Quintana Square
Quintana Square is the main square of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. It is formed by the meeting of the south facade of Santiago de Compostela Cathedral,, Monastery of [Saint Pelagius of Antealtares] and.
History
A "quintana" is a street in a Roman camp, that separates the fifth and sixth maniples and contains the marketplace. The area of Quintana Square was once a cemetery. The square was built around 1611, following the decision of the Mayor of Compostela to convert the medieval cemetery known as Quintana de Mortos into a public square. This is now the "Quintana de Mortos" on the lower level of the square. The cemetery's remains were first moved to the Convent of San Domingos de Bonaval and then to. Masters Francisco Fernández de Araújo and were commissioned by the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral's canon. At the same time, the construction closed the eastern facade of the cathedral with a running wall, like a screen, that covered the main and the apse chapels.Description
The plaza is divided by a staircase, which separates the so-called "Quintana de Vivos" at the higher level from the "Quintana de Mortos" on the level below.During a Jacobean Holy Year, pilgrims cross the plaza to enter the basilica through the Holy Door to efarn a plenary indulgence granted by Pope Alexander III in his 1179 bull, Regis aeterni.
It is a widely used public space for events: gatherings for Galician Literature Day, National Day of Galicia, demonstrations or commemorations (i.e., Plataforma Nunca Máis. Artists such as Susana Seivane use the space for musical concerts and performances. In the "canzorros" at the top of there is a CRTVG webcam, that updates its image every two seconds and covers approximately a 90º viewing angle of the plaza.