Discover Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is Galicia’s city of reference. Its great urban and monumental beauty, together with the spirituality that comes with being the most important pilgrimage sanctuary in the Middle Ages, determined that it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985.
Since the late 17th century, the streets of Santiago’s old town were completely paved with Galician granite. The stone is present in the city in many different shapes and forms. While you walk, you will be able to admire the beauty of its slabs, churches, convents, palaces, staircases and porches carved in locally carved stone.
Old Town
Walking around the old town of Santiago, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, allows you to discover the city’s charm. On streets like Rúa do Franco, Rúa Nova or Rúa do Vilar, with its porches, you can find many unique shops and restaurants, where you can enjoy the famous and highly valued Galician gastronomy. The fact that the city has been one of the main religious destinations in Europe since the Middle Ages has resulted in the development of many religious monuments of great value that are still standing, such as the Benedictine Monastery of San Martín Pinario, one of the most important in Spain; the Convent of Santa Clara and churches like the Church of San Fructuoso or the Church of As Ánimas.
Local culture
Hotel Carrís Casa de la Troya is partly built on the famous Casa de la Troya, an emblematic building in Santiago de Compostela that is famous for being the place where the work of the famous writer Alejandro Pérez Lugín takes place. For the past century, this building shares the same history as the city. In the year 2000, in acknowledgement to its cultural dynamism and its diffusion of culture throughout history, the city received the honorary title of European Capital of Culture.
The Way of St. James
The Way, whose most famous itinerary begins in Roncesvalles, is a long route of personal overcoming and discovery. After the different stages, the pilgrims finish their journey in Santiago, where there is a meeting filled with emotion and satisfaction. The French Way of St. James is the most popular and most traditional route of the Way, hosting pilgrims from around the world. Thousands of people travel there every year for this unique experience, shared along the way with people from different countries and cultures, for religious or personal reasons.
The Cathedral
The Cathedral of Santiago, the main landmark on Plaza del Obradoiro, is a destination for tourists and pilgrims who arrive at the city via the different pilgrimage routes. The construction of this Romanesque gem began in the year 1075 and in 1986 it was declared a Historical-Artistic Monument. You can enjoy the cathedral’s unique beauty just by entering it. Every Friday throughout the year, during the 7.30pm mass, you can admire its famous censer, the botafumeiro, which operates as a “Pilgrim Offering”. Around the cathedral, the squares of Obradoiro, Quintana, Azabachería or Platerías become meeting places for pilgrims, tourists and locals.
