2016 is an important year for pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela, as the year has been declared a ‘Holy Year of Mercy’ by Pope Francis. On such years, a special door to the Santiago de Compostela cathedral, the Holy Door (Porta Santa), is opened to pilgrims arriving in Santiago.
This double album brings together a remarkable collection of chants which were recorded by the choir of monks from the Santo Domingo de Silos Monastery. All of these chants belong to the sacred repertoire, which, at the height of the Jacobean period, pilgrims to Santiago would hear and sing throughout their journey, and at their final destination in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The works are drawn from three religious contexts: the feasts of Saint James the Apostle (pertaining to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela), the Hispanic Liturgy (also called the Visigothic Liturgy or Mozarabic Liturgy), and the general liturgy of all churches of the Roman (or Latin) Rite.
