• For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)
  • ⚠️ Emergency contact in Spain - Dial 112 and AlertCops app. More on this here.

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Whatever happened to...Diego Gelmirez?

Priscillian

Veteran Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Frances 1999, Aragones 2000, Desde Le Puy 2002, Portuguese 2009, hoping RDLP 2014
If anyone is interesting in helping me do some "digging" in Santiago I am currently trying to find out what happened to the body of Diego Gelmirez, the first archbishop of Santiago who was primarily responsible for the building of the Romanesque cathedral.

You would think, being the enormously ambitious, powerful and influential man that he was, that he would have left wishes to be buried in "his" cathedral as was his first patron King Alfonso VI of Leon and Castilla. But no. No trace. Seemingly nothing written in any of the literature either English or Spanish.

Now I know that he was not very popular with the Burguers of Compostela, but you would think that his own Canons would have found a place for him? But it would appear they didn't.
What I would like to know is why not, and where was he buried (and by whom)?

Tracy Saunders
http://www.pilgrimagetoheresy.blogspot.com
 
Join our full-service guided tour and let us convert you into a Pampered Pilgrim!
On the Xacobeo program for 2010:

Santiago e Europa. La Historia de Diego Xelmirez. International travelling exhibition about the Galician bishop who played a key role in building Romanesque Europe.

•Paris: Musée des Monuments Français (March to May)
•Rome: Braccio di Carlomagno, Piazza di San Pietro (June to August)
•Santiago de Compostela: (September and October)

And, a novel:
A ROMARÍA DE XELMÍREZ
OTERO PEDRAYO, RAMÓN
EDITORIAL GALAXIA, S.A.
A novela da viaxe histórica que o bispo Diego Xélmirez realizou a Roma no ano 1104. A romaría de Xelmírez pertence á serie de novelas historicas que Otero publicou entre 1930 ...

And a biography (or 2)

A vida e o tempo de Diego Xelmírez / R. A. Fletcher, translation from Henrique Monteagudo and María Xesús Lama
Authors: Monteagudo, Henrique / Lama, M ª Xesús / Fletcher, R. A
Publication: Vigo: Galaxy, Cop. 1993
Subjects: Xelmírez, Diego - Biography

Diego Gelmírez
by Anselm Gordon Biggs.
Series: Catholic University of America, studies in medieval history
Language: English
Pagination: 398p. ;
Subject: Gelmírez, Diego, — d. 1140.
 
I was surprised that I was not able to find anything in my library about him. In that he died on the eve before Easter while at Santiago, I am surprised that he is not buried there. What in intriguing hunt for an answer.
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Thanks, Sil, for the info. The Life and Times of Diego Gelmirez is available online in English at The Library of Iberian Resources and what a fascinating read it is. I am trying to find the Gordon Biggs work but so far with not much success.
Michael: I am convinced that Diego dying on Easter Eve was just another example of the stage managing that he was so good at. Only he could "one up" the resurrection!
If you think this is intriguing, just wait til you read about how he stole (um...sorry..."translated") the relics from Braga right under the bishop's nose! You gotta love the man. See blog next week...
http://www.pilgrimagetoheresy.blogspot.com
 

Most read last week in this forum

The Galicia Rail pass is available to anyone who completes the Camino and is awarded the completion certificate. It allows for 3 days of train travel and also discounts to other places you may...
Has anybody recently volunteered at the Pilgrim office for the 15 day timeframe? Where did you stay in Santiago?
For those who are in Santiago 🙏🏻

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top