Botafumeiro
The Botafumeiro (from Galician means something like "fire cauldron") is an approximately 1.60 m large and 54 kg heavy censer (lat. Thuribulum) and is one of the main attractions of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela . It hangs on a 66 m long rope and is set in motion by eight men on special occasions and swung high under the ceiling. The botafumeiro is one of the largest of its kind.
There are three botafumeiros in the cathedral: The original, made in 1851 by the goldsmith José Losada, is made of brass and bronze and is silver-plated. There are two copies of this, one is on display in a shop window in the old town, the second is in the chapter house .
history
In 1554 was probably by King Ludwig XI. donated a censer that was stolen by Napoleonic troops during the Spanish War of Independence in 1809. When using the botafumeiro, there were several accidents - in 1499 a botafumeiro fell through the windows on the south side of the Plaza de las Praterías, and there were also accidents in 1622, 1925 and 1937.
use
The botafumeiro hangs on a 66 m long rope. At the end of the high mass, set in motion by eight men, it swings through the transept at around 65 km / h . At the lowest point of the circular path, it almost touches the ground. In order to gradually give the censer the necessary energy, the men shorten the rope by pulling it slightly upwards as it passes through the low point, and release it again by the same distance at the maximum deflection at the turning points , which results in the actual movement of deviates slightly from a circular path and becomes an elliptical flank .
Since there are costs involved in using the Botafumeiro, it is not used at every trade fair, but only on special occasions and against the assumption of costs by sponsors or individuals.
