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CHAPTER I ANCIENT GALICIA
CHAPTER I ANCIENT GALICIA
Ancient Galicia—Never conquered by the Moors—The cradle of Spanish nobility—A goal for pilgrims—Modern writers on Galicia—A rich literature—National traditions—Martial genius—No Basques—Iberian words—Ligurians in Spain—Barrows and tumuli—Druidical stones—Celtic Spain—Derivation of “Galicia”—Scotch and Irish traditions—Julius Cæsar—Phœnician colonies—The Cassiterides—Plato’s theory—Iron implements—Quintus Fabius—Brutus in Galicia—The theatre of Cæsar’s battles—The Roman Legions—The most ancient o
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CHAPTER II THE GEOGRAPHY OF GALICIA
CHAPTER II THE GEOGRAPHY OF GALICIA
Boundaries of Galicia—Spurs of the Pyrenees—The Rias—Exuberant vegetation—Herds of cattle—Rivers—The “River of Oblivion”—The Miño and the Sil—Sword-making—Ptolemy—The first map—France and geographical literature—The finest harbours in Europe—Columbus and Galicia—Rich in relics of the past G ALICIA is bounded on the north by the Bay of Biscay, on the south by Portugal, and on the east by the provinces of Asturias and Leon. This province is the most westerly and at the same time the most northerly
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CHAPTER III THE FIRST GOLDEN AGE
CHAPTER III THE FIRST GOLDEN AGE
Galicia’s first golden age—From Galicia to Palestine—The father of Spanish historians—His birthplace— Civitas Limicorum —An amusing story—Early life of Idatius—Arianism—St. Jerome—Paul Orosius—King Alfred’s translation—St. Augustine and Orosius—Orosius travels to Jerusalem—Roman pilgrims—Etheria—A plucky abbess—Her visit to the holy places—Gamurrini discovers the manuscript—Not Silvia but Etheria—A curious coincidence—Unpublished manuscripts I T was in the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries of t
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CHAPTER IV THE SALVE REGINA
CHAPTER IV THE SALVE REGINA
Avitus I. and Avitus II. —St. Isidore—The story of St. Fructuosus—The origin of duplex monasteries in Spain—One of the favourite saints of Galicia—Almanzor comes to Santiago de Compostela—San Pedro de Mezonzo—Almanzor returns to Cordova—The Salve Regina —Who wrote the Salve Regina ?—Alfonso el Sabio —His Cantiga—The Mariner’s prayer—St. Gregory—Foreign authorities—How the Salve reached France and Italy—Dr. Oviedo’s Thesis—A startling article—The Dogma of the Immaculate Conception— De Consolation
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CHAPTER V THE LANGUAGE OF GALICIA
CHAPTER V THE LANGUAGE OF GALICIA
A Romance language—The universal language of Spain—A provincial dialect—George Ticknor—The Cantigas of Alfonso el Sabio—Comparison between the languages of Galicia and Portugal—A Celtic trait—The wing of the tongue—The native poets of Galicia— Trovadors —The Marquis de Valmar—Latinised forms—Amador de los Rios—The young Italian language—French takes the precedence—Romance poetry in England—The troubadours of Aquitaine—Alfonso the royal trovador—The poet of true love—The martyr to Cupid—The story
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CHAPTER VI PILGRIMS TO SANTIAGO
CHAPTER VI PILGRIMS TO SANTIAGO
St. James’s Road—The legend of St. James—Landing at Padron—Abbot Ildefred—Alfonso el Casto—The town of Santiago—Diego Gelmirez—The Historia Compostelana —Another famous manuscript—The Codex of Calistus II .—Basque words—Origin of the Basques—Molina’s list of pilgrims—In the cathedral—Hymn of the Flemings—Relics of St. James—The scallop shell—Images of St. James—Jet workers—Money-changers—St. Bridget—Philip II —William of Rubruquis—Queen Matilda—An irreparable loss—A book on Galicia—Why the pilgr
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CHAPTER VII THE ARCHITECTURE OF GALICIA
CHAPTER VII THE ARCHITECTURE OF GALICIA
The beginnings of archæology—Caumont—The power of the Church in the Middle Ages—Montalembert—A despot who never dies—The age of cathedral-building—The architecture of Galicia— Mudejar architecture—Byzantine art—The horseshoe arch—Tombstones with Roman inscriptions—The ruins of Segobriga—The Mosque of Cordova—The Puente de Pinos—San Juan de Baños—Santa Comba de Bande—The circular arch—French students of Spanish architecture—Moorish architects—St. Isidore and the Visigoth kings—Two streams of infl
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CHAPTER VIII THE CATHEDRAL OF SANTIAGO
CHAPTER VIII THE CATHEDRAL OF SANTIAGO
The original church—Compared with St. Sernin of Toulouse—A great resemblance—Notable differences—The respective architects—The monks of Cluny—Two master builders—The cupola—The naves—Street’s description—Seven gates—The Puerta de los Platerias —Sculptured figures—Defects of the age—Street’s admiration—The windows—The horseshoe arch—Sculpture and statuary—The dramatic sentiment—The clock tower—The deep-toned bell—The Puerta Santa —The Quintana —The Azabacheria —The Obradoiro —The Italian staircas
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CHAPTER IX THE PORTICO DE GLORIA
CHAPTER IX THE PORTICO DE GLORIA
A wonderful portico—The triple archway—Origin of Western Christian art—A system of symbols—“Bible of the Poor”—Mosaic gives place to statuary—A magnificent design—The focus of the world—The figure of Christ—The Four Evangelists—The four-and-twenty elders—Musical instruments—Jews and Gentiles—The Man Christ Jesus—The central pillar—The seated figure of St. James—The Stem of Jesse—Custom and superstition—Judith—The prophets—The bases of the pillars—Mateo represents himself—Another superstition—“Th
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CHAPTER X SCULPTURED CAPITALS
CHAPTER X SCULPTURED CAPITALS
Favourite subjects—Plain capitals in English cathedrals—The foliage—The trumpet pattern—Capitals in the gallery—New elements—The arcades at Vézelay—Original but not realistic—The zenith of ornamental sculpture—Lay schools—Art becomes a dead language—The abacas—Norman sculpture in England—The palace of Gelmirez—St. Joseph’s Day—The crypt church—Its form and architecture—Sculpture of its capitals—Stone flowers—Celtic dances—The Capilla de Gelmirez—Sculptured scenes from daily life—The Sala capitul
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CHAPTER XI THE ROYAL HOSPITAL
CHAPTER XI THE ROYAL HOSPITAL
Ferdinand and Isabella—Levying a tribute—Foundation of the hospital—Molina’s description—The principal entrance—Iconographic decoration—Gargoyles—A mural painting—The railing—The four patios—The north-west cloister—The chapel—A graceful font—The sculptured altars—Lace-like canopies—The statues—The Flemish Gothic style—The sacristy—Historical chasubles—The belfry—A palace for royal visitors—Decadence of the hospital—The revenues—A twentieth-century staff—Twenty-six wards—The kitchen—Milk and eggs
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CHAPTER XII THE COLEGIATA DE SAR
CHAPTER XII THE COLEGIATA DE SAR
Peculiar architecture—An expedition to Sar—The river Sar—Eight square pillars—The first impulse—Seven and a half centuries—The present Gothic vaulting—A feat of architectural skill—The wooden floor—Odd ideas—Foreign admirals visit Sar—Archbishop Bernard—Opening his tomb—The inscription—The original cloister—Rebuilding the monastery—A hospital for canons A MONGST some photographs that were offered me for sale on the day after my arrival in Santiago I noticed one, the interior of a church, of whic
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CHAPTER XIII LA CORUÑA
CHAPTER XIII LA CORUÑA
Sir John Moore—The province of Coruña—The town of Coruña—By sea to Coruña—Our steamer—The other passengers—A dangerous harbour—Fear of stowaways—Glass-covered galleries—Beggars—The Customs—No fireplaces—Our drive to the ramparts—The Lion and the Unicorn—A British hero—Borrow and the tomb of Sir John Moore—The gardens of San Carlos—Moore’s lack of confidence in himself—His reputation as a general—Wellington’s opinion of him—“The Burial of Sir John Moore”—Situation of Coruña—The cemetery—The tower
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CHAPTER XIV EMIGRATION
CHAPTER XIV EMIGRATION
An Agricultural Syndicate—The only flourishing industry—The flower of Galicia’s youth—Monopolisation and subdivision of the land—The lesser evil—The Argentine Republic—Free passages to Chili and Valparaiso—Every peasant a proprietor—Socialism rare in Galicia—Causes of Spanish indolence—Bad government—Railways before roads—Nomadic instinct derived from Celtic ancestors—Reputed stupidity of Gallegans—A story—Fields worked by women—Usury—Need of wholesome literature—The potato disease—Cattle breedi
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CHAPTER XV ROSALIA CASTRO
CHAPTER XV ROSALIA CASTRO
A sweet singer—A drop of Galicia’s life-blood—Rosalia’s lyrics—Home-sickness— Cantares Gallegas — Follas Novas —The ancient Britons—A star of the first magnitude—The outpourings of a poetic soul—A harp of two strings—Why the poetry of Galicia cannot be translated—Rosalia’s remains transferred to Santo Domingo—The procession—The poetry of Galicia G ALICIA has had many sweet singers since the “days of Macìas, the poet of true love, but none have poured forth a more moving or a more plaintive song
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CHAPTER XVI SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
CHAPTER XVI SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
Note. —I have been obliged, from lack of space, to omit two chapters describing the monasteries of San Martin Pinario , San Lorenzo , San Francisco , and Santo Domingo —four remarkable relics of the Middle Ages which no visitor to Santiago should fail to see.— Author....
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CHAPTER XVII GALICIA’S LIVESTOCK
CHAPTER XVII GALICIA’S LIVESTOCK
The pig market—Pigs in every family—Laws relating to pigs and goats—Poultry—Oxen—The ancient plough—Gallegan carts—The music of the cartwheels—Excellent milk—No dairy farms—Horses—Wolves—Foxes—Bears—Hares—Rabbits—Owls and bats—Musk-rats—Wild cats—Partridges—Pheasants—Pigeons—Facts about sardines—Neither a mackerel nor a herring—Dried cod—Trade between Norway and Spain—A heated controversy—The Lamprey—The turbot—The oyster—Eels—Cod—Salmon—Red mullet—Trout O NE of the most entertaining sights in S
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CHAPTER XVIII PADRON
CHAPTER XVIII PADRON
An emporium of Phœnician trade—From Padron to London—Iria Flavia—Landing of St. James—Drive from Santiago to Padron—A sacred mountain— La Virgen de la Esclavitud —Santa Maria de Iria—A Byzantine statue—The rock beneath the altar—Where St. James preached—The monastery of Herbon—Statue of St. Francis of Assisi—Cæsar’s bridge—The Ulla mentioned by Ptolemy—An interesting conversation—The house where Rosalia Castro died—Changing scenery—The towers of Augustus—A village festival V ERY few of the pilgr
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CHAPTER XIX LA BELLISIMA NOYA
CHAPTER XIX LA BELLISIMA NOYA
Situation of Noya—Antiquity of the town—The coach drive from Santiago—Singing cartwheels—Where the golden torques were found—Copper and iron—Mountain valleys—Waterfalls—Paper mills—A ruined monastery—Nearing Noya—A peep at the sea—A village green—The oldest church—Noya merchants of the fourteenth century—The Sunday before Easter—My visit to a nun—The church of San Martin—The interior—The castellated apse—The rose window—Imitation of the Pórtico de Gloria —The wooden roof—Strange brackets or corb
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CHAPTER XX PONTEVEDRA
CHAPTER XX PONTEVEDRA
Villagarcia—Site of King Alfonso’s new palace—Pontevedra—A magnificent stone bridge—The fishermen’s guild—The fishermen’s church—The façade—The interior—The architect of Santa Maria la Grande—Morales—Santo Domingo—Beautiful ruins—A romantic museum—Sepulchral effigies—Ambassadors to Tamerlane—Roman milestones—Escutcheons—The contents of the museum—Iberian, Celtic, and Sueve antiquities—Stonemasons’ marks—The founder of the Pontevedra Archæological Society—The Conventual Church of San Francisco—Th
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CHAPTER XXI VIGO AND TUY
CHAPTER XXI VIGO AND TUY
Southey at Redondela—Sacked by the English—The most modern town in Galicia—The finest climate in Spain—Submarine cables—Vigo’s harbour— Vicus Spacorum —Bayona—Tuy—Early history—The Miño—The International Bridge—Occupied by the French—Learned bishops—The oldest cathedral in Galicia—A puzzling inscription—Quaint sculpture—Santo Domingo—The Cathedral—Its history—The portico—The interior—A rectangular apse—The cloister—San Telmo—The Portuguese frontier—Passports—Education in Portugal T HE prettiest
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CHAPTER XXII ORENSE
CHAPTER XXII ORENSE
Our last view of Tuy Cathedral—Scenery between Tuy and Orense—Ribadavia—Boundaries of Orense—Crossing the Miño—The Puente Mayor —The hot springs—Their usefulness—The Cathedral of Orense—Its Pórtico de Gloria —The wonderful crucifix—The cloister—Santa Eufemia—Fight for her body—The oxen decide—Cardinal Quevado—Sculpture brought from Italy—Wood-carving—Spanish enamels—A silver crucifix—The reredos—The Orense Museum—Stone sarcophagi—Roman mosaics—A strange musical instrument—The Gallegan bagpipe—Or
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CHAPTER XXIII MONFORTE AND LUGO
CHAPTER XXIII MONFORTE AND LUGO
Monforte—The Jesuit College—A picture by Greco—Cloister planned by Herrera—Relics in the convent of Santa Clara—Doña Catalina—The modern town—Like a spider’s web—The Province of Lugo—The town of Lugo—The Roman wall—Towers and windows—A Celtic town—Derivation of the name—The Sueves at Lugo—The seat of a Metropolitan—Struggles between the clergy and the nobles—Lugo’s great privilege—The continual exposition of the Host—Early references to this privilege—The Archives of Lugo—Molina—Lugo Cathedral—I
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CHAPTER XXIV BETANZOS AND FERROL
CHAPTER XXIV BETANZOS AND FERROL
Betanzos and the Phœnicians—Earliest inhabitants—The Fiesta de Caneiros —Municipal archives—Market day—The “abominable tribute”—Tiobre—May Day—San Martin de Tiobre—Santa Eulalia de Espenuca—The Church of Santiago—Its slanting architecture—A tower of the Middle Ages—Santa Maria de Azogue—San Francisco—The tomb of Fernán Peréz de Andrade—The Church at Cambre—A forerunner of Toledo Cathedral—Was it planned by Mateo?—Petrus Petri—The drive to Puentedeume and Ferrol—Borrow on Ferrol—The great Arsenal
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CHAPTER XXV THE GREAT MONASTERIES OF GALICIA
CHAPTER XXV THE GREAT MONASTERIES OF GALICIA
The monastery of Osera—Peralta—Foundation of the monastery and its first abbot—“The Escurial of Galicia”—Difficulty of access—The journey—On horseback—A petrified ocean—Primitive maize barns—A sea of rocks—Privileges enjoyed by the monks of Osera—The façade—The cloisters—The church—The choir—The altars—The sacristy—The cemetery—The oldest part of the building—Fountains—The journey back to Cea—The excursion to Celanova—Scenery of the road—Floors of walnut wood—The escaño —A typical invention—A st
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CHAPTER XXVI TREES, FRUITS, AND FLOWERS
CHAPTER XXVI TREES, FRUITS, AND FLOWERS
Dates and bananas—Magnolias and camellias—Canes for trellis-work—The chestnut—Killing the goose that lays the golden egg—Walnut wood—The finest mouthful in the world—Shipment of pine trees to foreign ports—Ignorance of the peasants—The eucalyptus, the birch, the willow, and the ash—Gorse—Tobacco—Flax—The linen industry—How linen is bleached—The potato—Maize barns—Two crops in the year—The cultivation of the vine—How the peasants make their wine—Coffins for sale—Drunken husbandmen—English soldier
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CHAPTER XXVII DIVES CALLAECIA
CHAPTER XXVII DIVES CALLAECIA
The dignity of human beings—Mineral wealth of Galicia—Gold in the sand—Ancient authorities—Ireland and Spanish gold—Visigothic coins—Galicia’s secret—Turned up by the plough—Medicinal springs—Mineral waters—Climate never extreme—The baths at Lugo—Borrow’s account—An island hydropathic establishment—Hot springs—Galicia as a health resort—Mondariz—Women in the fields—Amazons—Martial zeal—Wellington and the Gallegan soldiers—“The inimitable Gallegans”—Another word about their reputed stupidity—Grea
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Agapito y Revilla, Don Juan. “La Basilica Visigoda de San Juan Bautista en Baños de Cerrato (Palencia).” Valladolid. Aguiar, José Verea y. “Historia de Galicia.” Ferrol, 1838. Alonso, Benito F. “Armas de Orense.” Orense, 1891. Alonso, Benito F. “El Pontificado Gallego.” Cronica de los obispos de Orense. Orense, 1897. Alonso, Benito F. “Guerra Hispano-Lusitana.” Orense, 1893. Alonso, Benito F. “Los Judios en Orense. (Siglos xv. al xvii.).” Amador de los Rios, José. “El Arte Latino-Bizantino en Es
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