GALICIA BY THE SAME AUTHOR A RIBBON OF IRON (The Great Siberian Railway) IN RUSSIAN TURKESTAN RUSSIA: TRAVELS AND STUDIES WOMAN IN TRANSITION [Illustration: THE PORTICO DE GLORIA, IN THE CATHEDRAL OF SANTIAGO] GALICIA THE SWITZERLAND OF SPAIN BY ANNETTE M. B. MEAKIN “Lugar mais hermoso No mundo n’hachara Qu’aquel de Galicia Galicia encantada.” ROSALIA CASTRO WITH 105 ILLUSTRATIONS AND A MAP METHUEN & CO. 36 ESSEX STREET W.C. LONDON _First Published in 1909_ THIS VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED TO HER MAJESTY VICTORIA EUGENIA GALICIA’S QUEEN CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I. ANCIENT GALICIA 1 II. THE GEOGRAPHY OF GALICIA 17 III. THE FIRST GOLDEN AGE 24 IV. THE SALVE REGINA 39 V. THE LANGUAGE OF GALICIA 49 VI. PILGRIMS TO SANTIAGO 60 VII. THE ARCHITECTURE OF GALICIA 78 VIII. THE CATHEDRAL OF SANTIAGO 94 IX. THE PÓRTICO DE GLORIA 107 X. SCULPTURED CAPITALS 126 XI. THE ROYAL HOSPITAL 136 XII. THE COLEGIATA DE SAR 145 XIII. LA CORUÑA 152 XIV. EMIGRATION 172 XV. ROSALIA CASTRO 182 XVI. SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA 190 XVII. GALICIA’S LIVESTOCK 210 XVIII. PADRON 222 XIX. LA BELLÍSIMA NOYA 231 XX. PONTEVEDRA 254 XXI. VIGO AND TUY 276 XXII. ORENSE 286 XXIII. MONFORTE AND LUGO 297