Santiago de Compostela - Pilgrims' Mass - The twelfth step ... Three months in Spain

May 7, 2022

Santiago de Compostela - Pilgrims' Mass

Today was the first day since leaving Sevilla on the 11th of April that we haven't got on our bicycles. Even though our digs are more than three kilometers away from the Cathedral we decided to walk there to attend Pilgrim's Mass at midday. Our digs are on the last few kilometers of the Ruta Frances we didn't walk alone.

Before and after Mass we hung around the plaza in front of the Cathedral simply enjoying the atmosphere. Pilgrims kept streaming in, many on bicycles, some walking with heavy loaded backpacks or riding with fully loaded bicycles while others were on the other end of the surplus weight spectrum. Reactions on arrival were varied. Those tired out from their journey would often just collapse while those with energy to spare would leap around and pose dramatically. There were a few scenes of bicycles being lifted into the air.

Each pilgrim has their own reason for being here, even if it is only to get dressed up and to sing in public places.

The alter in the Cathedral. Sitting on the floor, because all the seats were taken, I only got to see it close up after the service (of which I barely saw because of my position and of which I understood only little because it was mostly in Spanish).

One of the highlights of the Mass was the swinging of the Botafumeiro. A quote from Wikipedia below:

A dome above the crossing contains the pulley mechanism to swing the "Botafumeiro", which is a famous thurible found in this church. It was created by the goldsmith José Losada in 1851. The Santiago de Compostela Botafumeiro is the largest censer in the world, weighing 80 kilograms (180 lb) and measuring 1.60 metres (5.2 ft) in height. It is normally on exhibition in the library of the cathedral, but during certain important religious holidays it is attached to the pulley mechanism, filled with 40 kilograms (88 lb) of charcoal and incense. In the Jubilee Years (whenever St James's Day falls on a Sunday) the Botafumeiro is also used 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 kilometres per hour (50 mph) and dispensing thick clouds of incense.

The best shot I could get - it's that blurry spherical thing in the bottom right of the picture. Everyone in the congregation seemed desperate to photograph or film the spectacle.

We also got to walk under the alter and have a peek at the tomb of Santiago, St James the Apostle.

As a person who has often been disappointed by the behaviour of organized religion, including the Catholic Church, I must admit that the whole experience has moved me more than I expected.

Patatas bravas, green olives and local wine for lunch.

The two small glasses of wine we had for lunch made the walk back to our digs, via the local Carrefour, seem twice as long as the way to the Cathedral but the side trip to the mall which accommodates the Carrefour also gave us a chance to renew our local data sim. Very necessary because the sim expired today which made navigating back to our digs a rather haphazard affair.

From here to Logroño we plan to follow the Ruta Frances to Santiago in reverse on our way to Barcelona. Tomorrow we hope to have a late start to the last stop on the Ruta Frances - it is less than twenty kilometers away but we are treating it as a recovery day.

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