Detail of the Church of Corticela

Although today it appears to be one of the chapels of the majestic Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Santa María de la Corticela is an independent church with its own parish. Over the centuries, several chapels of the cathedral were independent parishes, but only the Corticela retains that status today. Although it was built in the middle of the 10th century at the foot of the pre-Romanesque temple to serve the apostolic sepulchre and its cult, the structure it has today is possibly due to the profound remodelling carried out in the 13th century. It later became part of the Romanesque Cathedral in the 16th century, although it maintained its administrative independence. Since 1527 it has been known as the ‘parish of foreigners and Basques’ who came to the city.
The tympanum of the Corticella, once the façade of the church on the outside, presents an Epiphany, with the Virgin Mary standing out in the central part of the ensemble. On the left side we find Saint Joseph, resting his head on his right hand, with a certain melancholic attitude. In the detail corresponding to this image, we can see the first of the Magus in a genuflecting pose, carrying his offering, which takes the form of a ball. We can see how the scene is completed in the archivolts with the image of the other two kings who, standing, adapt their posture to the available space. The horses of the Magi's procession also appear, each of them raising their legs, thus transmitting movement to the figures. In this piece, both the compositional scheme and the treatment of the vestments and ornaments, as well as the decorative motifs of the archivolts, have a clear Matthean inspiration.