The Creation of the Portal of Glory Original idea and text: Francisco Prado-Vilar Illustrations: Rodrigo Chao
©Fundación Pedro Barrié de la Maza, La Coruña, 2012 ©Original idea and text: Francisco Prado-Vilar ©Illustrations: Rodrigo Chao Blanco Scientific advisers: Francisco Prado-Vilar, Juan Manuel Monterroso Design: Estudio4. Sofía F de Ana Printers: Gráficas Anduriña Photographs: Jordi Sarrà, Fotos Novoa National Book Registry Number: PO 170-2012 ISBN: 978-84-9752-067-6
TABLE OF CONTENTS MATEO’S DREAM EDUCATIONAL APPENDIX
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Who’s Who on the Portal of Glory
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Glossary
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Did You Know That...?
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Timeline of the Portal
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Gallery of Images
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The Creation of the Portal of Glory
Original idea and text: Francisco Prado-Vilar Illustrations: Rodrigo Chao 3
I can still recall that strange dream I had many years ago when, engrossed in the tales of an old codex, I read until weariness finally overcame me and my head dropped to the parchment. The fabulous images that illuminated its pages began to float around me as a voice called out my name: Mateo.
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Disoriented and confused, I made my way down a steep cliff, not knowing where my steps would lead me. A ghostly echo of countless cries floated up from the inky darkness at the foot of that precipice. The sound sent an icy chill down my spine and into my soul, but at the same time I felt an irresistible pull that forced me to continue my descent.
My thoughts returned to the tale I had read in that old manuscript. It told how the Greek hero Ulysses had had to fight to resist the Sirens’ melodious song as they sought to lure his vessel towards the rugged cliffs, where it would be dashed to pieces on the rocks. 6
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Further down the path, I caught sight of a naked man and woman in the distance. The two figures, utterly helpless, were being pursued by monstrous beings. Who could have condemned them to such a sinister place? What terrible sin had they committed to deserve such a punishment? Then I noticed a man of serene, gentle countenance descending an immense staircase of ice and stone. I wanted to approach him, to ask if he knew what place this was and beg him to help those unfortunate souls, but before I could call out to him the heavens were rent by a terrific peal of thunder.
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An angel emerged from the clouds and blew a large trumpet. The unsettling clarion call surged forth like a tidal wave, spreading to the remotest corners of that mysterious universe. Those notes seemed to be the prelude to something both joyous and terrifying, though I had no idea what it might be.
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I sensed that the landscape around me was changing, growing grey and ominous. I was venturing into the heart of a horrific, evil place, where swarming hordes of monsters waited to do battle. Advancing ahead of that terrible army, a bear of colossal proportions roared with rage, leaving desolation in its wake. Suddenly aware of my presence, the beast turned towards me in a blind fury, determined to hunt me down. I wanted to flee, but my feet seemed to have taken root in the earth, making it impossible for me to run and leaving me at the mercy of that appalling creature.
I closed my eyes, refusing to witness the terrible fate that awaited me. I plunged into darkness. 12
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The seconds crawled by, and still my dreadful end did not come. Terrified yet consumed by curiosity, I opened my eyes again. I now found myself in the midst of a great battle. Chilling scenes played out around me, desperate struggles to shake off demons that were constantly changing shape, men petrified by fear who could not avoid being devoured. But even in the heart of the fray I saw glimmers of hope: with firm strides, the angel I had seen before forced his way through the clashing forces of darkness to rescue a man from the claws of a voracious monster.
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Another angel rose swiftly upwards with a child in his arms, brandishing a bright torch to ward off the demons. Once he had brought that fragile creature to safety, the tireless angel descended to the battlefield once more to rescue another, and another, and yet another. 16
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I looked up and, to my wonder and amazement, saw a procession of angels with enormous wings ascending in a whirlwind until they disappeared from view above the clouds. Each angel held a child in his lap, tenderly rocking the babes to calm them as the celestial beings rose on that spiralling wind current. Where were they taking them?
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With great sorrow and impotence, I saw that for every person who was saved, three were cruelly struck down by the diabolical army. I shall never forget the fear etched on the face of a girl whose innocent eyes watched as all those not held by the angels plummeted without hope of salvation into the abyss. 20
Their cries of madness mingled with the spine-chilling howls of the swarm of winged demons that gleefully guided their fall.
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Those who had been saved by the angels now walked on the clouds, dressed in white robes and crowned with golden circlets. The faces of some seemed to radiate a deep inner peace. Others gazed in astonishment at the beauty around them, at the multitude of flashing colours that seemed to radiate from precious stones and illuminate the soul. I was overjoyed to see that they had come to a place of safety and comfort. I was witnessing the fate of those men who had been rescued from the battle.
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Just as I was meditating on this, four men of wise and noble bearing approached me to dispel my doubts: – Greetings, Mateo. I was surprised that they knew my name, but before I could ask how they had managed to discover my identity, they spoke again. – You must be very confused, for you have seen too much in a very short span of time, but do not be troubled—all will be explained. We are the Evangelists. My name is Mark, and these men with me are John, Luke and Matthew. The latter gave me a knowing smile as it dawned on me that he was the saint for whom I had been named (Mateo is Matthew in Spanish), and said, – Long ago, we bore witness to the life of Jesus among men and his sufferings. Evil creatures, driven by a hatred of all those different from them, decided to torment him: they tied him to a column to flog him, they placed a crown of thorns on his head to mock him, calling him a false king, and on a Cross they brought his earthly life to an end.
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John took over the narrative: – But now those terrible objects are in Heaven, transformed into symbols of his ultimate triumph. You are witnessing Jesus’ return after having defeated the forces of evil, after conquering suffering and death. Fear not, Mateo; the darkness and doubts will vanish, and you will soon see a wondrous vision of heavenly glory. And Luke concluded the tale: – These and other truths are found in the Bible, of which our own writings comprise a part, which men call the New Testament.
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After the Evangelists had finished their speech, I heard a deep voice behind me. I turned and saw a group of old, white-haired men with faces creased by the wrinkles of time. One of them introduced himself, saying: – Listen well, Mateo; I am Moses, and with me are the Prophets. We were the first to announce the coming of Jesus to Earth, and our testimony is also found in the Bible, in the Old Testament. As if he had read my mind, Moses continued to speak, answering my questions although I had not voiced any aloud. He told me that the man and woman who were being tormented on my arrival were called Adam and Eve. They had been thrown out of Eden and condemned to wander in that cold, ominous place as punishment for their sins. The serene, radiant man I saw descending the icy staircase to rescue and lead them into the light was named Jesus. While I was still struggling to absorb all this information, one of the Evangelists, Matthew, added: – You noticed that the angels were carrying children in their laps, didn’t you? Those children are the souls of righteous men on their way to Heaven. Once they arrive, their outward appearance will be transformed once more: they will don white robes to symbolise the purity of their hearts, and golden circlets as a reward for their virtue and a sign of their triumph over the forces of Evil.
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At the mention of Evil I shuddered, remembering the horrific events I had so recently witnessed, but John assuaged my fear with more answers. – The angel who sounded that great trumpet was announcing the beginning of the final battle between the forces of Good and Evil. The bear that attacked you was merely a symbol of those wicked powers, ever eager to seize the souls of men. Moses continued, “The world of darkness that you visited is called Hell, and it is to that awful place that the souls of men who disobey the commandments etched on these stone tablets are condemned. Do you recall how the demons tore out one man’s tongue? It was because he had used his tongue to lie, insult and do harm to others. And remember how they sunk their claws into the head of another? They did that because the man’s actions were fuelled by envy, and he had wished evil on his fellow man. Every demonic attack is the dark reflection of the sins that each man had committed on Earth.” – But not all men have hearts blackened by evil,” John continued. “You yourself saw how many of those souls, although they had given in to their weaknesses, were rescued by the angels and raised to glory in Heaven as just reward for having led good lives, and for seeking not only their own happiness but also that of others. I realised that the Old and New Testaments were being interwoven in the conversation taking place before me. The men who had foreseen Jesus’ coming and those who described his time in our world had come together to offer me an explanation of the mysteries behind the events I had just witnessed.
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While my mind was still struggling to comprehend all of these teachings, a heavenly sound reached my ears, and my nose detected a delicious scent that intoxicated my senses. Juan showed me the origin of all those lovely sensations: – These twenty-four old men before us are responsible for playing the divine music that is heard in every corner of Heaven, and they bear flasks of perfume that represent the prayers of the Saints. At present they are simply tuning their instruments, but pay attention, Mateo, for 32 the concert will begin any minute now.
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How could I not pay attention? I was fascinated! As my eyes wandered over the instruments, I noticed one that I had never seen before, which required the coordinated efforts of two musicians in order to produce a melody. Juan told me that it was called an organistrum. The sound of the organistrum seemed to penetrate to the very core of my being, weaving the teachings of the Evangelists and the Prophets into a beautiful harmony within my heart. 34
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When the concert began, Heaven was filled with sublimely beautiful music. Everyone present—the Evangelists, Prophets, angels and souls—were overcome with joy and ecstasy as they listened. The clouds began to glow with a light brighter than I had ever seen before, and the figure of Jesus emerged from its blinding rays. When the beam of light radiating from his breast came to rest upon me, I felt as though all the mysteries of the universe had finally been revealed to me‌ and I discovered the force that moves all things, love. Overwhelmed by unspeakable joy, I awoke.
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I had the dream I have just described when I was your age. A few years later, I was apprenticed to a sculptor who was working on the construction of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the most beautiful building in the world! I vowed that one day I would be capable of carving the stone into lifelike statues that would inspire awe and wonder in all who saw them. One day King Ferdinand II, who had come to Compostela to inspect the cathedral works, visited our workshop. I watched, intrigued, as my master invited him to examine one of my sculptures, and I saw them deep in conversation as they stood before it. After the king had departed, my master spoke to me in a voice trembling with emotion: – Mateo, I am old and my eyes are tired, and soon I will have to stop working. You will be the one to carry on this prodigious task to which I have dedicated my life. You have been chosen to create the portal through which pilgrims from the four corners of the Earth will enter this building, the great west facade. I only ask that you work with the same dedication, faith and love as we who have gone before you.
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I wanted all the pilgrims who crossed this threshold to see my dream in stone, and so experience the same thrill and joy I felt when I witnessed those marvellous sights and understood the significance of the message they conveyed. I called my masterpiece the Portal of Glory because it represented Jesus’ triumph over pain and death, as foretold by the Prophets of the Old Testament and confirmed by the Evangelists and Apostles of the New. As you see, the portal stands on an underworld inhabited by those monsters and beasts of which I told you. They had terrorised me in my dream, but they no longer have any power over me. I have conquered them with the power of my imagination, and now they lie crushed beneath the weight of the structure I have created.
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To capture the happiness that the dream had inspired in my heart, I decided to carve smiles on several of the figures on the portal. One of them is the prophet Daniel, whose smile has since become one of the most famous in the history of art! I read in the Bible that Daniel was a young man like me, which is why I wanted his smile to be the most cheerful and radiant. And I was overjoyed when I saw the magnificent job that the painters had done in bringing my sculptures to life with colour! When the sun’s rays fall on them, they sparkle with all the glittering hues I had seen in Heaven: golds, blues, reds‌
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In the centre of the portal I placed my masterpiece: the statue of the Apostle James, called Santiago in Spain. I depicted him seated on a throne, welcoming all who enter his house, the splendid Cathedral of Santiago, receiving them with a warm, friendly gaze that reflects the divine goodness I had observed in Heaven. With painstaking effort, I carved and whittled the granite until his robe looked as soft, velvety and vaporous as the clouds on which I had floated in my dream.
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If you go down into the crypt on which the portal stands, you will find that it represents our world. Like the Earth we inhabit, there you will discover countless figures of men, women, animals and all types of plants‌ even Sirens! If you look up you will see, in the centre of the vaults, two angels bearing images of the sun and moon for, unlike the realm of glory, illuminated by a divine, eternal brilliance that is never dimmed by nightfall, our world relies on those heavenly spheres for light. 46
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After climbing a mysterious flight of stairs, you will come to the tribune located directly above the portal. This is a majestic, airy, glowing space crowned by a large vault which has a lamp in the middle bearing an image of the Lamb of God, a symbol of the divine light that shines for all eternity.
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I am certain that the light which illuminated me in that dream and accompanied me in my waking hours, the light that guided my hand as I carved the images stored in my mind, will also inspire you. The Portal of Glory no longer belongs to me; now it is a treasure shared by all humankind, for everyone who has seen it over the centuries has recreated it through their own eyes, just as you are doing now. Revel in the wonder of the cathedral of which it is a part, enjoy it and care for it, because it belongs to you as well. Pilgrims from around the world flock here every year, and as a result it is filled with the beauty of the hopes and dreams of countless individuals. Take another long look at the portal, discover its secrets, notice how its figures converse with each other, and remember that, with their smiles, they are urging you to make the effort to learn, to think, to create! If you take their advice, you will find a way to make your own dreams come true. The End 49
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EDUCATIONAL APPENDIX
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Who’s Who on the
PORTAL OF GLORY 9 10 7
1. Christ the Redeemer showing his wounds as symbols of his victory over pain and death. 2. Angels bearing the instruments of the Passion. 3. The Evangelists writing on the animals that symbolise them. 4. Angels bearing censers. 5. The redeemed in heavenly glory. 6. The 24 old men of the Apocalypse tuning their instruments and bearing perfume flasks. The organistrum appears on the keystone of the arch. 7. Angels leading the souls of the redeemed to Heaven.
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8. Christ descending into Hell to save the righteous who died before he came to Earth. 9. The Last Judgement with Christ and Saint Michael separating the redeemed from the damned. 10. Trumpeting angels announcing the Last Judgement. 11. Pillar of the Prophets. 12. James the Apostle seated on a throne and holding the crosier of the archbishops of Santiago de Compostela. 13. Pillar of the Apostles. 14. The Tree of Jesse, showing Christ’s human genealogy up to the Virgin Mary. 15. Bears, wolves, gryphons and lions as symbols of evil. 53
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Glossary
USEFUL VOCABULARY
APOCALYPSE (from the Greek, revelation)
This word is sometimes used to refer to the last book in the New Testament, better known as the Book of Revelation, in which Saint John narrates a vision that showed him the Last Judgement, the condemnation of sinners and the glorious fate awaiting the righteous. The book describes some of the scenes featured on the portal, such as the 24 old men with musical instruments, the angels with trumpets announcing the catastrophes to come, and the beasts that will ultimately be defeated.
CODEX (a Latin term that originally meant tree bark, and later a bound book)
The table where Mateo is reading contains several codices, a term used to describe medieval books. Because these were handwritten, they are also known as manuscripts. Their pages are not made of paper but of parchment, a stiff, highly durable material made from animal hides. EVANGELISTS (from the Greek, good news)
The Evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the authors of the four books in the New Testament that narrate the life of Jesus.
APOSTLES (from the Greek, emissaries)
The apostles are the twelve disciples who followed Jesus during his ministry on Earth and later spread his teachings around the world. According to tradition, James the Apostle preached the good news in Spain, and his mortal remains rest in the city of Compostela. BIBLE (from the Greek, books)
A compilation of books held sacred by Christians. It consists of the Old Testament, which contains the sacred writings of the people of Israel before the coming of Jesus Christ, and the New Testament, which includes the four Gospels and the Book of Revelation among other books.
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FLASK
Glass vessel with a broad base that gradually tapers to a narrow neck. In the Middle Ages flasks were used to store precious liquids, such as perfumes. MINIATURES (from the Latin minium, lead tetroxide)
This term refers to the illustrations that decorate some medieval codices. These miniatures or illuminations were vibrantly colourful as they were made using gold, silver and other elements like minium, a red pigment from which the word “miniature� is derived.
PARCHMENT
The material of which the pages of medieval books are made. Parchment is an animal hide that has been specially treated (scraped and buffed) for use as a writing surface. PROPHET
A person who claims to have received a direct revelation from God and who acts as an intermediary between Him and the rest of mankind. ULYSSES
Greek hero who fought in the Trojan War and faced many dangers as he sailed across the Mediterranean to return to his home on the island of Ithaca. One of the most famous episodes of his journey, narrated by the Greek poet Homer in The Odyssey, is his narrow escape near the perilous cliffs where the Sirens lived.
Did You Know That...? Work on the Cathedral of Santiago began in 1075, long before the birth of Mateo. The builders began with the area near the main altar, where the Holy Door is located today, and slowly made their way west, finishing the transept—the short arm of the enormous Latin cross that forms the cathedral’s floor plan—around the year 1110.
his creations evidence an in-depth knowledge of the works completed before he became head architect. At some point in his life Mateo may have travelled abroad to further his education and seen the structures being built in France and Italy. On returning to Santiago he could have drawn on this acquired knowledge to design his chefd’oeuvre, the Portal of Glory.
On either side of the cathedral transept, two large entrances were built and decorated with a profusion of sculptures: the Porta Francigena or Door of France to the north (now called the Facade of the Azabachería, the old jet craftsmen’s market) and the Portada de Platerías or Portal of Silverwork to the south, leading to the medieval city. The window of the room where Mateo is reading offers us a partial view of the Porta Francigena, through which all pilgrims arriving in Santiago on the road from France passed to enter the cathedral. In front of this entrance was a square with a large fountain and a market. The portal featured carvings of mythical creatures that soared through the sky on the backs of giant birds and characters from classical mythology, such as centaurs and Sirens (some of which can still be seen on the Portada de Platerías and in the Cathedral Museum).
Mateo was so proud of the portal that he carved his name in a stone inscription, which states that he completed it on 1 April 1188 and that he built it up from the foundation—in other words, the crypt. Mateo envisioned the portal as a physical rendering of the holy city described by Saint John in the Book of Revelation, where he says: “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof [...] And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.” For this reason, Mateo placed two angels holding the sun and the moon on the vaults of the crypt, as this space represents the earthly world, and the Lamb of God on the vault of the tribune, the celestial sphere.
We know little about the life of Mateo. It is possible that, as described in our tale, he was trained as an apprentice in the cathedral workshops, as
The 24 old men described by Saint John in the Book of Revelation are depicted on the portal with musical instruments from Mateo’s time.
These renderings are so realistic and detailed that experts from around the world, brought together thanks to a Fundación Barrié project, were able to create replicas of the instruments for use in medieval music concerts. Three different varieties of granite, which came from quarries near Santiago, were used to build the portal. Once the carving was finished, the sculptures were painted. But first a paste was applied to the stone that smoothed the surface and prepared it so the colours would adhere properly. Gold, blue, red, black, white, yellow and green were the main colours used to bring the fabrics, objects and bodies to life. Today, however, they are barely perceptible as the paint has been seriously damaged by dampness and the ravages of time. Restoring a masterpiece like the Portal of Glory is a costly, time-consuming endeavour that requires the skill and knowledge of experts in art history, chemistry, physics, biology, architecture, conservation and restoration, photography, stone quarrying and other fields.
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Timeline of the Portal 1603 Master Mateo’s stone choir is removed
1520 Wooden doors installed in the narthex of the Cathedral of Santiago
1211
Consecration of the Romanesque Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
1075 997 Santiago is raided by Al-Mansur
899 Completion of the basilica built by order of Alfonso III
830 Discovery of the apostle’s sepulchre
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Work begins on the Romanesque Cathedral of Santiago
1188
1112 Definitive demolition of the pre-Romanesque church
Master Mateo installs the lintels of the Portal of Glory
1168 King Ferdinand II grants Mateo a royal concession with a lifetime annuity to continue performing his duties as overseer of the cathedral works
1606
Ginés Martínez builds the flight of steps leading to the Plaza del Obradoiro
1651 Crispín de Avelino is commissioned to restore the polychrome paint on certain images
1738-1750 The Obradoiro Facade is built under the supervision of Fernando de Casas
1992-93 1866 Domenico Brucciani creates a plaster-cast replica of the Portal of Glory for what is now the Victoria & Albert Museum
1898 The Arundel Society publishes a selection of the photographs taken by Thurston Thompson
First analyses of the deterioration of the Portal of Glory and partial restoration works
2006
Launch of the Cathedral of Santiago Programme: the first comprehensive project for the preventive conservation and restoration of the Portal of Glory
2010
Holy Year of Santiago de Compostela
2011
800th anniversary of the cathedral’s consecration
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Gallery of Images
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