21/06/2024 – BONUS POST, In Santiago

What a day! We breakfasted late, then headed to the Cathedral Museum. They, cunningly, have you queue in the gift shop, so we also acquired “James” – a pilgrim rubber ducky, (with hat, staff and gourd). He will join “Bigus Duckus”, the centurion duck (kudos if you get the Monty Python reference) and “Horus, da destroyer” (the hip-hop duck) in the jeep.

We got the cheap tickets, but they were ample. There are great views from the museum’s top floor without paying to climb the tower. Definitely deserving the hype, the Glory Portal is an extraordinary remnant of the 12th Century cathedral. Its highly-carved surface adheres to the Third Commandment, but is, nevertheless, lively, vivid, engaging, still bearing some of the original bright colouration.

They also have 2 art exhibitions. One, is a permanent exhibition of a commissioned series of pointillist works by Galician artist, Juan Luis. These are lovely, presented as a kind of regional shrine, with hushed lighting and formal commentary. The other is a “sampler” for a major project called “Jacobus” by David Planas, which will reimagine part of the Cathedral as a modern, multicultural pilgrim space.

This was an absolute source of joy. Colourful, expertly crafted, intellectual pieces that interact, through 3D constructions – moving from one thing to another as you move around them: the camino arrow that becomes a face, with Asian-mask-style tusks; the Cathedral cartoon which becomes a simple sun-disk; a piece that pivoted around an African-style wooden carving... It was just so wonderful! One piece even used broken crockery, reminding me of a project I proposed to Reverend Sheena (that some of the Knox china be offered to local artists for reimagining, symbolising how we are repurposing our community for a new mission, even a new city/world.

Anyhow, I was just thrilled by it. Immediately following, we went to the midday pilgrim mass. Entirely in Spanish, I caught words “El Señor”, “Maria, Madre de Dios”, that kept me grounded as I stood, head bowed, eyes shut, for the hour-long service. I just allowed my spirit to flow with the litergy, the tang of incense, the glorious baritone of the cantor. I sang a little (the hallelujahs), spoke a little (the “amins” – always a fraction too late!) and just engaged with stillness inside the soaring stone.

We were super-privileged that they swung the famous botafumerio censer to end the service. After firmly swatting anyone who raised a mobile phone, they just let the crowd snap. It takes eight men, (the “tiraboleiros”), to swing the botafumerio in its huge arc, 20 metres high, over the nave of the Cathedral, dragging its incense smoke up almost to the roof, and, with it, pilgrim prayers heavenward. Those school groups we navigated, grumbling, this week were part of a major student pilgrimage, culminating in the noon mass today and blessing them (and us) with the privilege of the botafumerio in action. Which shows: you never know when a nuisance is a blessing in disguise.