A collection of the papers presented at a conference on the history of a building may lack the cohesion and cross-referencing of a study by a single author, but it can make up for those restrictions through an increase in variety and depth of expertise and knowledge. This volume is a good example of those virtues. It consists of twenty-four essays, in German, English, Spanish, and French, centering on the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. As it is impossible to do justice to all of the contributions in a brief review, I have selected for discussion those dealing with the periods of Bishops Peláez and Gelmírez, without any implication concerning the value of the other chapters.
The chancel, on which there is a lucid chapter by Corinna Rohn, is by far the most complex part of the monument, not only because it is conditioned by earlier buildings on the site...
University of California Press