The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is the second most popular cathedral or basilica in Spain. This is shown by a study under Google Reviews of more than 200 cathedrals and basilicas in Spain. The Cathedral of Santiago is the only building from Galicia in the top 15, in which it occupies a nice second place there. First place, not surprisingly, goes to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
Many Spanish basilicas and cathedrals have become symbols of their respective cities. Besides being a place of worship, they have tremendous architectural and cultural appeal. And many of them have even been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
But which are the most popular in Spain? Activity booking platform Musement conducted a study to find out. They analysed more than 200 cathedrals and basilicas across the country and then compiled a ranking of the 15 most popular based on the number of Google reviews.
- Sagrada Família (Barcelona), 201,973 reviews: With more than 201,000 reviews, the Sagrada Família de Musement leads the ranking. The spectacular basilica, which has been under construction for over 140 years, has become one of the symbols of Barcelona and will be the tallest church in the world when completed. The brilliant architect Antoni Gaudí took inspiration from nature to create the emblematic “forest” of columns within. The colorful stained glass windows and the fantastic view of Barcelona from the towers also amaze everyone who visits the church.
- Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, 64,198 reviews: The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is the most outstanding work of Romanesque art in Spain and the terminus of the Camino de Santiago, one of Europe’s most important pilgrimage routes. The Pórtico de la Gloria, by Maestro Mateo, is one of the highlights of the interior. After a long restoration between 2008 and 2018, this masterpiece of medieval art has regained all its splendor. The Holy Door, which dates back to the 16th century and only opens during the Holy Years, and the Botafumeiro, the cathedral’s huge censer, are also impressive.
The top 15 is completed by:
- Cathedral of Barcelona, 58,297 reviews
- Cathedral of Seville, 42,062 reviews
- Cathedral of Majorca, 40,062 reviews
- Basilica of Montserrat, 39,964 reviews
- Cathedral-Basilica of Nuestra Senora del Pilar (Zaragoza), 32,909 reviews
- Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar (Barcelona), 32,099 reviews
- Cathedral of Leon, 28,087 reviews
- Cathedral of Burgos, 26,105 reviews
- Cathedral of Toledo, 25,454 reviews
- Cathedral of Granada, 23,719 reviews
- Cathedral of Malaga, 23,176 reviews
- Cathedral of Valencia, 20,526 reviews
- Almudena Cathedral (Madrid), 20,128 reviews
More than 200 churches (basilicas and cathedrals) in Spain were eligible for this study. Then the number of reviews on Google was analyzed for each of them. The cathedrals and basilicas with the highest number of reviews were considered the most popular. The data was collected in March 2023. Source: Musement.com
Do you want to visit the Cathedral of Santiago? It is not for nothing that it is number 1 in the top 10 sights in Santiago de Compostela!
