Santiago de Compostela Cathedral & San Clemente Frescoes
Santiago de Compostela Cathedral
Author: Old Bernardo and Roberto were among the building teachers.
Chronology: Construction began around 1075, as recorded in one of the capitals of the central chapel of the ambulatory. It was the largest Romanesque structure in Spain. Partially remodeled in the Baroque era a century after its initial construction.
Location: Santiago de Compostela, Galicia.
Description
The cathedral features a Latin cross plan with three aisles extending the lateral arms of the transept, and spacious aisles with radiating apses.
The lofty nave is covered with a barrel vault reinforced by arches, and lateral groin vaults. The separation between the aisles is achieved by stilted and folded arches, resting on compound pillars. The pillars alternate between square and circular sections.
A gallery, a common feature in pilgrimage churches, was built above the aisles. There is no clerestory at the top, but light enters through the exterior windows of the gallery and into the nave through the clerestory of geminate semicircular arches.
One of the cathedral’s unique features is the solution for covering the aisle. The vault space normally covers square edges, but in the ambulatory, which is circular, the portions are trapezoidal. To adapt to this shape, the edges are designed with curves and widened outwards.
The cathedral originally had three major portals, with the most monumental one at the foot and topping the other two arms of the transept.
Significance
Compostela Cathedral was built to house the relics of St. James, which rest in the crypt. This building was the ultimate destination of the Road to Santiago pilgrimage route, which originated from various parts of Europe. Therefore, the building is a prime example of a pilgrimage church, exhibiting the characteristic features of this architectural style. It is considered a masterpiece of Spanish Romanesque architecture, embodying all the characteristics of this style. Its large size (97 meters long) and intricate head are particularly striking.
The exterior of the temple was rebuilt in the Baroque style, giving it its current appearance. However, the Door of the Silversmiths and the Gateway to Glory remain from the Romanesque period.
Frescoes of San Clemente
Author: The artist is unknown but referred to as the Master of Taüll.
Chronology: Circa 1125.
Location: Originally located in the Church of St. Clement of Taüll in the province of Lleida. Now preserved in the National Art Museum of Catalonia.
Description
The Pantocrator is depicted in the 4th field of the dome, surrounded by a mandorla. This is accompanied by the Tetramorph below, and angels to the right and left.
Christ, haloed, blesses with one hand and holds a book in the other, inscribed in Latin: “Ego sum lux mundi” (I am the light of the world). On either side of his head are the letters alpha and omega, symbolizing the beginning and the end.
A clear separation exists between heaven and earth. Christ sits on the heavenly throne, his feet resting on the ground. In the lower level, the apostles and the Virgin are depicted within arcades that mimic the shape of the central window.
The composition is perfectly symmetrical, based on superimposed base and horizontal stripes. Christ, as the central figure, appears in the center of the upper level and is larger than the other figures. His posture, inscribed in a rhombus, is modeled after the Roman Pantocrator.
The colors are vivid and bright, standing out among other European wall paintings from the same period. The painter attempts to create chiaroscuro by introducing various shades of the same color in the creases.
The artful folds of the robes suggest that the painter sought to imbue the work with an aesthetic sense, in addition to its didactic purpose. However, the overall effect is characterized by abstraction of the features and a lack of narrative, even though the characters, positioned in front, are not related. The result is an expressive force that is hard to surpass.