The Catedral de Santiago or the Santiago Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Bilbao. It towers above all in the Casco Viejo.

Originally built in the 14th-15th centuries the temple was Bilbao’s main church.  It has a vaulted cloister and Gothic Revival facade. It was only declared cathedral in 1950 when the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bilbao was officially created.

The temple is consecrated in honor of the apostle Saint James the Great or Santiago in Spanish.  Bilbao is on the Northern route for the pilgrims that followed the Northern branch of the Way of Saint James. Above the main entrance, you’ll spot scallop shells which are symbols of Santiago or St James.

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