The Santiago Cathedral Museum enables visitors to immerse themselves in the Cathedral’s history and art through its different spaces and the temporary exhibitions it curates.

The different types of visit are coordinated at the Visitors’ Reception Centre, situated in the façade of the claustral building, adjoining the Cathedral, in the Praza do Obradoiro.

Permanent collection: A tour of the history and art of Santiago Cathedral through its most outstanding artistic works. Visitors can travel back in time and discover how a great cathedral was built to house a tomb and around which, over the centuries, grew a city and a Jacobean phenomenon that, through the Way of St. James, played an important role in the construction of a European identity. In 1985, it became a World Heritage Site.

On the ground floor are the origins of the Cathedral, Master Mateo’s stone choir and the construction of the Romanesque cathedral. The first floor is devoted to art in the Cathedral from the 13th to the 18th centuries and to the Apostle Santiago, or James. The second floor houses the Renaissance cloister, the Chapel of the Relics, the Royal Pantheon, the Cathedral’s Treasury, the Chapter Library, the Botafumeiro and the Chapter Room. On the third floor is the collection of textile art, and tapestries by Rubens, Teniers, the Real Fábrica de Tapices de Madrid and Goya.

The Pazo de Xelmírez is a medieval building, a fine example of civil Romanesque architecture, adjoining the Cathedral which owes its name to Diego Xelmírez, the first archbishop of Compostela and the driving force behind its construction. Here, visitors can see the Weapons Room, Manrique Room, the kitchen and, above all, the grand, monumental and ornamental Ceremonial Hall with its corbels depicting a royal banquet. The top floor is currently a monographic space devoted to Master Mateo and his Cathedral project, introducing visitors to the Portico of Glory. Some of the Pazo de Xelmírez’s other spaces which are open to the public also hold the temporary exhibitions curated by the Museum, sometimes in collaboration with other cultural institutions.

Portico of Glory. The western entrance to the Romanesque cathedral, conceived through the genius of Master Mateo, whose workshop of stonemasons interpreted the passages of the Apocalypse in stone. It is considered a masterpiece of universal art. The Portico can be accessed via the Museum, within the programme of themed visits it organises. This enables the Museum to apply a protocol of preventive conservation necessary to preserve the ensemble of buildings after their complex restoration, made possible by the patronage of the Fundación Barrié.

Roof. The stone rooftops of Santiago Cathedral are laid out in staggered formation and can be visited, providing spectacular panoramic views both of the basilica itself and the city of Compostela. Guided rooftop tours are available for small groups and also include access to the Carraca tower.

Archaeological excavations. In the subsoil of the Cathedral, archaeological excavations carried out at different times in history have uncovered numerous traces of the origins of the basilica and of the town itself. The pavement hides an intricate necropolis network, dating from Roman times to the construction of the Romanesque cathedral, as well as remains of the primitive basilicas and part of the city’s early defensive line. Visits are restricted.