Travel Guide Santiago De Compostela (Saint James Of Compostela)

The capital of Galicia has a population of around 96,000. After Jerusalem and Rome, it is also the third Holy City and the ultimate goal of the long walks of countless pilgrims since the Middle Ages. The origin of this city is a legend: that of the apostle Saint James, disciple and close friend of Jesus Christ, who came in person to preach the Gospel in the distant Roman province of Hispania. On his return to Palestine, he was beheaded by Herod. His remains, deposited by a group of disciples in a boat, are said to have miraculously washed up at the mouth of the river Ulla, near Iria Flavia (the present-day Padrón, 30 km south of Santiago). Forgotten, the precious ark was discovered by a hermit in the year 813, on the campus stellae (field of the star), illuminated by a divine light. And it is there that history takes its course: informed of the discovery, King Alfonso II hastened to have a basilica built - on the site of the current cathedral - and proclaimed Saint James (Santiago), patron saint of the kingdom. The site immediately became a major pole of attraction for European Christianity, which was then seriously threatened by the Muslim invasion. With the emblem of the scallop shell, the medieval world in crisis rediscovers its faith. Thousands of pilgrims flocked from all over Europe, giving rise to various routes to Santiago. Much later, these pilgrimages also took on a tourist or spiritual character The cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is sumptuous; its medieval town, made up of palaces, arcaded houses, Romanesque and Baroque churches, in a profusion of golden granite, is among the best preserved in Europe. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985, the very holy Compostela is not only steeped in mysticism. It is also an important university crossroads: more than 30,000 students flock there every year, adding to the ambient fervour a very lively cultural and nightlife life, notably the Calle do Franco and its succession of small bars.