In the year 1102, Bishop Gelmírez
and his entourage transferred the relics of Saint Fructuosus,
Saint Cucuphas, Saint Sylvester and Saint Susana
from Braga to Santiago.
Some of them can still be found in the Chapel of Relics in the cathedral.
The so-called “Pious Latrocinium” managed to attract even more pilgrims
and wrested importance from the Braga See.
Even though an increasing number of pilgrims
came to worship Santiago’s relics,
both the Compostelan diocese as well as
the Jacobean belief and practice needed new drives.
With the purpose of consolidating his plans
as an Apostolic See, Pope Calixtus II, in 1120,
raised Diego Gelmírez to the rank of Archbishop,
thus raising the metropolitan dignity of Santiago’s church above Merida’s.
He then launched the writings of texts
that spread and consolidated Jacobean tradition.
And thus the Codex Calixtinus was born.
The original manuscript is still conserved in the Santiago Cathedral.
The text is divided into five books:
The first provides an ample list of liturgical texts dedicated to Santiago;
The second contains the miracles carried out
by the Apostle in the different routes of the Way of St. James;
The third tells of the prodigious events related
to the transfer of his body from Palestine to Galicia
and how it was deposited in the sepulcher;
The fourth, known as the Turpin Chronicle,
narrates the coming to Spain of Emperor Charlemagne
to free the ways leading to the Apostolic tomb.
And finally, the fifth consists of the famous guide
for pilgrims from France to Santiago,
attributed to the French clergyman Aymeric Picaud.
The appendix contains various hymns and poems in honor of Santiago,
a basic reference for Western polyphonic music.
These are the moments of greatest splendor for the Jacobean cult.
Thousands upon thousands of pilgrims from all over Europe head
for Compostela to worship the Saint.
Roads are repaired, new burgs and cities appear,
hospitals and inns are built…
The Way of St. James undoubtedly transcends its religious function
and becomes a torrent for cultural and economic exchange
and development between the lands of northern Spain and the rest of Europe.
Diego Gelmírez had achieved all of his goals:
the construction of the cathedral was well on its way
and it was a benchmark for European Romanesque art;
its diocese had metropolitan dignity; and Santiago,
thanks to its new constructions and to its support of culture,
was seen as an open and prosperous city.
For some of his fellow citizens,
these successes did not stop them from taking cowardly advantage
of his age and illness by perpetrating shameful attempts at his life.
But Bishop Gelmírez, accused many times of greed
for wanting to enlarge his church and his region,
always pardoned those who insulted him
in order to take credit for his achievements.
Finishing the cathedral was taking longer than expected
because of a lack of resources and its vast complexity.
It was early in the year 1168
thirty years had passed since the death of Gelmírez
and King Fernando II, upon witnessing the unfinished building,
entrusted Master Mateo with the conclusion of the cathedral.
One of the greatest difficulties the builders faced
was the slope of the ground between the apse and the western end.
To solve this problem and finish off the naves,
Mateo decided to build a crypt that would help level the ground
and serve to support the structure of a new and innovative portico
one that would introduce the new Gothic style in the temple.
The Pórtico de la Gloria is one of the most beautiful works
of the Compostelan temple.
It constitutes the atrium of the cathedral
and is structured on three vanes that coincide
with the naves of the church.
It is presided upon by the seated statue of the Apostle Santiago,
who, from his mullion,
or central arch column, welcomes the pilgrims.
Once Master Mateo finished off the western façade
and built the majestic stone choir
– which today can be seen in the cathedral museum -
the building was finished.
And finally, on April 21 1211, Archbishop Pedro Muñiz,
in the presence of King Alfonso IX,
consecrated the Romanesque cathedral of Santiago.