The Puerta del Perdón: Spain’s Most Intriguing Door
In the small town of Villafranca del Bierzo there sits a Romanesque portal, a holy door, that grants pilgrims unable to continue their way to Compostela with the same indulgences as if they had reached their destination, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Villafranca lies directly before the steepest and most treacherous part of the journey to Compostela, providing some possible hints at the significance of this portal. However, upon closer inspection, the meaning, significance, and purpose appear more complicated due to the perceived lack of information on the site. In order to understand the portal further it helps to look at it in context.