I awoke in hotel Mexico my base for the next three days which is situated in the university quart of the city. It was a basic room single bed with good bath room which had a bath and shower. Again I was on the 5th floor which seemed to be made up of single rooms. I could have had breakfast in the hotel but it’s easier and cheaper to simple walk into a café bar so I decided to do this on the way to the Cathedral. I had arranged to meet my fellow pilgrims for the midday pilgrims mass, some of the group had arranged a guided tour that morning which would end up at the Cathedral. The previous evening Dom Bruce and I agreed to save seats for the entire group for the Mass. The tradition is if you’re a pilgrim that you don’t head straight for the shrine but prepare yourself first.I found a very pleasant café bar on the way and breakfast consisted of a milky coffee and a slice of Tarte de Santiago which is an almond pastry similar to bakewell tart but without the jam, all for 2 Euros.
I walked up the steps of the cathedral slowly recalling the past three week’s journey that had brought me here. The many things I had seen, places I had visited, shrines I had prayed at and the people I had met including the Civil Guard. I had some apprehensiveness at going in as this would mean the end of my pilgrimage which had been 18 months in the planning. I had sat in my study at the vicarage after evening meetings looking at the map on the wall and the guidebooks trying to imagine what this moment would be like. I know I had another week in Spain and some other places to visit but essentially this was just killing time waiting for the ferry from Santander to Portsmouth. In a way it was all a bit of an anticlimax, something other pilgrims had written about in the books I had studied over the past year. It’s really the journey itself which is important it’s the microcosm of life which pilgrimage represents that brings you into an encounter with God not a silver casket with the dried bones of a Saint [or so I thought] though the fact they are there is the reason for setting out in thee first place.
Well after a pause and a short prayer I walk through the doors of the Cathedral. I was surprised that it was smaller in size than I had imagined not like the huge cathedrals of Charters, Burgos or Segovia. There was a real buzz inside actually quite noisy but this is how medieval cathedrals were not sanctuaries of silence. They were places where people met, did business as well as prayed. As I walked round there were several masses being said in side chapels in different languages. As I moved to the high altar I could see the large statue of St James rising up the ornately decorated sanctuary and people walking behind the statute and embracing it as is the custom. I also noticed the huge botafumeiro censer hanging in the sanctuary which is the size of a large dustbin and takes 7 men to swing it pulling on a large rope which the cathedral is famous for.
As I walked round I bumped into Joy and the group which had taken the tour and followed them to behind the high altar and the passageway that leads up to the head of the statue of St James and we all walked up the steps. This was it, the moment, journeys end. I knelt crossed myself and embraced the statue kissing the scallop shell on the back and paused. Normally you can’t stop but I had put on a clerical collar this morning so the shrine attended held back the queue for me while I prayed rank in this case clearly having privilege. I then bowed was given a prayer card by the shrine attended and left it was all over and no bright lights or angel voices but I had not expected any.
What I did find interesting is that as I came out of behind the high Altar there was another set of steps leading underneath to the crypt which is where the silver casket containing the bones of St James brought here in 813AD lay. This does not seem to attract as much attention as the statue which is only from the 13th Centaury in comparison, but I know Europeans seem to have a thing about plaster saints. I descended to the crypt and this to me was far more sacred than the statue and there was a place to kneel and pray in front of the silver casket. Whatever you may think or believe this to me was something special as in that silver box which is about 4ft in length are the bones of a man who walked with Christ on this earth, who heard his teaching first hand, who eat with him at the last supper the first Eucharist, who witnessed his death on the cross and most importantly his resurrection who touch the risen Lord and was commissioned by him to baptise people in his name. A man who called Peter, John, Matthew, Luke, Mary Magdalena and the other apostles friends a person who through my own ordination I have an apostolic link. It was here as I knelt and prayed that my heart leapt for joy and I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit very strongly this was no anticlimax but an encounter with the living Lord.
As I immerged from the crypt I felt spiritually renewed and invigorated and before to long found the group with Joy still going round the cathedral and I followed for a while chatting with Anne before going to save some seats as it was getting very busy. We had been told by the guide that they were going to use the large incense burner at the midday mass. We were very lucky as this is only used 24 times a year and many people come to Santiago and never see it, before finding my seat and as I was wearing my collar I sauntered into the sacristy where tourist can’t go. The nun at the door just smiled at me and I was in an area where hundreds of robes and all manner of liturgical regalia were hanging. There were also lost of priest getting vested many of them Canons of the cathedral. At one point one strolled over to me shook my hand smiled and welcomed me. He asked where I was from and I said England and asked if I would be taking part in the midday mass. I said yes but I presume he meant would I be up at the altar celebrating and I decided it was best not to tell him I was an Anglican remember the Spanish Inquisition! I then headed back out to find some pews and after sitting for about 15 minutes I witnessed the strangest liturgical act. The organ piped up very loudly with a fanfare and a long line of clergy all dressed as Canons [Edwin you would have blended in well here with you scarlet sash!] were lead to the sanctuary by about ten servers dressed in white robes. They all took there places and one of them address the people saying welcome to the cathedral and the shrine of St James on behalf of the Bishop and Canons. A quick prayer was said the organ piped up for a second time and they were all led out a huge crowed gathered by the sacristy door all taking pictures and wanting to shake hands with the clergy. Cleary in Santiago if you’re a priest you’re a celebrity!!!
Before two long I spied Dom Bruce in his splendid habit along with Gary and Linda and I went to get them and by ten to twelve the whole group was all seated. The Mass was very moving it began with a list being read of all the pilgrims who had received their certificate that day. My name was not there as undertaking the Camino in a Lotus 7 does not count as far as the Roman Catholic Church is concerned. I think I will ask Bishop Stephen when I get back if he can furnish me with something for my study wall [so if you’re reading this Bishop maybe you could ask Jane or Leslie to put something together on the PC] I’m sure it will be just as valid as anything the RC church give out!
The Mass was led by a lovely priest who seemed very grounded and gave a good address focusing on the spirit of the journey rather than the arriving and we all went up and received together. At the end of the Mass the celebrant said that all the pilgrims were to be censed and the huge censer was lowered a shovel load of charcoal put in followed by a similar amount of incense. Then 7 large men took hold of the rope and began to pull hard lifting then of the ground at some points. In a very short space of time the botafumeiro was whizzing past our seats and going right up into the roof space leaving a large trail of incense in its wake. We had been told that it had only come of the rope twice in the last 500 years so I considered if statistically it was due another escape if it had it would certainly result in several pilgrims being speedily dispatched to the pearly gates. As well as a liturgical purpose there is of course a practical purpose to this huge censer. Imagine being in this cathedral several hundred years ago with pilgrims who had been waking for months with no access to showers or baths the stench must have been incredible and it took something of this size to probably even disguise the smell for enough time for a service to take place.
After the Mass we all headed for a café bar and coffees, beer and plenty of Tarte de Santiago was consumed. The afternoon had been designated as free time. I went to check out a couple of restaurants that had been recommended to Margaret Smith by John the Vicar of Bishopstone who had walked the Camino the previous year and I choose the best of the two and made a reservation for twelve and then headed for a siesta.
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