Posted on 01/19/2019 2:53:35 AM PST by Oshkalaboomboom
We just returned from a visit to the city of Santiago de Compestela where we went to see the newly reopened Portico of Glory at the Cathedral. We stayed at the Hostal Dos Reis Catolicos, which is a treasure in its own right and steps away from the cathedral so we could easily take the first tour of the morning.
There is good news and bad news about the Portico. The bad news is that you can no longer walk into it. It has been sealed off from the rest of the cathedral so other restoration work will not damage it (the cathedral roof, long a popular attraction, is now closed at least for this year and possibly longer, for instance). The only way you can see it is via a prescheduled guided tour. Limited tickets are available for each day and you can only buy those tickets up to 90 days in advance. If you like to queue up and take your chances they will have a limited number of free tickets for the next day available each evening, but I suspect that will be very competitive, sort of like the free meals they give out for the Parador each day.
The tour itself is about 45 minutes long. No photography of any kind is allowed and the tours are only given in Spanish. The area around the Portico is very well lit so you have no problem seeing things in detail and they do give an illustrated brochure in English that numbers each detail and gives an explanation so you can sort things out yourself. You also can't hang out when the tour is over but there are other parts of the exhibition that goes into detail on how they did the restoration where you can linger as long as you like. There is also a 4K HD video with many details of the portico and its restoration. That doesn't compare to seeing it live but it does help fill in some gaps. That's the bad news.
The good news is that even with all of those limitations the portico is a sight to behold, truly magnificent. We have been to Milan to see the restored Da Vinci's Last Supper and it pales in comparison to this. Simply spectacular and, in spite of the drawbacks, not to be missed if you are in the area.
Here is a link to a magazine that was given to us in our hotel that will give you an idea of what the portico is like. It can be made full screen and there is also an English summary of the article on page 92.
I don’t know if this history is ancient enough for you but I thought you might find it slightly interesting.
I have NO idea of what the Portico is......was there a few years ago. Did you get to see the “FUMERI...sp?) in “action”?? My Jewish Husband was ENTHRALLED! What a GLORIOUS EXPERIENCE! And all the little Confessionals.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the photo.
Fancy! Too bad about the no interior photos, I’d love to see some. Thanks O.
Here are a few more interior photos
Something else that might interest you was a program that aired on the BBC while we were in Santiago so I haven't watched it yet but it will be interesting to see how she dissects American history:
Wife and I visited several years ago. A stunningly beautiful place. Well worth the time.
Where is this? What country?
Western Spain
Fascinating!
This is the Final Destination
in the movie titled
“The Way.”
.
Correct?
Thanks.
Yes it is. The path walked in the movie is a pilgrimage route to the tomb of Saint James. Even the name of the city, Santiago, means Saint James in Spanish.
The Movie is great,,,
Just gets Me.
.
Thanks for sharing.
I watched the first half of the Lucy Worsley video.
About racist America, who really couldn’t beat the British without the French fighting for them, revisionism.
Not for FReepers.
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