Santiago de Compostela

Capital of Galicia autonomous community, in the province of La Coruña, northwest Spain; population (1991) 87,500. Textiles, chocolate, and soap are manufactured here, and there is a trade in agricultural produce. The 11th-century cathedral was reputedly built over the grave of Sant Iago el Mayor (St James the Great), patron saint of Spain, and was a world-famous centre for medieval pilgrims. Santiago is the seat of an archbishop, and there is also a university, founded in 1532.