Photo Post: Colexiata de Sar, the Leaning Church of Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Colexiata de Sar, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Central nave

Most days of the week. I end up passing through Santiago de Compostela’s Praza de Galicia, a major hub for traffic and city buses traversing the northeast-to-southwest sprawl of this regional capital. On my way home, I usually head east along the city’s main loop, a road that changes its name about eight times as it circles Santiago’s small but stately historic center.

Colexiata de Sar, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Right aisle

Before I reach the side street that leads down to my apartment, I pass by a large, bold magenta sign informing drivers of a “Colexiata de Sar” down to the right. Walking past this sign nearly every day for a month after I moved to Santiago made me think that there had to be something pretty significant for there to be a tourist sign put up for it.

Colexiata de Sar, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Left aisle

So, one day I descended down Santiago’s central bluff, under the highway and train tracks, to the edge of the Sar River. Here, in a quiet residential neighborhood, I came across a simple church that dates to the Romanesque era of architecture (think medieval times), but with six great stone buttresses flying out from either side of the church. The buttresses seemed kind of odd, as that architectural element came into vogue centuries later when the grand Gothic cathedrals needed them to prop up their soaring walls.

Colexiata de Sar, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Flying buttresses

The Colexiata de Santa María a Maior e Real de Sar, or the “Royal Collegiate Church of St. Mary Major of Sar,” was built on some rather swampy land by the riverbanks, so by the 1700s things had gotten so bad that the walls, columns, and vaulting were buckling outward. Oops. To save it from collapse, the authorities had some granite buttresses built on either side to prop up the church. Today, it’s a fun building to explore—not only for being an architectural oddity in Santiago but also for holding a simple yet well-preserved example of Romanesque architecture, both inside the church and in its calm cloisters.

Colexiata de Sar, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Gallery of buttresses

What other “Leaning Towers of Pisa” can you think of? What was your favorite photo from this post? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Colexiata de Sar, November 8th, 2013

What others are reading:

Is St. James Really Buried in Santiago de Compostela, Spain?

Image
As you head down a curve of the busy San Pedro street, you catch your first view of the twin bell towers of the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela—and you catch your breath. Petite hatchbacks rattle across the cobblestone as your feet seem drawn farther down the path, although that might just be gravity pulling you downhill toward the old zone. You cinch up your backpack’s sternum strap for the final approach of this multiple-night pilgrimage. For not the first time on your Camino, you lose your sense of direction as you enter Santiago’s old town: granite flagstones at your feet, stone-and-graying-plaster houses on either side, and overcast skies above disorient you—yet your eyes eventually lock on to a spray-painted yellow arrow on the side of a building. Once you’re back on autopilot, you start to reflect on why you started this crazy, 70-mile-plus hike in the first place. Rúa de San Pedro, Santiago de Compostela Maybe you hiked from Sarria farther inland as a cheap and hea
keep reading...

Mont-Saint-Michel, France: An Island Fortress in the English Channel

Image
After Paris and the Bayeux Tapestry , the third thing I wanted to see while traveling in France was Mont-Saint-Michel , a towering monastery built on top of a mountainous island off the coast of Normandy. Before visiting, I really didn’t know much at all about the Mount except that it was only accessible when the tides were out…and that it looked just plain cool. During the visit, I ended up learning a bit about French history and why the Mount is such a big deal for the French people. Mont-Saint-Michel It was by sheer luck, though, that I was able to visit Mont-Saint-Michel at all (pronounced “mohn san mee-shehl” [mɔ̃ sɛ̃ mi.ʃɛl]). The very day I had chosen to visit Mont-Saint-Michel was the first day in weeks  that the tourist bus was running between Saint-Malo (where my hostel was) and the Mount, with maybe one or two other runs more for December. I paid 20€ for the round-trip service but didn’t complain because this really freaky coincidence made the whole visit possible.
keep reading...

Mass Tourism Is Destroying Spain—Here’s Where You Should Travel

Image
One of the best decisions I’ve made on Twitter recently was following Humans of Late Tourism , who shares images and stories that show how absurd and destructive modern mass tourism has become in Europe and beyond. Browse their feed for a few minutes and you’ll see a photo of the hordes that make appreciating the Mona Lisa  all but impossible at the Louvre, a news article from Mallorca about the latest death due to balconing , or a lamppost flyer in Porto accusing Airbnb apartments with causing massive increases in rent. This (presumably) Catalan user’s account has reminded me of the phenomenon I was slowly growing aware of while I lived in Spain—and even participated in on my weekend jaunts from Úbeda and Santiago de Compostela . In short, mass tourism is destroying what we love most about Spain and turning the country’s biggest cities like Barcelona, Madrid, or Granada into theme parks for tourists. “Tourism kills the city” sticker in Reus I first learned about the negati
keep reading...