Archbishop Diego Gelmírez Statue

Diego Gelmírez is one of the most outstanding figures of the Mar de Santiago route’s history. He was born in the Torres de Oeste since his father was the fort’s mayor and he became the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela’s first archbishop. Being aware of the importance of this fort in the defence of the cathedral’s treasures, he ordered it to be reenforced. He even built the port facilities and shipyards, which housed what can be considered the first navy of the Iberian Peninsula’s Christian kingdoms, who were fighting the Saracens. Between the 12th and 16th centuries, Compostela experienced a boom in devotion to the Apostle James and the arrival of thousands of pilgrims, many of whom continued travelling as far as Catoira to pray in the small chapel dedicated to St. James inside the Towers, just as others did in the case of Muxía or Fisterra.
In order to honour this outstanding historical figure, a statue was erected in Catoira’s Alameda (park) by the artist XXXX; it was made in XXXX and is XXXX metros tall.