Based on the Drawing of Vega Y Verdugo, the Reproduction of the Western Facade of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

Abstract

The first drawing of the facade of the Obradoiro in Santiago de Compostela was done by the canon Vega y Verdugo in the year 1657. It is from this drawing on when the reconstruction of the western facade of the cathedral begins. Its definite consecration was the 3 of April of 1120, date indicated in the pilgrim’s guide for such event. The great Master Mateo, creator of the “Portico de Gloria”, was the one in charge of the restructuring of this western side, which included the facade, the crypt, the towers and the “Portico de Gloria” as well as the platform. The investigation has also nourished itself, among many others, from the publication of the American historian John Conant (1983). His drawings and descriptions still constitute the main base or vade mecum of the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, upon which all investigators work on (Conant et al. in Arquitectura románica da catedral de Santiago de Compostela. Colexio Oficial de Arquitectos de Galicia, Santiago de Compostela, 1983). The contribution that we offer to the existing graphic hoisting, is the study with real metric data of the initial elements that are still preserved, the pieces found in the museum of the cathedral, the medieval traces on the current Baroque facade and the real evidence taken from the analysis of the granite factories.