Igrexa de Santiago Church, A Coruña, Spain

Church of Santiago (Igrexa de Santiago) is one of A Coruna's oldest buildings, the . Originally built in the 12th century, it was modified in the 14th and 15th centuries and has huge historic significance on account of a 13th century statue of Saint James which it houses. Some of the more prominent aspects of the churches detailing originate from the fifteenth century and are gothic in design. The photo to the right shows the church of Santiago's main entrance.

References:

Galicia Guide

Religious sites in Spain

User Reviews

Martins de Pinho (12 months ago)
An old church in the Old District of the city , mixing the original Romanic style with the others across the Historical Ages . Part of a former Catholic Complex , it's for sure a monument to visit and see with open eyes .

Nathalie Balanian (13 months ago)
Impressive and majestic!

Guillermo Musumeci (15 months ago)
The church of Santiago, near the Praza do Xeneral Azcárraga (Also worth the visit). Built in the 12th and 13th centuries, it is probably the oldest church in A Coruña and the beginning of English Way to Santiago.

Jorge Schcolnik (15 months ago)
Amazing place, must see.

Anna Popa (16 months ago)
Best place to start your journey to Santiago Way

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Makser

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Derbent is the southernmost city in Russia, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains connecting the Eurasian steppes to the north and the Iranian Plateau to the south. Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia with historical documentation dating to the 8th century BCE. Due to its strategic location, over the course of history, the city changed ownership many times, particularly among the Persian, Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan and Iranian kingdoms.

Derbent has archaeological structures over 5,000 years old. As a result of this geographic peculiarity, the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. These fortifications were continuously employed for a millennium and a half, longer than any other extant fortress in the world.

A traditionally and historically Iranian city, the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC. The site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of Caucasian Albania which was a satrap of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In the 5th century Derbent functioned as a border fortress and the seat of Sassanid Persians. Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the Khazars in the course of the Khazar-Arab Wars. In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs.

The Sassanid fortress does not exist any more, as the famous Derbent fortress as it stands today was built from the 12th century onward. Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the Sassanid empire. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus.

The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century. Today the fortifications consist of two parallel defence walls and Naryn-Kala Citadel. The walls are 3.6km long, stretching from the sea up to the mountains. They were built from stone and had 73 defence towers. 9 out of the 14 original gates remain.

In Naryn-Kala Citadel most of the old buildings, including a palace and a church, are now in ruins. It also holds baths and one of the oldest mosques in the former USSR.

In 2003, UNESCO included the old part of Derbent with traditional buildings in the World Heritage List.

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Igrexa de Santiago Church

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