A few nice Pilates book images I found:
A Vegetarian Invented the UFC MMA BJJ Ultimate Fighting Brazilian JiuJitsu Gracie Barra – Gracie Diet – Not Paleo Lowcarb Crossfit Fad Scam – 8
Image by UFC MMA BJJ ULTIMATE FIGHTER CAGE FIGHTING INFO
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was invented by a Vegetarian. His name is Rorion Gracie. It is the origin of octagon cage fighting and modern mixed martial arts as we have come to know it today in the octagon. The vegetarian also created the practice of cage fighting in an Octagon, the octagon was also invented by the vegetarian.
You may have heard of Gracie Jiujitsu. This was invented by Rorion Gracie’s father, Helio Gracie, of the Gracie Family, the forefather of Gracie Barra. Helio Gracie, the inventor of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu GJJ was also a vegetarian.
Uncle Carlos is Carlos Gracie, brother of Helio Gracie, a vegetarian and that is who developed BJJ, Brazialian Jiu Jitsu. BJJ is a must-learn technique for every MMA fighter in the UFC today, if not in the world. That is, if they want to win, the meat-eater had better learn what was invented a hundred years ago by a Vegetarian man or they won’t last the ring.
Pollo-Vegetarian Royce Gracie also won the very 1st UFC #1! And the vegetarian had to fight those who weighed up to 250+ pounds! Not only did he beat all the other meat-eaters, he beat all the other meat-eaters in 1 night!
And then to prove it wasn’t an accident, he did it again! A vegetarian also won UFC #2 and vegetarians have been dominant in the UFC ever since, though you may not know it just like you probably didn’t know vegetarians invented it.
Vegetarian Mac Danzig beat all the other meat-eaters to take the belt on THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER. Danzig is not just vegetarian, he is vegan, and he was the largest, most massive muscular man on the entire show.
Vegetarian Nick Diaz also won THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER. So did Nate Diaz, also a vegetarian. The StrikeForce middleweight champion Jake Shields is a vegetarian. Heavyweight Frank Mir ate vegetarian at 280 pounds. Randy Couture beat 6 foot 8 Tim Sylvia and Couture trains on an alkaline plant-based diet. The EliteXC martial arts belt holder is a vegetarian. UFC fighter Aaron Simpson is a vegetarian. Jon Fitch ranked #2 in the world at the current time is vegetarian. Ben Saunders MMA fighter is a Vegetarian. Luke Cuomo who made it to the semi-finals and the finals on The Ultimate Fighter eats vegetarian. WEC champion Urijah Faber trains on a plant-based diet. MMA fighter Kyra Gracie is vegetarian. Ryron Gracie of the Gracie Mixed Martial Arts clan is vegetarian.
Penny Thomas, the world Brazilian Jiujitsu womens champion is vegetarian. Nicolas Gregorades of the Jiujitsu Brotherhood fighting academy is virtually all vegetarian. Shanti belha, 2-time world Brazilian Jiujitsu fighting champion is vegetarian. Ahmed El Ghandouri, Brazilian Kiujitsu Black Belt is a vegan.
Dave Meyer of the American BJJ Academy and a blackbelt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Machado–is vegetarian.
The original ultimate fighters the roman Gladiators were mainly vegetarian. Kung Fu was developed by the Shaolin Monks who were vegetarian. The very Art of Martial Arts itself was invented by Bodhidharma who was from India, and was a vegetarian.
Bellator Fighting Championships Ricardo Moreira is a vegan. Eric the Bengal Castile, in the UFC is a vegetarian. Heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson is now a vegan. StrikeForce fighter and NFL Football player and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker is a vegetarian. The Dream3 Grand Prix Fighting championship belt is owned by a vegetarian.
The TITAN Fighting Championships fight winner Jason High is a vegetarian. Vegetarians are now ranked in the top 2,3,and 5 spots in the best p4p in the world in the UFC welterweight division, meaning that vegetarians hold 66% of the top rankings in the UFC’s welterweight division. Antonio McKee who established Rampage Jackson’s Gym is a vegan. AKC trains vegetarian UFC fighters. Noah Hannibal "The VEGAN TANK" is a vegetarian powerlifter who beat all his other opponents and took gold in the Australian Powerlifting championships. MMA Fighter Dale Hart is a vegetarian and has an unblemished 5 and 0 record. All wins.
MMA fighter Erik Purcell is a vegetarian. The vegetarian Purcell just beat 6 foot 6 inch Aaron Skates at the Reality Fighting Championships. King of the Cage fighter Tom Kenny is vegetarian.
UFC Heavyweight contender Shane Carwin is now training vegan. Heavyweight 120kilogram Jan Muller is vegetarian. JiuJitsu champion Henry Atkins is vegan. MMA Fighter Georgi Krakhanyan is vegetarian.
Finland fighter Harri Nieminem is vegetarian. So is James WIlks, vegetarian UFC fighter from England in the UK.
And many more. You probably didn’t realize that so many UFC fighters and current belt holders and MMA champions were vegetarians, because they are often not preachy about it and don’t make it known, but they have recognized the best most-athletic and muscular endurance diet for athletes and UFC fighters is plant-based vegetarian and vegan. Your cardio power shoots through the roof. You can out-last, out-hit, and out-muscle other opponents who don’t know what hit them. Plus, nobody wants meat-eaters to find out that a vegetarian diet is better, that’s like giving away the secret, so vegan and vegetarian fighters sometimes keep tight lipped and let meat eaters continue to post and convince all the others that meat or steak is what you need before a fight, that way their opponents will gas, get tired out, be weak and not have any strength, and once again lose do to a meat-based diet. Lowcarb is even funnier since you can actually get opponents to go around eating bacon, sausage, and piles of fat and get them loaded down, obese, and likely to fall over, that is if they even make weight. Likewise the Paleo Diet has now been found fake and scientifically wrong, proven wrong by actual Paleontologists. Turns out the original discoverer of Australopithecus, a real paleontologist revealed man’s ancient ancestors were vegetarian, including Australopithecus africanus, Paranthropus boisei, Ardipithecus ramidus, all vegetarian ancestors of man that came millions of years BEFORE paleo man. Turns out the Paleo Diet was fabricated by a "gym teacher" who was not even a paleontologist and was never on even 1 archeological dig.
The Paleo Diet was ranked 24th by experts in nutrition, problem is there were just 24 in the list for review, which means The Paleo Diet came in LAST place, the worst diet of all. –Yes, the Paleo Diet was found deficient, pseudo-scientific nonsense made to appear like it was scientific, and the Paleo Diet lost and landed in last place as the worst. This is also a reason why crossfit has become the laughing-stock of the athletic and fitness world, akin to the shake-weight of fitness. Or the mullet. Crossfit fitness centers often have what’s called a "puke bucket" lying around. They like to claim this as somehow being proof that their workouts of little light burpees and things is ‘so tough’ but really it’s just because crossfit people start eating the Paleo Diet and it tastes so bad and is so horrible for fitness and athletes that they vomit it back up. All kinds of partially digested meat and so forth, right there in the gym when they work out. Didn’t know this? Do a search for "Crossfit Puke Bucket" you’ll see it. They even wear T-shirts bragging about puking on it in crossfit, because the paleo diet tastes so bad. Imagine how much worse it tastes on the way back up. Robb Wolf recommending sausages and things. Great for sausage-lovers probably, but not real ironmen or mma fighters or real athletes.
Crossfit is pretty much like ladies’ pilates. MovNat is like having someone come over and do your housework, carrying out the trash, and mopping up the bathroom for you. In any case, the foods recommended by the gym teacher who peddled the Paleo Diet were found nutritionally deficient, and Paleo Diet foods have now been linked to colorectal cancer (cancer of the butt). This is why Paleo and Crossfit have become ridiculed as ‘so silly not even a caveman did it’. Referring to the fact that the Paleo Diet told to people in the books is NOT even what paleolithic man turned out to eat. For instance, on a real paleo diet, you’d have to eat maggots in your meat, afterall, paleo man scavenged putrifying meat. Also you can’t refrigerate your meat, on a paleo diet, then you’ll need to keep your meat outside, in the hot sun, because paleo man originated in Africa. So on Paleo you’ll need to eat luke warm rotted meat, brimming with botfy maggots in it. Oh, and you can’t drink treated disinfected water, cavemen didn’t have tapwater out of faucets, sorry. Nor bottled water. So if you’re on paleo you’ll have to drink out of some watering-hole where animals wash themselves.
Drinking feces ound delicious? If you think so, then Paleo is for you. Just don’t expect girls or the ladies to be around you because unlike vegetarians, men on a Paleo Diet it’s been shown to cause horrible B.O. stink and odor. Oh, and paleo man didn’t have a toothbrush. So ladies, if your boyfriend ot date is paleo, look forward to low stamina, offensive Body Odor smells, cavemen didn’t have showers, and getting close to a mouth full of bacteria because paleo man didn’t brush their teeth.
Vegetarians do not have this problem. And last longer, were scientifically measured in tests to have More Testosterone than meat eaters, smell better, comb their hair, and have higher stamina, and endurance. And better protectors. Afterall, vegetarians invented Martial Arts, BJJ, and the UFC.
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Interior, Catedral de Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, España
Image by james_gordon_losangeles
Catedral de Santiago de Compostela is a Roman Catholic cathedral of the archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. The cathedral is the reputed burial-place of Saint James the Greater, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ. It is the destination of the Way of St. James, a major historical pilgrimage route since the Early Middle Ages. The building is a Romanesque structure with later Gothic and Baroque additions.
History
According to legend, the apostle Saint James the Greater brought Christianity to the Celts in the Iberian Peninsula. In 44 AD he was beheaded in Jerusalem. His remains were later brought back to Galicia, Spain. Following Roman persecutions of Spanish Christians, his tomb was abandoned in the 3rd century. Still according to legend, this tomb was rediscovered in 814 AD by the hermit Pelagius, after witnessing strange lights in the night sky. Bishop Theodomirus of Iria recognized this as a miracle and informed king Alfonso II of Asturias and Galicia (791-842). The king ordered the construction of a chapel on the site. Legend has it that the king became the first pilgrim to this shrine. This was followed by a first church in 829 AD and again in 899 AD by a pre-Romanesque church, at the order of king Alfonso III of León, causing the gradual development of a major place of pilgrimage. In 997 this early church was reduced to ashes by Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir (938-1002), army commander of the caliph of Córdoba, Spain. The gates and the bells, carried by Christian captives to Córdoba, were added to the Aljama Mosque. When Córdoba was taken by king Ferdinand III of Castile in 1236, these same gates and bells were then transported by Muslim captives to Toledo, to be inserted in the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo.
Construction of the present cathedral began in 1075 under the reign of Alfonso VI of Castile (1040–1109) and the patronage of bishop Diego Peláez. It was built according to the same plan as the monastic brick church of Saint Sernin in Toulouse, probably the greatest Romanesque edifice in France. It was built mostly in granite. Construction was halted several times and, according to the Liber Sancti Iacobi, the last stone was laid in 1122. But by then, the construction of the cathedral was certainly not finished. The cathedral was consecrated in 1128 in the presence of king Alfonso IX of Leon.
According to the Codex Calixtinus the architects were "Bernard the elder, a wonderful master, his assistants Robertus Galperinus and Ophiro Gozesse and, later possibly, Esteban, master of the cathedral works. In the last stage Bernard, the younger was finishing the building, while Galperinus was in charge of the coordination. He also constructed a monumental fountain in front of the north portal in 1122.
The church became an episcopal see in 1075 and, due to its growing importance as a place of pilgrimage, it was soon raised to an archiepiscopal see by pope Urban II in 1100. A university was added in 1495. The cathedral was expanded and embellished with additions in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
Exterior of the Cathedral
Overview of the cathedral complex.Each of the facades form with their respective squares great urban places. The Baroque facade of the Obradoiro was performed by Casas Novoa, also baroque is the Acibechería, work by Ferro Caaveiro and Fernández Sarela and modified by Ventura Rodríguez, the Praterías, built by the Master Esteban in 1103, and especially the Pórtico da Gloria, primary work of Romanesque sculpture, completed by Master Mateo in 1188.
Pórtico da Gloria
Reproduction of the Pórtico da Gloria in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.The Pórtico da Gloria of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is a Romanesque portico by Master Mateo and his workshop at the request of King Ferdinand II of León, who donated for this purpose one hundred maravedís annually between 1168 and 1188, when the latter consisting inscribed in stone in the cathedral as its completion. On April 1, 1188 placed the lintels of the portico and the conclusion of the set was delayed until 1211, at which time the temple was consecrated by the presence of King Alfonso IX of León.
The portico has three arches that correspond to each of the three naves of the church, supported by thick piers with pilasters. The central arch is the largest (twice than each side), is the only one who has tympanum and is divided by a central column, the mullion, with the figure of Saint James. Vertically, the lower band is formed by the bases of the columns, decorated with fantastic animals, the middle strip consists of columns supporting the statues of the Apostles and attached the upper arches crowning the three doors. The sculpture is intended as an iconographic representation of different symbols taken from the Apocalypse of St. John and other texts of the Old Testament.
Tympanum
The arrangement of the tympanum is based on the description of Christ that the Evangelist John makes in Revelation (Chapter 1.1 to 18). In the center, the Pantocrator is shown, with the image of Christ in Majesty, displaying in his hands and feet the wounds of crucifixion. Surrounding Christ, the tetramorph with the figures of the four Evangelists with their attributes: left, top St. John and the eagle and below St. Luke with the ox, on the right, above St. Matthew on the hood of the tax collector and below St. Mark and the lion.
On both sides of the evangelists, behind Mark and Luke, are four angels on each side with the instruments of the Passion of Christ. Some are, without touching them directly, the cross and crown of thorns (left) and lance and four nails (right), another the column in which he was whipped and the jar with which he was washed Pontius Pilate. Above the heads of these angels, two large groups of souls of the blessed, forty in all. In the archivolt of the central tympanum are seated the elders of the Apocalypse, each holding a musical instrument, as if preparing a concert in honor of God.
Pantokrator’s tympani Pórtico da Gloria.[edit] Mullion
Mullion with the figure of Santiago.in the mullion seated figure of St. James with a pilgrim’s swagger stick, as patron of the basilica. St. James appears with a scroll which contains written Misit em Dominus (the Lord sent me). The column just above his head with a capital which represent the temptations of Christ on three of its sides, facing the inside of the temple, pray two kneeling angels. At the foot of the saint is another capital with the figures of the Trinity|Holy Trinity]]. Under the Apostle represents the tree of Jesse, the name given to the family tree of Jesus Christ from Jesse, father of King David, is the first time that this subject is represented in religious iconography in the Iberian Peninsula. The column rests on a base where there is a figure with beard to his chest (perhaps an image of Noah) and two lions. At the foot of the central column at the top inside looking towards the main altar of the cathedral, is the kneeling figure of the himself Master Mateo, holding a sign that is written Architectus. This image is popularly known as «Santo dos croques» by the ancient tradition of students from hitting their heads against the figure for wisdom, a tradition that was adopted later by pilgrims, although steps are being taken to limit access to try to stop the deterioration that is why the work has suffered.
[edit] Jambs
Apostles of the jambs of the Pórtico da Gloria.In the columns of the central door and two side doors are represented apostles, prophets and other figures, with their iconographic attributes. All are topped with its own capital which represent different animals and human heads with leaf motifs. All figures were multicolored and with his name on the books or scrolls they hold in their hands.
The four pillars of the portico are based on strong foundations which represent various groups of animals and human heads with beards. For some authors, these figures are images of demons, and symbolize the weight of glory (the portico in this case) crushes sin. Other sources give an apocalyptic interpretation, with wars, famine and death (represented by the beasts), situations that can only be saved by human intelligence (the heads of older men).
Side doors
The archivolt of the right door is the Last Judgment.The arch of the right door represents the Last Judgment. The double archivolt is divided into two equal parts by two heads. Some authors identify these heads with the figures of archangel Michael and Christ, for others they are Christ-Judge and an angel, and other sources indicate that represent God the Father and God the Son. To the right of these heads is represented the Hell, with figures of monsters (demons) that drag and torture the souls of the damned. On the left, the Heaven with the elect, with figures of angels with children symbolizing the saved souls.
The arch of the left door depicts scenes from the Old Testament, with the righteous await the arrival of the Savior. In the center of the first archivolt is God the Creator who blesses the pilgrim and holding the Book of Eternal Truth, to his right is Adam (naked), Abraham (with the index raised) and Jacob. With them are two figures that could be Noah (new father of humanity to save the Flood) and Esau or Isaac and Judah. To the left of God it see Eve, Moses, Aaron, King David and Solomon. In the second archivolt, the top, ten small figures representing the twelve tribes of Israel.
Facade do Obradoiro
Night view of the facade do Obradoiro.The Obradoiro square which gives the facade alludes to the workshop (obradoiro, in Galician) of stonemasons who worked on the square during the construction of the cathedral. To protect the Pórtico da Gloria from deterioration was suffering by the weather, this facade and towers already had several reforms since the 16th century. In the 18th century it was decided to build the current Baroque façade, designed by Fernando de Casas Novoa. It has large glazed windows that allow light the ancient Romanesque façade and is located between the towers of the Bells and of the Ratchet. In the middle of the central body is St. James and one level below his two disciples Athanasius and Theodore, all dressed in pilgrims. In between, the ballot box (representing the tomb found) and the star (representing the lights he saw the Hermit Pelagius) between angels and clouds. In the tower on the right is Mary Salome, mother of St.James, and the tower of the left his father Zebedee. On the balustrade of the left can be seen to St. Susanna and John and the right St. Barbara and James the Less.
For up to the entrance of the facade is a ladder, made in the 17th century by Ginés Martínez, of Renaissance style inspired by Giacomo Vignola of Palazzo Farnese, diamond-shaped with two ramps that surround the entrance to the old 12th century Romanesque crypt of the Master Matthew, popularly called Old Cathedral.
Among the existing plane of the facade do Obradoiro and the old Romanesque portal (Pórtico da Gloria) is a narthex covered.
This façade has become a symbol of the cathedral and the city of Santiago de Compostela. Proof of representation is the engraving on the back of the Spanish euro coins of 1, 2 and 5 cents.
South facade or das Praterías
The square of the Romanesque facade das Praterías.The facade of the Silverware (Praterías in Galician) is the southern facade of the transept of the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and is the only Romanesque facade is preserved in the cathedral. It was built between 1103 and 1117 and subsequent centuries have been adding elements from other parts of the catedral. The square of das Praterías is bounded by the cathedral and cloister on two sides, next to the cathedral is the Casa do Cabido.
It has two entrance doors in degradation with archivolts and historian tympanums. The archivolts are over eleven columns attached, three are of white marble (middle and corners) and the rest of granite. In the center are the figures of twelve prophets and the Apostles on the sideline. On the tympanums is a large frieze is separated from the upper body by a strip supported by grotesque corbels, on this floor are two windows that are decorated with Romanesque archivolts
Sculpture of King David, by the Master Esteban.In the central frieze is Christ, with various characters and scenes, in the right six figures it see belong to the choir of Master Mateo that were placed in the late 19th century. The original provision of the iconographic elements was invalidated since that 18th century were introduced numerous images recovered from dismantled Acibechería facade. In a central medallion shows the Everlasting Father (or Transfiguration) with open hands and bows on the top surface are four angels with trumpets herald the Final Judgment.
In the tympanum of the left door is Christ tempted by a group of demons. To the right is a half-dressed woman with a skull in his hands, which could be Eve or the adulterous woman, this figure is not praying on his knees but is sitting on two lions. The jambs are Saint Andrew and Moses. In the left abutment, the Biblical King David seated on his throne with his legs crossed, translucent through the thin fabric of her clothes, and playing a viola, personifies the triumph over evil and is an outstanding work of the Romanesque, sculpted by Master Esteban, also shows the creation of Adam and Christ blessing. Many of these figures come from the Romanesque facade of the north or do Paraíso (current facade of da Acibechería) and were placed in this facade in 18th century.
In the tympanum of the door right are several scenes of the Passion of Christ and the Adoration of the Magi. In one of the jambs is the inscription commemorating the laying of the stone:
Registration follows the Roman calendar, according to the computation of the call Spanish era, corresponding to July 11, 1078. An image, unidentified, on a fox eats a rabbit and, against this, a badly dressed woman with an animal in her lap, come from elsewhere. Supported on the wall of the tower Berenguela appear other images representing the creation of Eve, Christ on a throne and Binding of Isaac.
North facade or da Acibechería
Facade da Acibechería.The facade da Acibechería is in the Praza da Inmaculada or Acibechería, draining the last section of urban roads French, Primitive, Northern and English through the old gate Franxígena or Paradise door. The Romanesque portal was built in 1122 by Bernardo, treasurer of the temple. This gate was demolished after suffering a fire in 1758, some sculptural pieces that were saved were placed on the facade das Praterías. The new was designed in Baroque style by Lucas Ferro Caaveiro and finished by Domingo Lois Monteagudo and Clemente Fernández Sarela in neoclassical style, although it retained some traces of the baroque, the year 1769.
At the top of the facade is a statue of St. James of 18th century, with two kings at his feet in prayer: Alfonso III of Asturias and Ordoño II of León. In the center is the statue of Faith.
East facade or da Quintana
Porta RealThe facade of the cathedral that overlooks the Square da Quintana has two gates, the Porta Real, Baroque, begun under the direction of José de Vega y Verdugo by José de la Peña de Toro in 1666 and completed by Domingo de Andrade in 1700, he made some great columns that span two floors of windows, a balustrade with large pinnacles and an aedicula with an equestrian statue of Saint James (now disappeared), well adorned with decorative fruit clusters and large-scale military trophies. Accessed through this door the kings of Spain to the cathedral, hence its name, and on its lintel is the royal coat of arms.
The so-called Holy Door (Porta Santa) or Door of Forgiveness (Porta do Perdón) is the closest to the steps, is usually closed with a fence and opened only in such years, on December 31 last year. It was one of the seven less gates and was dedicated to St. Pelagius (whose monastery is just opposite). On this door can be seen in niches the image of James and his disciples Athanasius and Theodore at his side. On the bottom and sides of the door were placed twenty-four figures of prophets and apostles (including that of the St. James) coming from the old stone choir of Master Mateo. Inside this door from a small courtyard is the true Holy Door, which it enter the ambulatory of the apse of the church.
Bell Towers (Towers das Campás) view from the cloister.The early towers were in the main facade of the cathedral were Romanesque (current facade of the Obradoiro). They are called respectively the Towers das Campás, which is situated on the side of the Epistle (right), and tower da Carraca, in the Gospel side (left), the two have a height of between 75 and 80 meters.
It built the first part of the tower in the 12th century, in the 15th century made various modifications and King Louis XI of France won in 1483 the two largest of the thirteen bells with which account.
Due to a tilt was detected in its structure between the 16th and 17th centuries had to be reinforced with buttresses, between 1667 and 1670 José de la Peña made the body of the baroque style in which are housed the bells, and which was completed by Domingo de Andrade. The architecture of the towers has a great effect in perspective with its vertical lines and sequencing of its floors.
North Tower or da Carraca
Tower da Carraca.It is located to the left of the facade do Obradoiro, was built as his companion on the opposite side of an earlier of Romanesque period. It was designed by Fernando de Casas Novoa in 1738 imitating the Towers das Campás by Peña del Toro and Domingo de Andrade in the 17th century, Baroque decorations getting all kinds of ornamentation that provided a unifying architecture across the facade.
Top of the Clock Tower, also called da Trindade or a Berenguela..The Clock Tower, also called da Trindade or, not in all fairness, Berenguela, is at the intersection of the square das Praterías and the square da Quintana. Traditionally thought to begin construction in 1316, at the request of Archbishop Rodrigo de Padrón, as defense tower and after his death continued to work his successor, Archbishop Bérenger de Landore, although some authors argue that these data may not be correct. When he became main master of the cathedral, Domingo de Andrade continued its construction and between 1676 and 1680 raised it two floors more and the use of various structures achieved a harmonious and ornamental with a pyramid-shaped crown and a lantern as a final shot (inside of which stay on permanently, four light bulbs). It rises to seventy-five meters.
In 1833 a clock was placed in four areas (one for each side of the tower), work by Andrés Antelo and had been commissioned by the Archbishop Rafael de Vélez. As part of its mechanism has two bells, the hour hand, called Berenguela, and a smaller one that marks the quarter, the two were cast in 1729 by Güemes Sampedro, Berenguela has a diameter of 255 cm and a height of 215 cm, weighing approximately 9600 kilos, and the quarter weighs 1839 kilos with a diameter of 147 cm and a height of 150 cm. Both bells were cracking forcing his replacement, the current replicas were cast in Asten (Netherlands) by the Eijsbouts house in 1989 and were placed in the cathedral in February 1990.
Interior
The cathedral is 97 m long and 22 m high. It preserves its original barrel-vaulted cruciform Romanesque interior. It consists of a nave, two lateral aisles, a wide transept and a choir with radiating chapels. Compared with many other important churches, the interior of this cathedral gives a first impression of austerity until one enters further and sees the magnificent organ and the exuberance of the choir. This cathedral, through its monumental dimensions, is the largest Romanesque church in Spain and even one of the largest in Europe.
The Pórtico da Gloria
Pórtico de la GloriaPerhaps the chief beauty of the cathedral, however, is the 12th century Portico da Gloria, behind the western facade. This Portico da Gloria in the narthex of the west portal is a remains from the Romanesque period. It is a masterwork of Romanesque sculpture built between 1168 and 1188 by Master Mateo at the request of king Ferdinand II of León. The vigorous naturalism of the figures in this triple portal is an expression of an art form, varied in its details, workmanship and polychromy (of which faint traces of colour remain). The shafts, tympana and archivolts of the three doorways which open onto the nave and the two aisles are a mass of strong and nervous sculpture representing the Last Judgment.
The central tympanum gives us an image of Christ in Majesty as Judge and Redeemer, showing His wounds in His feet and hands, accompanied by the tetramorph. He is surrounded on both sides by a retinue of angels carrying the symbols of the Passion. In the archivolt are represented the 24 Elders of the Apocalypse, who are tuning their musical instruments.
The column statues represent the apostles with their attribute, prophets and Old Testament figures with their name on a book or parchment. These were all polychromed. Noteworthy is the faint smile of the prophet Daniel looking at the angel of Reims.
Saint James on the middle pierThe middle pier represents Saint James, his face conveying an ecstatic serenity. The text scroll in his hand shows the words Misit me Dominus (the Lord sent me). Below him is the Tree of Jesse (the lineage leading to Christ), while above is a representation of the Trinity. It is customary for the pilgrims to touch the left foot of this statue, signifying that they have reached their destination. So many pilgrims have laid their hands on the pillar to rest their weary bones, that a groove has been worn in the stone.
The right tympanum is divided in three parts and is dedicated to the salvation of the souls. In the centre Christ and St Michael, flanked by Hell (represented by demons) and Heaven (represented by children). The purgatory is shown on the side. The left tympanum shows scenes from the Old Testament.
Behind the portico stands the statue of Maestro Mateo, the master architect and sculptor put in charge of the cathedral building programme in the 12th century by Fernando II. It is said that whoever butts their head three times against the statue will be given a portion of Mateo’s genius and perhaps enhanced memory. There is usually a long line of visitors waiting to bump their head against the statue.
The sculptures in this portico have been a point of reference for Galician sculpture until the 15th century.
The nave
Nave and choirThe barrel-vaulted nave and the groin-vaulted aisles consist of eleven bays, while the wide transept consists of six bays. Every clustered pier is flanked by semi-columns, three of which carry the cross vaults of the side aisles and the truss of the arched vaults, while the fourth reaches to the spring of the vault. Lit galleries run, at a remarkable height, above the side aisles around the church.
The choir is covered by three bays and surrounded with an ambulatory and five radiating chapels. The vault of the apse is pierced by round windows, forming a clerestory. The choir displays a surprising exuberance in this Romanesque setting. An enormous baldachin, with a sumptuous decorated statue of Saint James from the 13th century, rises above the main altar. The pilgrims are allowed to kiss the saint’s mantle via a narrow passage behind the altar.
In the choir aisle one remarks the beautiful lattice work and the vault of the Mondragon chapel (1521). The radiating chapels constitute a museum of paintings, retables, reliquaries and sculptures, accumulated throughout the centuries. In the Chapel of the Reliquary (Galician: Capela do Relicario) is a gold crucifix, dated 874, containing an alleged piece of the True Cross.
Relics of St James
The crypt, below the main altar, shows the substructure of the 9th century church. This was the final destination of the pilgrims. The crypt houses the relics of Saint James and two of his disciples : Saint Theodorus and Saint Athanasius. The silver reliquary (by José Losada, 1886) was put in the crypt at the end of the 19th century, after authentication of the relics by Pope Leo XIII in 1884.
In the course of time, the burial place of the saint had been almost forgotten. Because of regular Dutch and English incursions, the relics had been transferred in 1589 from their place under the main altar to a safer place. They were rediscovered in January 1879.
Botafumeiro
The swinging Botafumeiro dispensing clouds of incenseA dome above the crossing contains the pulley mechanism to swing the Botafumeiro, which is a famous thurible found in this church. This thurible was created by the goldsmith José Losada in 1851. The Santiago de Compostela Botafumeiro is the largest censer in the world, weighing 80 kg and measuring 1.60 m in height. It is normally on exhibition in the library of the cathedral, but during certain important religious high days it is attached to the pulley mechanism, filled with 40 kg of charcoal and incense. In the Jubilee Years, whenever St James’s Day falls on a Sunday, the Botafumeiro is also attached in all the Pilgrims’ Masses. Eight red-robed tiraboleiros pull the ropes and bring it into a swinging motion almost to the roof of the transept, reaching speeds of 80 km/h and dispensing thick clouds of incense. One explanation of this custom, which originated more than 700 years ago—although incense has been used in Catholic ritual from the earliest times—is that it assisted in masking the stench emanating from hundreds of unwashed pilgrims.