Botafumeiro

The famous botafumeiro of Santiago de Compostela Cathedral is an enormous incense burner for liturgical use. Its swaying across the length of the naves of the church has become known throughout the world. The Galician word, used to name it since the 19th century, literally means smoke expeller.

The incense, an aromatic resin that, when burned, releases its scent into the air via smoke, is associated with adoration of the divine in numerous cultures across the world. In the Christian liturgy, it is a symbol linked to a religious space and the preparation of the altar. It was also one of the three gifts given by the magi from the East soon after Jesus was born.

We do not know when an incense burner with these characteristics was first made for Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, though it is traditionally said to have medieval origins. The importance of incense burners as a symbol of a sacred place can be seen in both the miniature of the inventio of the Tumbo A, or the Album of the Kings, and the Portico of Glory.

The ingenious mechanism that currently makes the incense burner sway was designed and implemented by artist and blacksmith Juan Bautista Celma at the beginning of the 17th century, safely replacing the previous contraption. There is no evidence of what the previous botafumeiro could have been like in terms of the incense burner's structure or its shape or size.

Regarding the incense burner itself, the cathedral has a silver-plated brass model, built in 1851 by Compostelan silversmith José Losada, as well as a silver replica made in 1971. It is five feet (1.5 m) tall and weighs 120 pounds (54 kg) when empty.

In order to make it work, the tiraboleiro concourse is essential. This is a group of eight men tasked with pulling the rope, over 195 feet (60 m) in length, to make the incense burner rise to a maximum height of 65 feet (20 m) and sway at approximate speeds of 43 miles per hour (70 km/h). They are responsible for the whole process, from transporting and carrying the incense burner to slowing it down once the ceremony is over.

Fragrancing the cathedral through this mechanism is just as dangerous as it sounds, and it has occasionally caused dramatic incidents. The incense burner became detached from its rope during a visit by Catherine of Aragon in 1499 and went through the Puerta de las Platerías window. These events were relived in a similar mishap in the Holy Year 1937—the noise was so loud that neighbors mistook it for a bomb from the Spanish Civil War.

Neira was also guilty of reinforcing the myth around its main purpose: to combat the bad odors of pilgrims. This idea, which had already been spread since the beginning of the 17th century, ignores the fact that there are easier methods of fragrancing a building than constructing a complex mechanical system like the botafumeiro.

In reality, its spectacular nature is its main reason for existing. There are reports of other large incense burners in other cathedrals, including one in Rome. Its scale, in line with the importance of the tomb that it fragrances, reminds travelers and worshippers that we find ourselves in one of the most iconic spaces in Europe.