Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Saint Foy, Conques, France
Interior, Saint Foy, Conques, France
Reliquary of Saint Foy, Conques, France
The Last Judgement, tympanum, west front, Saint Foy, Conques
Gislebertus, The Last Judgement, tympanum, west front of Saint Lazare, Autun, France
Gislebertus, The Last Judgement, detail
ROMANESQUE ART
millenialism
pilgrimage
reliquary
tympanum
monk
monastery
monk
monastery
Chapter 12
The Botafumeiro, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
The great 12th century church of Santiago in Compostela, Spain was the most popular pilgrimage destination of Medieval Europe. It was the traditional burial site of Saint James the Apostle, and drew crowds of pilgrims who walked on foot from all over France and Spain, and from Germany. Many people still hike the old pilgrimage routes across northern Spain today.
The Botafumeiro is a giant incense burner the size of a barrel that is swung from the vaults of the church on high holy days and for special occasions in a ceremony unique to Compostela that goes back a thousand years. The incense may have served a practical purpose back in the early Middle Ages. A large church packed with sweaty unbathed pilgrims dressed mostly in wool probably had particularly strong smell.
The Botafumeiro, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
The great 12th century church of Santiago in Compostela, Spain was the most popular pilgrimage destination of Medieval Europe. It was the traditional burial site of Saint James the Apostle, and drew crowds of pilgrims who walked on foot from all over France and Spain, and from Germany. Many people still hike the old pilgrimage routes across northern Spain today.
The Botafumeiro is a giant incense burner the size of a barrel that is swung from the vaults of the church on high holy days and for special occasions in a ceremony unique to Compostela that goes back a thousand years. The incense may have served a practical purpose back in the early Middle Ages. A large church packed with sweaty unbathed pilgrims dressed mostly in wool probably had particularly strong smell.
