Santiago de Compostela is celebrating the return of the statues from the Portico of Glory, which are coming home after more than seventy years. These are the figures of the prophets Abraham and Isaac, attributed to Master Mateo, the creator of this iconic space in the Cathedral of Santiago, where they were displayed until 1954. At that time, Carmen Polo, the wife of dictator Francisco Franco, decided to take them to their summer residence at the Pazo de Meirás in Sada (A Coruña).

Transfer and public exhibition

The transfer took place this Monday in specially made crates and under the supervision of Heritage technicians, who inspected the two medieval granite pieces. Now, the public will be able to admire them at the Museo do Pobo Galego from December 11 until May, while experts and historians determine their final location. Over the coming months, the museum’s programming will be especially connected to historical memory to commemorate this cultural and heritage milestone.

Recovered heritage and a legacy for Galicia

This is the first time the Franco family has been required to return seized property. The statues’ return was made possible thanks to a Supreme Court ruling that recognizes them as the property of the City Council of Santiago. The ruling acknowledges the preliminary steps taken by both the City Council and the regional government of Galicia, which declared the pieces to be of Cultural Interest, strengthening their status as public heritage and providing institutional backing for the claim.

The City Council had acquired the statues in 1948 for 60,000 pesetas, but six years later, during the head of state’s visit, the acting mayor, Enrique Otero Aenlle, sent them to the Pazo de Meirás to please the dictator’s wife.

The return of Abraham and Isaac also opens the door for other Galician assets to follow the same path, such as the Casa Cornide in A Coruña or the baptismal fonts of Moraime.