Galician pallozas (round houses) and the Casa Consistorial (council building) of Lalín

It is easy to marvel at the great architectural jewels of the camino, like the miniature Romanesque temple of Santa María de Eunate in Navarra that echoes the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the splendid Gothic cathedral of Burgos whose Chapel of the Constables is a veritable cathedral within a cathedral, or Gaudi’s inimitable archbishop’s palaceContinue reading “Galician pallozas (round houses) and the Casa Consistorial (council building) of Lalín”

Sanctified in Stone: the consecration crosses of the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

When you walk into the great cathedrals like those of Burgos, León or Compostela, it is easy to focus on the spectacular, like the Chapel of the Constables in Burgos, the stained-glass ensemble of León, and the high altar of Santiago de Compostela. Quite often these are architectural, artistic and spiritual gifts of later eras,Continue reading “Sanctified in Stone: the consecration crosses of the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela”

Know your Camino architecture: Romanesque and Gothic

Do you have a favourite type of medieval architecture?  Weird question?  Personally, as a medieval nerd I’m a bit torn between Romanesque and Gothic, but I think the older Romanesque wins out.  Why?  Well firstly it comes down to what they can and can’t do. Romanesque and Gothic are readily identifiable by their trademark arches;Continue reading “Know your Camino architecture: Romanesque and Gothic”