"Gargoyles & Graffiti"chronicles architectural elements that I find interesting or unique in my travels. Gargoyles are my passion, but today graffiti (which I hate but am learning to love as it is everywhere) is as much a part of architecture as the gargoyles and decorative railings that thrill me.

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Faces in the Stone: Santiago de Compostela

Stone face in Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Continuing in a gargoyle frame of mind - on my cruise from Barcelona to Dover, I scouted out architecture with faces in stone in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. 
The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela was started in 1077 and has been added on since then up until the 18th century. It is a treasure trove of medieval artifacts and architecture, including gargoyles. But there are also a ton of stone faces that are absolutely fascinating. I took a bit of time to locate as many of the different faces as I could. Many are from medieval times. 

More stone faces in Santiago de Compostela, Spain Cathedral grounds


St. James the Elder, Santiago de Compostela Cathedral
Virgin Mary on one side of statue
Virgin Mary on Cathedral wall, Santiago de Compostela
Controversial information can be found on Santiago de Compostela here


Santiago de Compostela is located in a beautiful, green part of Spain so unlike Madrid or Sevilla. The people of this area, Galicia, are said to have Celtic roots like the Irish. I can not wait for my return to this wonderful area of Spain. We reached it on the cruise from Barcelona to Dover at the port of Vigo. It is the third most important pilgrimage site in the world. I strongly recommend a trip there. It does not disappoint.

5 comments:

  1. That first stone face is incredible. You see things, Lu.

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  2. This is one of my favorite posts. It was also one of my favorite places on the cruise form Barcelona to Dover. I also really liked Gibraltar and Cherbourg.

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  3. I enjoyed this post. Santiago de Campostela is one of the places I am considering for one of our cruise stops in Spain next year. I'll be checking out some of your other posts as well.

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    1. Thank you Erin. I have lots of posts of both Western Med and Eastern Med cruises.

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