Santiago de Compostela - Palacio de Gelmírez

On the east side of the Plaza del Obradoiro, adjoining the cathedral, stands the Palacio del Arzobispo (Archbishop's Palace), a plain building which incorporates the restored palace of Archbishop Gelmírez (12th-13th C.), one of the most important Romanesque secular buildings in Spain. On the upper floor is the 30m/100ft long Salón de Fiestas, with splendid groined vaulting springing from finely carved consoles depicting Alfonso IX's wedding banquet. On the lower floor is another large vaulted hall, beyond which is a medieval kitchen. To the right of the cathedral is the west wing of the cloister, with an open pillared gallery.