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An awe inspiring edifice in every way, not just as
the destination at the end of the Camino and the questionably sacred
remains it houses, but its imposing situation above the Plaza, its
reassuringly solid interior (albeit with the odd Baroque excrescence
here and there) and the Botafumeiro, for once a functional device rather
than mere decoration. This incense burner weighs in at 80kg and is
swung high above the heads of the sweaty pilgrims. Even after
their historic ablutions at Lavacolla, the average medieval pilgrim was
a pit pongy by the time he reached Santiago and, with several thousand
in the congregation...well worth the €250 load of incense.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, on my second visit (by
car, rather than after a very long walk) it seemed somewhat less
impressive, marred by the incessant rain and the scaffolding covering
its entire facade. |
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