pilgrims

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I looked through my pictures and found the ones below which I haven't published yet. The current from the ground up project allows me to show the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela , situated in the city of the same name in Galicia, Spain. The cathedral is the reputed burial-place of Saint James the Great, one of the apostles. It is the destination of the Way of St. James , a major historical pilgrimage route since the Middle Ages.

A bit of history: the tomb of the apostle St James was discovered at the beginning of the ninth century and Kings Alfonso II and Alfonso III erected churches and founded monasteries. The cult of Santiago, however, had aroused the distrust of the Muslim vizier, Almanzor, who razed Compostela to the ground in 997 and took the bells off to Cordoba. Pilgrimage then reached the height of its popularity and Alfonso VI began construction of the Romanesque cathedral in 1075.

The cathedral was completed in 1211. The city and its cathedral, churches and monasteries were renovated during the Baroque period (17th century) to give them the appearance they have today. Source

When we visited the church, there was a big show by performance ice sculptors called "Fear no Ice"(check out the link for pictures of their amazing ice sculptures): they were working on reproducing parts of the cathedral's façade to the sound of party music. It was a great show - free of charge- to watch from the plaza.

And finally a look at St James from the ground up:

and after some editing we can see the apostle more closely:

Please note the scallop shell over his head, which has long been the symbol of the St James' Way.

For more pictures from the ground up visit JFargo's "My World in Pictures"