In the early eight century this area of Spain was occupied by the Muslims and then conquered by Don Pelayo, a Christian. The Gothic Cathedral was built and dedicated to El Salvador or the Savior and the twelve apostles. It is typical Spanish over the top gold but really beautiful.
This was my first sighting of St James or Santiago, the patron saint of the Camino de Santiago. I am always happy to see St James and I look for him in all of the churches. One of the most important errands for me today was to get my passport stamped. Not my US passport but my Pilgrim pass port which is a foldout booklet. In order to be recognized as an official pilgrim, you must get a stamp every day to prove the journey. What better place than the Cathedral since it is the official start of the Camino de Santiago Primitivo.
I was the first tourist to enter the Cathedral today and I caught sight of a procession headed by the bishop and about six white robed priests following him. The air was heavily scented with incense which I love because it reminds me of the Cathedral at the end of the journey. You have to pay seven euros to enter. the Oviedo Cathedral. I am okay with that since I am sure that it costs a lot to maintain. Just as I entered the clock struck ten and I was blessed with the ringing of the bells. A wonderful way to start the day. I entered the small chapel (photo on the right) and all I could smell was roses. It was set up for a wedding at 2:00 PM. Later in the day I saw the bride and groom come out of the church and the limo had the same rose decorations.
This afternoon I want to the Museo de Bellas Artes de Asturias which is a pretty impressive art museum for a town of this size. The most interesting collection by by El Greco and called The Apostolado of El Greco and is considered among his best works. There was a beautiful painting of each of the apostles. This one was his rendition of Santiago. The other painting was entitled Mosquetero and is by Picasso.
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