Medieval Pilgrimage: Santiago de Compostela and the Way of Saint James

Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain is said to house relics from the apostle St. James. In the Middle Ages Santiago de Compostela became a popular sight for pilgrimage. The church was a practical way for Medieval Christians in Western Europe to make a pilgrimage.¹ The art work of Santiago de Compostela tells stories from the life of Christ and the Passion. The route to Santiago de Compostela, known as the Way of Saint James, filled with resources to aid pilgrims on their journey.

The rising tensions between Christianity and Islam were growing in the late 9th Century CE. This would eventually culminate in the Crusades that would continue into the 13th Century.² At the end of the 10th Century Muslims raided and destroyed the Santiago de Compostela.³ Santiago de Copostela location in Muslin ruled Spain helped to influence medieval Christian’s to make a pilgrimage to the shrine. ⁴

The pilgrims to the Shrine of St. James at Santiago de Compostela lead to the construction of a network of roads, churches, and lodging for the convenience of travelers. ⁵ Churches along the way functioned as stops for pilgrims traveling the route. These churches were designed to contain the mass audiences that traveled the routes^.6 Pilgrims in the tens of thousands traveled throughout Europe to make pilgrimage. These pilgrims were drawn to churches to see the relics that they housed. Churches of the times were designed to accommodate a large number of people and to display relics. Long naves that connected to a transept lead to the apse and ambulatory-style ends of the church. These architectural features are seen at Santiago Compostela and Saint-Sernin (a church on the pilgrim route to Santiago). The ambulatory and transept act to move patrons through the church easily. Roads, lodging, hospitals, cemeteries, and other resources were built along the route to Santiago Compostela to provide pilgrims with the resources they needed along the way. Aside for the economic reasons for pilgrimages, some anthropologist suggest that embarking on pilgrimage emphasized a social transformation. Pilgrims broke from the norms of feudal life for a spiritual sense of brotherhood that continued throughout their journey. Other anthropologists claim that taking pilgrimage fulfilled the status quo. The sacred aspect of pilgrimage – the devotional and spiritual renewal – can also be seen in the landscape of the land they journeyed to. ⁷

Saint-Sernin in Toulouse (Figure 1) is a church on the Way of Saint James that leads to Santiago de Compostela.⁸ Saint-Sernin was constructed between 1080 and 1120 in a Romanesque style. The images at Saint-Sernin are “meant to be seen in a planned sequence that is related to the portal sculpture and to their architectural and ecclesiastical context within a unified programme.”⁹ The south transept portal at Saint-Sernin, known as the Porte des Comtes, features a program of images that were meant to educate incoming pilgrims. The south transept portal features eight decorated capitals that refer to biblical stories. Two capitals (to the right) tell the story of Lazarus at the table of the Rich Man. (Figure 2) The Rich Man is a representation of sin, depicted giving a two handed gesture that may imply anger and violence. Two other capitals (to the left) depict male figures tormented by demons. ¹⁰(Figure 3) The Rich Man, identified by his beard, is possibly depicted as one of the tortured men. The capitals parallel the parable of Lazarus. ¹¹

Construction of the Cathedral at Santiago de Compostela began in 1075. The Cathedral followed the plan of Saint-Sernin. ¹² Santiago de Compostela (Figure 3) is said to house artifacts from Saint James. Legend says that after Saint James was beheaded in Galicia, his disciples carried his body with a mission to lay him to rest. They asked permission of a local pagan queen to earthen his body. The queen tricks the disciples. The disciples survived the traps set by the queen. The disciples use the queen’s bulls to carry Saint James body to its legendary resting place a Santiago de Compostela. ¹³ This helped influence pilgrims to make the journey to the site. Relics (ranging from body parts to pieces of the True Cross) contained a holy power that Christians flocked to see and worship. ¹⁴

Diego Gelmirez aimed to create a cathedral that would attract a large number of pilgrims and become of symbol of piety and pilgrimage that would rival Rome. The south entrance of the cathedral was often used by monks, merchants, nobles, and the poor. The south entrance is named “Puerta de las Platerias” and it is the only door that still contains the original sculpture work. Parts from other entrances were combined with the artwork of the south portal. The south entrance consists of two arched doors with sculpted tympana and jambs. Saints sculpted from columns flank the double doors. The jambs are decorated with apostles represented in relief. Scenes from Christ’s life and the Passion are featured in the tympana. Among them scenes that depict Christ healing a blind man and the Flagellation appear on the right tympanum. (Figure 4) On the left tympanum Christ is seen being tempted by two demons next to the tree of knowledge. The Magi are also depicted on this tympanum. (Figure 5) Three themes are represented in the sculpture program at Santiago de Compostela; sin and evil, the betrayal and suffering of Christ, and ecclesiastical authority. Bishop Diego Gelmirez was the ecclesiastical figure in Santiago. His authority is shown in the tympanum at Santiago de Compestela with a hierarchy emphasizing the importance of the apostles seen on the figures from the jamb, the columns, and the frieze. The suffering of Christ is seen in the Passion scenes on the right tympanum. The betrayal of Judas is seen here, displaying the pain and cruelty of betrayal by a close and treasured friend. ¹⁵

Santiago de Compostela sits on an incline that slopes from east to west. The forced architects to create a support structure for the west side of the cathedral. It is said that the façade was left untouched until 1168 when Mateo constructed his west façade. Restoration work in the west crypt began in 1978. Damage that allowed rain water into the crypt was repaired. However, further excavation work was not allowed. J. A. Puente Miguez was able to take photographs and examine some of the works found in the crypt. ¹⁶

Santiago de Compostela features a program of sculpture and relics from Saint James that attracted medieval pilgrims. Pilgrims traveled the Way of Saint James to reach the cathedral. Pilgrimage was economically prosperous as it fostered the creation of roads and building along the route. Saint-Sernin at Toulouse is one of these Churches. The Church’s plan was the basis for the creation of Santiago de Compostela. Saint-Sernin displayed a complex series of programmed images in it capitals. Pilgrims flocked to Santiago de Compostela and to Saint-Sernin to warship throughout the Middle Ages.

1 Roger, M. B. (1960, April 22). An Archeological Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Science, New Series, Vol. 131, No. 3408, pp. 1176-1182.

2 Mayer, H. E. (1988). The Crusades. Oxford University Press, USA.

3 Santiago de Compostela (Old Town). (n.d.). Retrieved 11 26, 2011, from United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization: Whc.unesco.org

4 Davies, P., Denny, W., Hofrichter, F., Jacobs, J., Roberts, A., & Simon, D. (2011). Janson's History of Western Art. NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

5 (Roger, 1960)

6 Werckmeister, O. K. (1988). Cluny III and the Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Gesta, Vol. 27, No. 1/2, Current Studies on Clun, 103-112.

7 Stopford, J. (1994, June). Some Approaches to the Archaeology of Christian Pilgrimage. World Archaeology, Vol. 26, No. 1, Archaeology of Pilgrimag, pp. 57-72.

8 (Davies, Denny, Hofrichter, Jacobs, Roberts, & Simon, 2011)

9 Lyman, T. W. (1971). The Sculpture Programme of the Porte des Comtes Master at Saint-Sernin in Toulous. Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Vol. 3, 12-39.

10 Mathew, K. R. (2000). Reading Romanesque Sculpture: The Iconography and Reception of the South Portal Sculpture at Santiago de Compostela. Gesta, Vol. 39, No. 1, 3-12.

11 (Lyman, 1971)

12 (Davies, Denny, Hofrichter, Jacobs, Roberts, & Simon, 2011)

13 Bugarín, G. A. (1994). Aventureiros e curiosos: Relatos de viaxeiros estranxeiros por Galicia : seculos XV-XX.

14 (Stopford, 1994)

15 (Mathew, 2000)

16 Watson, C. (2000, December). A Reassessment of the Western Parts of the Romanesque Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 59, No. 4, pp. 502-521.