Compostela and Europe : The Story of Diego Gelmirez

The international nature of Santiago de Compostela in the 12th century cannot be understood without the exceptional figure of Diego Gelmirez (1070?1140). Immediately after Diego Gelmirez became bishop, he undertook the struggle to achieve metropolitan dignity; this was obtained in 1120 and he gained the privilege of becoming the first archbishop of Santiago. In the following decades the so-called Pilgrims Way to Santiago grew like never before, placing the pilgrimage on the same level as Rome and Jerusalem and turning the apostles village into one of Christendoms main pilgrimage centres. Compostela and Europe. The History of Diego Gelmirez is published in conjunction with the same title travelling exhibition.

Manuel Castiñeiras is Director of the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona. Quitterie Cazes is Professor of Medieval Art. Klaus Herbers is Chair of Medieval History at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Erlangen-Nuremberg. Fernando Lopez Alsina is Chair of Medieval History and Ramón Villares is Chair of Contemporary History at Universidad de Santiago. Arturo Carlo Quintavalle is Professor of History of Medieval Art. Adeline Rucquoi is Director at Centre de Recherches Historiques, Paris. Alison Stones and John Williams are Professors of Medieval Art at University of Pittsburgh.