Praza da Quintana

Santiago de Compostela


Broad Praza da Quintana opens up outside the cathedral's eastern end. The cathedral's Puerta Santa here is opened only in holy years: it's flanked by 24 Romanesque sculptures of biblical figures from the cathedral's original stone choir, created by Maestro Mateo and his team in the late 12th century.

The plaza's east side is lined by the long, stark wall of the Mosteiro de San Paio de Antealtares, founded in the 9th century for the monks who looked after Santiago's relics (now a convent). Its Museo de Arte Sacra, accessed through the convent church at the top of the plaza steps, contains the Ara (Altar) de Antealtares, a recycled Roman funerary plaque that was used as the original altar raised over those relics.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Santiago de Compostela attractions

1. Puerta Santa

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The cathedral's Puerta Santa, giving access to the cathedral from Praza da Quintana, is opened only in holy years (2021, 2027). Constructed between 1611…

2. Mosteiro de San Paio de Antealtares

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The long, stark wall of the Mosteiro de San Paio de Antealtares faces the cathedral's east end across Praza da Quintana. Founded by Alfonso II in the 9th…

3. Museo de Arte Sacro

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The Sacred Art Museum, accessed through the church of the Mosteiro de San Paio de Antealtares, contains the Ara (Altar) de Antealtares, the original altar…

4. Museo das Peregrinacións e de Santiago

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The brightly displayed Museum of Pilgrimages and Santiago gives fascinating insights into the phenomenon of Santiago (man, city and pilgrimage) down the…

5. Praza das Praterías

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'Silversmiths' Square' is centred on an elegant 1825 fountain, the Fuente de los Caballos, a popular photo op, with the cath­edral's Romanesque south…

6. Fuente de los Caballos

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The plaza on the cathedral's south side focuses on Fuente de los Caballos fountain (1825), a popular photo op, with four elegant horses surmounted by a…

7. Casa do Cabido

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Along the lower side of the Praza das Praterías, the baroque Casa do Cabildo is no more than a 3m-deep facade erected in the 1750s at the behest of the…

8. Praza da Inmaculada

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On the cathedral's north side, this is where most pilgrims arriving in Santiago first set eyes on the cathedral. Opposite looms the huge, austerely…