Master Mateo and the Portico de la Gloria: Medieval Sculpture at Its Finest

Behind the Baroque facade of Santiago's cathedral lies one of the supreme achievements of medieval European art: the Portico de la Gloria, carved by Master Mateo and his workshop between 1168 and 1188.

This triple-arched portal presents nearly 200 sculpted figures in a programme that encompasses the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Last Judgement. At its centre, a serene Christ in Majesty is surrounded by the four Evangelists, angels bearing the instruments of the Passion, and the twenty-four Elders of the Apocalypse, each playing a different medieval instrument.

What makes Mateo's work extraordinary is its humanity. The faces show individual emotion; the drapery falls naturally; the musicians seem to be actually playing. After a painstaking twelve-year restoration completed in 2018, the original polychrome colours have been revealed, showing us the portal as medieval pilgrims saw it: ablaze with colour.

The reassembled stone choir, now displayed in the cathedral museum, allows visitors to see additional masterworks by Mateo's workshop in close proximity. Together, these works represent the pinnacle of Romanesque sculpture in the Iberian Peninsula.