CULTURAL SANTIAGO

SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA - MARCH 2007

This is the last post dedicated to the 2007 visit to Santiago de Compostela. Further to the Cathedral and the churches, Santiago has a public University founded in the early 16th century. With more than 2,000 teachers, over 40,000 students, and more than 1,000 people working in administration and services, it's an important institution in town and contributes to a highly developed cultural life in Santiago. To trust the Galician writer Camilo José Cela, «In Spain there are two cities: Santiago and Salamanca. The rest are but camps»...


"COLEXIO DE FONSECA - We have already seen on the last post the incredible Alonso III de Fonseca, archbishop of Santiago from 1507 through 1523, posing as if he was already talking at a mobile phone in the early sixteenth century; on this picture we see the altarpiece-like façade of the first building belonging to the University of Santiago"


"SCHOOL OF MEDICINE - Walking with the wall of the Hostal de Los Reyes Católicos on your left hand side one reaches the huge building of the School of Medicine"


"GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY - The building of the school of Geography and History was built in the 18th century and is the most impressive building of the University of Compostela"


"CONVENTO DE LA ENSINANZA"


"COMEDOR - The canteen of the South Campus"


"CASA DE EUROPA - The House of Europe is a university residence to lodge teachers from other universities, as they come to Santiago, in order to join the teaching and research activities"


"WEIRD - Near the Casa da Europa, I wonder what this could be..."



"GALICIAN CENTRE OF CONTEMPORARY ART - Designed by the Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, it means a breath of fresh air in a city focused on the old and the ancient. Works by contemporary Galician artists and splendid views of the city's old town from the balconies are to be seen at this impressive building"


"SURREAL SANTIAGO"


"TUNA at the south campus of the University!



"STREET SCULPTURES"


"SCULPTURE AND AUDITORIUM OF GALICIA"


"LUIS SEOANE - A Galician born artist that lived some time in Argentina. Having returned to Galicia in 1960, he was an important member of the movement to revive Galician culture"


"LAS DOS IN PUNTO (The two o'clock ladies) - These two a bit crazy sisters - Maruxa and Coralia - allegedly orphans of the Civil war, always went out for a walk at 2:00 p.m. Dressed in very bright colours and with heavy make-up, they used to flirt with students passing by after their morning classes. The statues, created after their death, pay homage to two typical characters of Santiago"


"VALLE-INCLAN - Ramón María del Valle-Inclán y de la Peña, a member of the Spanish Generation of 98(1898), was a dramatist and novelist with an important place in Spanish literature"

PARIS - DAKAR

SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA - MARCH 2007

Santiago is mostly known for its Cathedral and for the famous pilgrimage on the Camiño. But being also a city with around 40,000 students (in a population of roughly more than 90,000 people) and more than 200 bars there is much more to do than just strolling around the churches. The weekend starts on Thursday as many students head home at weekends, and the most famous of the nightlife routes is the Paris-Dakar race! It starts at Bar Paris at the top of Rua Franco and ends at Bar Dakar on Rua de Raiña, after stops in all of the 48 bars that make The Way through pulpo a feira (thinly sliced octopus) and Albariño (white sparkling wine)!


"QUINTANA MORTOS - On the eastern side of the Cathedral we find the Praza Quintana, where the «Porta Santa» (Holy Door) nay be found. It's a two level square and the lowest side used to be facing a cemetery, thus the name «Quintana Mortos» (Quintana=door or square Mortos=Dead); it will be the starting point of our tour of the rúas (streets) of historic Santiago!


"COLEXIO FONSECA - At the beginning of Rua do Franco we find the Fonseca College. It was commissioned by Alonso III de Fonseca, archbishop of Santiago from 1507 through 1523, and has been used by the University since 1544. It houses now the General Library, but I would say that its most particular feature is the statue of Fonseca in the courtyard, posing as if he was already talking at a mobile phone in the early sixteenth century; man of great vision... :-)"


"RUA DO FRANCO is the street running off the Cathedral Square to the right as you look at it, and got its name from the Franks that once used to live there. Bars and restaurants abound"


"CASCO VIEJO - Side street"


"NARROW ALLEY"


"PILGRIM (?) - (Makes his life from charging tourists for the photo; similar to the dentist at Djemaa El Fna...)"


"TAPAS"


"PIMIENTOS DE PADRON - Unos pican, otros non... (some are hot, others not)"


"LAMPREYS - Just imagine a Portuguese lamprey rice!"


"PRAZA DO TOURAL - It's probably not one of the most impressive squares in Santiago, but the 18th century Pazo de Bendaña is an interesting building. It houses now a museum dedicated to the surrealist artist Eugenio Granell"



"RUA DO VILAR - Another of the nice streets in the historical centre of Santiago"


"TYPICAL HOUSE"


"CASA DE LA BALCONADA - A building from the second half of the 18th century, now housing services from the University of Santiago. It takes its name from the balustrade we may see in the picture"


"RUA NOVA"


"CASA DA TROIA - This museum is a reconstruction of the old late 19th-century students lodgings immortalized in the novel La Casa de la Troya by Pérez Lugín. It holds a collection of furniture, photographs and documents that belonged to some of the characters in the book, who were all actually existing people"


"WINDOWS"


"FOOD MARKET - Built in 1941"


"RUA DOS LOUREIROS"


"QUINTANA VIVOS - Back to Quintana, this time to the Vivos (Alive), the top level of the Square. It includes the Casa da Parra (the one with the flags), a late 17th century building now used as an exhibition hall. Its name derives from the bunches of grapes (parra) that ornate both sides of its door"

SANTIAGO'S CHURCHES

SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA - MARCH 2007

The Cathedral is of course the most impressive building in Santiago de Compostela. Anyhow, even in religious terms, Santiago has much more to offer. This post, strolling through the city, shows just a small part of the forty six churches one may find there!


"ST. JAMES reputedly appeared to Christian soldiers in their battle to re-conquer land from the Moors and became known as «Matamoros». A small chapel was built on the site where his remains were discovered which developed into today's Cathedral"


"SAINT MARTIN PINARIO - There was some competition in terms of monumentality between the Cathedral and the early 16th century Monastery of San Martin Pinario, one of Spain's largest religious buildings and one of the most impressive examples of the baroque in Compostela. The monastery, founded by a group of Benedictines and built over a medieval cloister, has a 100m long main façade, just in front of the north façade of the cathedral and of a small garden. Four Doric columns, an image of Saint Benedict in the centre and an upper structure showing the coat of arms from Spain occupy the main door. The image of Saint Martin from Tours on horseback sharing his cloak with a poor, representing Christ, was added by Fernando de Casas y Novoa in the 17th century"


"THE PLATERESQUE FAÇADE - On the eastern side, a flight of steps goes downwards to an impressive Plateresque façade from the late 16th century composed like an altarpiece, with statues and relief's"


"THE ALTAR - The church is an exceptional museum of baroque art, and its gold decorated main altar, also with a design of Casas y Novoa, one of the most impressive masterpieces"


"SAN FRUTUOSO is a Churrigueresque 18th century church. The façade, seen here from the terrace of the Hostal de los Reyes Catolicos, shows «Our Lady of Las Angustias» over the main door"


"SANTA MARIA SALOME is one of the churches commissioned by Archbishop Xelmirez in the 12th century. Dedicated to the mother of the Apostle, only the front remains from the original building. The baroque tower is from the 18th century"


"SAN BIEITO DO CAMPO is a single tower, single nave, 18th century neoclassical church in the middle of Plaza Cervantes. It is now on the site of a 10th century church, rebuilt by Archbishop Xelmirez in the 12th century..."


"UNIVERSITY CHURCH - The 17th century baroque Church of Compañia was built by the Jesuits, but became the University chapel at the end of the 18th century when the order was expelled. The statues of St. Ignatius and St. Francis Xavier on the façade were disfigured to represent St. Peter and St. Paul"


"SAINT AGUSTIN CHURCH was built in the 17th century in the baroque style, near the market. It was supposed to have two towers but one of them was never built"


"SAN BENTO CHURCH"


"THE CHURCH OF THE ANIMAS (THE SOULS, 1784) has some impressive Ionic columns in the neoclassical façade, where a terracotta bas-relief depicting souls burning in the Purgatory is probably its most outstanding feature"


"SANTA MARIA DEL CAMINO - This church, finished around 1770 by Ferro Caaveiro, was rebuilt in the baroque style to substitute the old one from the Romanesque period"


"SAN DOMINGOS DE BONAVAL is a 14th century baroque church with some Romanesque elements (The monastery was allegedly founded in 1220 by Santo Domingo de Guzman). Inside the church, the Pantheon of Illustrious Galician keeps the mortal remains of outstanding personalities, like the poet Rosalía de Castro"


"SANTA CLARA - The 17th century baroque convent has its origins in a 13th century structure"


"THE CARME CONVENT is an austere and discreet 18th century baroque convent near Santa Clara, featuring the unusual granite masonry that defines the façade"


"SAN FRANCISCO - The convent was founded by St. Francis of Assisi during his visit in 1214. However, what remains from the original building are only five gothic arches in the cloister and the tomb of Cotolay, the legendary builder of the convent. The present baroque construction was built between 1742 and 1749"



"CASA DO CABIDO - The Chapterhouse at Praza de Praterias is not a building but a three metre deep ornamental façade made in the 18th century for purely decorative purposes. The aim was to enhance the theatrical effect of the square. It stands in three heights, topped by a balustrade adorned with references to St. James"



"CATHEDRAL - Anywhere you go, the massive Cathedral imposes its presence!"