Baku, August 3, AZERTAC

Santiago de Compostela (Old Town) – a famous pilgrimage site, is located in Galicia, in the far north-west of Spain.

With its Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque buildings, the Old Town of Santiago is one of the world's most beautiful urban areas.

The oldest monuments are grouped around the tomb of St James and the cathedral, which contains the remarkable Pórtico de la Gloria.

The Old Town of Santiago de Compostela, together with the outlying Santa Maria de Conxo Monastery, constitutes an extraordinary ensemble of distinguished monuments.

The squares and narrow streets of the Old Town contain Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassicist buildings.

This town is not only a harmonious and very well preserved historical city, but also a place deeply imbued with faith.

The cathedral, considered as a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture, keeps the remarkable Pórtico de la Gloria, a jewel of the medieval sculpture.

However, the authentic symbol of the city is the Baroque western façade of the cathedral, which forms one of the sides of the square of Obradoiro, one of the world´s most beautiful urban areas.

Around its cathedral, which is a world renowned masterpiece of Romanesque art, Santiago de Compostela conserves a valuable historic centre, known as one of Christianity´s greatest holy cities.

All European cultural and artistic currents, from the Middle Ages to the present day, left extraordinary works of art in Santiago de Compostela.

During both the Romanesque and Baroque periods, the sanctuary of Santiago de Compostela exerted a decisive influence on the development of architecture and art, not only in Galicia, but also in the north of the Iberian Peninsula.

Santiago de Compostela is associated with one of the major themes of medieval history. From the shores of the North and Baltic Seas, thousands of pilgrims carrying the symbol of the scallop and the pilgrim's staff walked, for centuries, to the Galician sanctuary along the paths of Santiago de Compostela, veritable roads of the Faith.

The property encompasses 108 ha, with a 217 ha buffer zone. Santiago de Compostela shows a remarkable state of conservation, largely due to conservation policies that have preserved the integrity of monuments and buildings that form the civil and religious architectural ensemble.

Elements from the Middle Ages are integrated with those from the Renaissance, as well as the constructions from the 17th and 18th centuries into a high-quality urban fabric.

The Old Town is a liveable and lively place where inhabitants and business coexist with tourism. The urban development has respected natural spaces where the green Galician fields join the historical city. In this respect, the property integrates the urban ensemble, historical oakwoods and open green spaces.