National Geographic History - 11.2019 - 12.2019

A hermit’s vision revealed that the tomb of

St. James was located in northwestern Spain.

A church was built there in the ninth century,

on the future site of the city of Santiago de

Compostela. In 997 Abu Amir al-Mansur, the

Muslim caliph of Córdoba (in southern Spain),

invaded the Christian north and destroyed the

church at Santiago. He removed the church

bells, took them back to Córdoba, and melt-

ed them down to make lamps for the Great

Mosque there. In the 1070s, as the Christian

reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula spread,

Alfonso VI of Castile and León ordered the

building of a new cathedral in the Romanesque

style. The new, larger structure would admit

more pilgrims visiting the site to view holy

relics of St James. Although much of the Ro-

manesque structure is still clearly visible, the

original twin towers were replaced by baroque

structures that still dominate the city’s skyline.

MAIN ILLUSTRATION: ALBUM

Portico

of Glory

SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA:

PLACE OF PILGRIMAGE