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Hola!
My name is Diego, and I have a special role at the Cathedral in
Santiago de Compostela. I'll tell you more about that later.
First, let me show you around a bit.
The Cathedral is a magnificent place. The towers can be seen
from miles away, and they tell stories of how the pilgrims who had
walked a long way would leap and dance and weep for joy when the caught
sight of these towers from far away. They were so joyful, in fact,
that one mountain close to the city is called the ""Monte del Gozo,"
"Mount Joy."
During Holy Years, like this year, the pilgrims come through the "Holy
Door." It's only open in years when the Feast of St. James falls
on a Sunday. That doesn't happen very often! Look at the
statue of our patron, St. James, above the Holy Door. He has a
friendly face, don't you think?
One of the greatest treasures of the Cathedral is the portal at the west
entrance. It's so beautiful that we call it the "Portico della
Gloria," the "portal of glory." It shows Jesus, surrounded by
apostles, prophets, saints, and angels. The sculptor who created
these wonderful carvings is Master Mateo. We know that he lived in
the 12th century and that he was also the palace architect for King
Ferdinand II of Spain.
Inside
the Cathedral, the nave is very simple. It's the oldest part of
the Cathedral. The altar is highly decorated. Just behind
the altar, there is a narrow staircase. The pilgrims climb the
stairs and stand right behind the bust of Saint James. It's the
custom to give James a hug " we call it the "Abrazo del Apostol."
Hug the apostle! In the old days, before there was a halo on the
statue of James, pilgrims used to take off their hats and set them on
James" head while they hugged him!
After going up the stairs, pilgrims go down below the high altar, where
they can pray before the tomb of James and his two companions,
Anastasius and Theodore.

Guess who this is? James" mother, called Mary Salome. She is
the one who said to Jesus, "Grant that these sons of mine may sit, one
on your right and the other on your left, in your kingdom."

And here is one of the most famous things at the Cathedral " the giant
thurible or incense burner, which is called the botafumeiro. I am
a tiraboleiro, which means I get to help swing the botafumeiro.
The
botafumeiro has been swung at the Cathedral for hundreds of years.
As the story goes, they first hung the giant thurible to perfume the
air, because the pilgrims who had walked hundreds of miles from all over
the world didn't smell very nice when they all crowded in together!
But I think the thurible is really there to express what the pilgrims
are feeling when they finally arrive at the Cathedral. They want
to say "thank you" to God, and the joyful swinging of the botafumeiro is
the perfect way to express our thanksgiving to the Lord.

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