked walking my first Camino that I had to pay to get into a place of worship. It was the same in Italy. I acknowledge that some of these cathedrals have been 'decommissioned' ,for lack of a better word, and are now run as museums. I feel if they are still functioning places of worship they should be treated as such. ( and yes, I do donate...not looking for anything for free )

 

[peregrina2000]

I'm not opposed to requesting a donation to contribute to preservation/restoration projects, but assigning actual prices for admission/viewing of a holy place just does not sit well in my soul. Paying to get into a church/cathedral is not something we see here in the US ( acknowledging our buildings certainly aren't close to those years of age ) I was actually shocked walking my first Camino that I had to pay to get into a place of worship. It was the same in Italy. I acknowledge that some of these cathedrals have been 'decommissioned' ,for lack of a better word, and are now run as museums. I feel if they are still functioning places of worship they should be treated as such. ( and yes, I do donate...not looking for anything for free )

I can understand that opinion, Sophie,

But I think that all cathedrals, at least all those I have walked by on a camino, have free entrances for people who want to pray. It is true that those free spots frequently take you into less spectacular chapels than the main deal. But I just don’t know what the alternative is, since you are probably in a distinct minority with your willingness to donate. Donativo cathedrals are going the way of donativo albergues, but I don’t know what the alternative is. The renovation of the Pórtico de la Gloria cost 6.2 million euros. https://www.libertaddigital.com/cul...-santiago-compostela-restauracion-1276621294/

And that is just the pórtico, it doesn’t include the price of any of the other cathedral renovations!

 

[domigee]

After a few months of lines outside the cathedral lasting up to three or four hours, the Pórtico is closing once again for about 10 days.

During that time, researchers will create a high resolution set of photos for documentation purposes and they will also undertake to “encapsulate” the pórtico for preservation purposes. When it reopens, tickets will have to be bought ahead of time. No indication of what the price will be, but I would imagine it will be along the lines of the other cathedral visits, in the 10-12 € range .

I am sure that there will be some who complain about the price, and it is not cheap. But assuming that all of the ticket revenues will go to further preservation and conservation efforts, it seems like a fair quid pro quo. And, the real bonus is that you will once again be able to take your “I have arrived in Santiago” picture in the Plaza Obradoiro without that annoying long line snaking all around the lower level of the cathedral!

https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/notic...entrada-reserva-previa/0003_201809S1C5991.htm
Buen camino, Laurie.

I would have loved to be able to buy my ticket ahead! I tried - and failed - to get in this year, the queues were soooooo long and periodically, some official would come and tell us ‘you still have at least 3 hours to wait’... and it was hot!
I came back in the evening around 8pm but they had closed the queue!

Never mind, next time!