Top 9 in Top 10 tourist attractions in Spain.
The magnificent Church of Santiago (St. James) was built to house and honor the saint's relics, and it has been the target of pilgrims since the Middle Ages, their culmination being complete perfection. the famous Camino de Santiago.
One of the outstanding monuments of Early Romanesque architecture, the church was built between 1060 and 1211, and despite the exterior Baroque transformation of the 16th-18th centuries, the interior interior still in the purest primitive Romanesque style.
You'll see both of these phases unfold as you enter the western front, past one of Spain's most impressive church facades. Step inside to face the Pórtico de la Gloria, part of the old west facade now concealed by an 18th-century facade. This three-pointed doorway is one of the largest and most magnificent collections. of Romanesque sculpture in the world.
On either side, narrow stairs lead up behind the statue so pilgrims can kiss the Apostle's cloak - culminating in their pilgrimage. In a crypt under the altar, the Apostle's remains were placed in a silver coffin.
The focal point of the interior is the ornate Capilla Mayor, built above the Apostle's tomb. In the center of the high altar of jasper, alabaster and silver is a 13th-century wooden statue of Than Tong, richly decorated with precious metals and precious stones.