Portico of Glory

The Portico of Glory is the richly carved western portal of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, created in the late 12th century by Master Mateo and his workshop. It forms the cathedral’s principal Romanesque entrance and is central to the building’s role as the end point of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.

The ensemble includes a central tympanum with a seated Christ in Majesty, rows of apostles and numerous narrative and symbolic figures carved in high relief. Visitors approach the portico to inspect the sculptural program that complements the cathedral’s overall medieval fabric.

The work was executed in the late 1100s under Master Mateo’s direction and has been a focal point of pilgrim devotion and art-historical interest since its completion. It has undergone conservation and cleaning campaigns in modern times to stabilise the stone and, where appropriate, reveal original polychromy traces.

The Portico of Glory occupies the western façade of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in the cathedral precincts at the city’s historic centre, adjacent to the cathedral’s large plaza and the end point of the pilgrimage routes.

• Date and authorship: Carved by Master Mateo and his workshop in the late 12th century, the portico is a principal Romanesque masterpiece at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

What to See #

• Central tympanum and apostle figures: The central sculptural program on the cathedral's western façade, completed in the late 12th century, dominated by a Christ in Majesty in the central tympanum and flanked by rows of apostles and biblical figures carved in Romanesque style.
• Archivolts and jamb sculptures: Surrounding archivolts, columns and jamb sculptures carved under the direction of Master Mateo in the late 12th century that form the multi-figure ensemble known as a major Romanesque portal of the pilgrimage cathedral.