The Church of Santiago is one of the finest Romanesque buildings in Galicia, dating from the 12th century. Its exterior is a striking contrast of styles: the solid Romanesque apse and nave are topped by an extravagant 18th-century Baroque tower and flanked by an elaborate doorway added in the same period, when the church underwent a major renovation. The result is an architectural palimpsest common to Galician religious buildings.
The church stands in the heart of the Ciudad Vieja, close to the Plaza de María Pita. The interior is relatively plain compared to the theatrical exterior, but contains a fine Romanesque nave and several carved stone capitals worth examining.