The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

UCLA Women in Philanthropy

The VR Romanesque Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

ATS Visualization PortalUCLA

September 23, 2004

• The project to create a virtual model of the cathedral as it was at the time of its consecration in 1211 is

directed by•

Professor John Dagenais, Chair Department of Spanish and Portuguese, UCLA

• Technical Support, the Visualization Portal, the lab in which much of the work is done, as well as the personnel to show the model today

provided by Academic Technology Services

• Director: Marsha Smith

• Initial work on the model was done by the

UCLA Cultural VR Lab

• Chief Modeler: Dean Abernathy

Modelers: Rebeka Vital and Renee Calkins

Sound Designer: David Beaudry

• Project Consultants

• John Williams, Distinguished Service Professor of History of Art and Architecture Emeritus, University of Pittsburgh

• José Suárez Otero, Archeologist and Curator, Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

• James D'Emilio, Associate Professor of Humanities, University of South Florida, Tampa

Additional support for work on the model was provided by

• The Verizon/GTE Foundation and UCLA’s Center for Digital Innovation

• The UCLA Office of Instructional Development• The UCLA Center for Medieval and Renaissance

Studies• The UCLA College of Letters and Sciences• The UCLA Department of Spanish and Portuguese

• Today’s technical assistants

• Pieter Lechner

• John Pedersen

Goals of the Present Project

• To reconstruct as accurately as possible the Romanesque stage of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela as it was at the time of its official consecration in 1211

– This stage is the culmination of a construction process which lasted from 1075 to 1211

• To create an idea of the medieval town of Santiago using historical and archeological information

Primary Sources for Information on the Romanesque Cathedral

• Present-day church, which dates from Romanesque period• Archeological investigations begun in last century and continuing

down to today• Medieval documents regarding dedications, meetings of the

cathedral chapter, battles fought from the roofs and towers of the cathedral, etc.

• Aymery Picaud’s guidebook, from early to mid 12th century (contained in Codex Calixtinus)

• A 17th century sketch of the cathedral before the major Baroque renovations

• Scholarly reconstructions by Kenneth J. Conant, Serafín Moralejo, John Williams & others

• Research work done by UCLA students who accompany Dagenais on a Summer Study Abroad course to Compostela

The Baroque Façade(Plaza del Obradoiro)

• Built 1738-1750– Design of

Galician architect Casas y Nóvoa

Galicia and Compostela

“And going on from thence, he saw two brethren, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father mending their nets: and he called them

And they forthwith left their nets and father and followed him.”Matthew 4: 21-22

Santiago at the Last Supper

Christ rebuffs James’s request to sit

beside him.Mark 10: 35-44

• “James the Apostle, the son of Zebedee, after Our Lord's Ascension first preached in Judea and Samaria, then went to Spain to sow the word of God. But when he saw that his labours in Spain were unavailing, and that he had been able to garner only nine disciples there, he left two disciples to preach, and returned to Judea with the other seven.”

• “At this, Abiathar, who was the high priest of the year, incited the populace to riot, caused a rope to be thrown about the apostle's neck and dragged him before Herod Agrippa, who condemned him to be beheaded.…”

• “After the apostle's death, his disciples, in fear of the Jews, placed his body in a boat at night, embarked with him, although the boat had neither rudder not steersman, and set sail, trusting to the providence of God to determine the place of his burial. And the angels guided the boat to the shores of Galicia in Spain…”

The Body of St. James Arrives in Galicia

The Rediscovery of Santiago’s Tomb in the 9th Century

• Santiago’s martyrdom and burial took place around the year 44 A.D.

• During nearly 800 years the site of his tomb was forgotten

• All that remained was to find where the bodies were buried

• Historians now think this happened around the year 818 and 842

• According to the legend, a shepherd/hermit named Pelagio knocked on the door of the local bishop: Theodomir

Compostela• Pelayo tells the bishop that a star, accompanied by

celestial music, had guided him to a stone tomb in the hills not far from the bishop's palace.

• On investigation, the bishop's men find three bodies inside the tomb.

• Bishop Theodomir, immediately declares these to be the remains of St. James, Santiago, and of the two disciples who had accompanied the Saint's body on his miraculous voyage.

• A town quickly grows up around the tombs and the first chapel is built

The Roads to Compostela

El Camino “Francés”

Santiago asPilgrim

 

                             Overview Fees Location

Accommodations and Meals Travel Curriculum Excursions Textbooks Instructor Info Student Quotes Syllabus

Departments of Spanish and Portuguese and HistoryThe Pilgrim Roads to France and Spain 

June 25 - July 18, 2004                           

This course will follow the historic roads from the late-Gothic tower of St. James the Apostle in Paris to the cathedral and shrine of St. James in Santiago de Compostela in Spain. These roads have been traveled by

pilgrims from all over the world since the Middle Ages. Along the way we will visit numerous historical and architectural sites which show the

diffusion and importance of the cult of St. James throughout France and Spain. The two integrated courses, Literature and History, offer a broad

perspective on the political, social, economic, and cultural context of the road to Santiago and on the idea of pilgrimage itself. Beside visits to

important historical cities and sites along or near the road, the faculty, through lectures and assigned readings, will provide a comprehensive

view of the literature and history of late medieval France and Spain. Lectures at each site and during our bus travel will complement the

reading of pilgrims' travel journals and medieval literature (in English translation) related to the cult of St. James and the nature of medieval life.

Cities included on the itinerary are Paris, Arles, Avignon, Toulouse, Lourdes, Burgos, Leon, Compostela, Madrid, and more.

Although the course itself is not intended to be a pilgrimage one key feature of it will be that we will, in fact, walk several key stretches of the

road to get a feel for the world of the pilgrim then and now.To read the Daily Bruin article about the "Virtual Compostela" project go to

www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?id=25023This program is best suited for mature, independent students in good

enough condition to hike through rough terrain in a hot climate. Please note that you will be traveling by bus from one city to another and

changing hotels frequently. Plan to pack lightly as you will be responsible for getting your own luggage up to and down from your rooms.

Directed by Dr. John Dagenais, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, UCLA.  For more information, contact Summer Sessions at:

travel@summer.ucla.edu.

Student Projects

• He who walks through the aisles of the triforium above, if he ascended in a sad

mood, having seen the superior beauty of this temple, will leave happy and contented.

On the Names of Compostela

• From “Campus stellae” (“field of the star”), for the star that guided Pelagius to the tombs?

• Compostela: from “compositum” (“beautiful”)?

• Most probable explanation is that it comes from “compostum” meaning “cemetery” or “place where bodies are left to decompose”

• Related to English “compost”

Reconstruction of the Tomb(The Origins of the Cathedral)

• According to Conant:

• Central cella, 12’9” (e/w axis); 15’7” (n/s axis), door on west side

The Baroque Façade(Plaza del Obradoiro)

• Built 1738-1750– Design of

Galician architect Casas y Nóvoa

To WebCam