Praza da Quintana
Praza da Quintana features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Santiago de Compostela. Give it roughly ~30 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type square
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela guide
About Praza da Quintana
The most intimate of Santiago's cathedral squares, divided by a stone terrace into an upper 'Quintana de los Muertos' (historic cemetery) and lower 'Quintana de los Vivos', with the Cathedral's 12th-century Romanesque south façade and the Puerta Santa (Holy Door), opened only in Holy Years.
The Praza da Quintana (formerly the cemetery of the cathedral chapter) is divided by a broad stone stairway and terrace into two levels: the upper Quintana de los Muertos (Dead Men's Quintana), formerly the burial ground and still elevated above the lower square, and the lower Quintana de los Vivos (Living Men's Quintana). The south side of the cathedral facing the Quintana is the oldest visible exterior: the Romanesque south façade, with the Puerta de las Platerías (Silversmiths' Gate), decorated with the finest Romanesque relief carvings on the cathedral exterior (12th century). The east end of this façade is the Puerta Santa (Holy Door), the door that pilgrims pass through in Holy Years (when July 25 falls on a Sunday), when the door is ceremonially opened by the Archbishop. The Cathedral tower overlooking the Quintana, the Torre do Tesouro (Treasury Tower), is the oldest surviving tower of the medieval cathedral. The Quintana has a particular quality of stillness and enclosure that the larger Obradoiro lacks.
Did you know? Holy Years (Años Santos) on the Santiago de Compostela calendar occur when the Feast of Saint James (July 25) falls on a Sunday. Due to the structure of the Gregorian calendar, Holy Years cluster in groups: 2010, 2021, 2027, 2032, 2038 are all Holy Years. The most recent Holy Year in 2021 was extraordinary, it was extended into 2022 because the COVID pandemic had severely restricted pilgrimage in 2021, making it the first ever two-year Holy Year.
How long is a visit to Praza da Quintana?
Set aside roughly ~30 min for Praza da Quintana. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Praza da Quintana worth your time?
Praza da Quintana is among the 18 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Santiago de Compostela, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela guide →
Hear the story of Praza da Quintana
Preview the Santiago de Compostela tour free in the Gingerguide app.