Thx so much t2andreo, another question then....
Is there a botafumeiro / insence thing at the new church - Basilica of St. Francisco....
I'm not religious but for me it would be a nice/romantic ending to the camino….
Also I the movie 'the way' martin sheen... they I believe hug a statue of st jame's if I recall correctly.... Is that still possible ? true even ?
regards
No. The only Botafumeiro I am aware of is in the Cathedral. The small, hand propelled / swung devices are called "incensers" or "incenser." The Botafumeiro hung over the main altar is merely a humongous version of this, traditional handheld device for spreading incense in a church.
This said, and as mentioned above, the Cathedral HAS maintained access to the statue of Santiago behind the main altar for the "embracero." This is the ritual embrace of the apostle saint, where one thanks him for a safe arrival. Also open, is the crypt under the main altar housing the casket, containing the holy relics of Santiago.
You still access the Cathedral from the southside / Plaza de Praterias side door. You can do the embracero first, then turn to your left to descend the stairs to the crypt. Signage is good, and security personnel are present. When you exit after viewing / venerating the relics, you exit the Cathedral by the same doors you entered.
No one has been able to touch the hand print in the Portico of Glory since about 2012. So, this is out. You can take a separate tour, accessible from the outside on the west facade, to tour the newly restored Portico of Glory and SEE the hand print... no touching...
See the pdf file I posted for more information...
Hope this helps.