Monte Pedroso

The University of Santiago de Compostela - USC (Galician: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela - USC, Spanish: Universidad de Santiago de Compostela - USC) is a public university located in the city of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. A second campus is located in Lugo, Galicia. It is one of the world's oldest universities in continuous operation. The university traces its roots back to 1495, when a school was opened in Santiago. In 1504, Pope Julius II approved the foundation of a university in Santiago but "the bull for its creation was not granted by Clement VII until 1526". In 1555 the institute began to separate itself from strictly religious instruction with the help of Cardinal Juan Álvarez de Toledo and started to work towards developing other academic fields, including the emerging science fields. Today the university's facilities cover more than 130 hectares (320 acres). In terms of human resources, the university has more than 2,000 teachers involved in study and research, over 42,000 students, and more than 1,000 people working in administration and services. Moreover, in 2009, the university received the accreditation of Campus of International Excellence by the Ministry of Education, recognising USC as one of the most prestigious universities in Spain. The university ranks 5th in Spain's best universities ranking by Complutense University of Madrid and IAIF and 4th amongst public universities.

Centro de Supercomputación de Galicia (CESGA) is a high performance computing center in Galicia (Spain). Its most important features are the supercomputer FinisTerrae and the "Superordenador Virtual Gallego". Finisterrae is nowadays the third most powerful supercomputer in Spain, and it was initially ranked 100th according to the Top500 when installed in November 2007. CESGA provides advanced computing services to the Galician Scientific Community, Galician Universities and to the Spanish National Research Council (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - CSIC). CESGA also runs i-math, a Grid computing project with an initiative to approach Grid technologies to mathematics researchers, and operates the i-math Portal, a Grid Portal based on P-GRADE Portal technology. (See also: Grid computing)

The Hostal dos Reis Católicos (in Galician), also called the Hostal de Los Reyes Católicos (in Spanish) or Parador de Santiago de Compostela, is a five-star Parador hotel, located in the Praza do Obradoiro of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. It is widely considered one of the oldest continuously operating hotels in the world, and has also been called the "most beautiful hotel in Europe".In 1486, after a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, decided to build a hostelry and hospital for pilgrims at the very end of the Way of St James. They provided the necessary funds in 1499, construction began in 1501 and it took over ten years. It continued with this function for four centuries. In 1953, the hospital was moved to a new location nearby, and in 1954 it opened as a hotel after undergoing a renovation. In 1986, it was incorporated to the Paradores network. Nowadays, with its 137 rooms it is the finest and largest by capacity parador of the network, and continuing its hospitable tradition, it provides free services to a limited number of pilgrims every day.

Pazo de Raxoi ('Palace of Raxoi '; Spanish: Palacio de Rajoy) is a neoclassical palace in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. Completed in 1766, it is located on the square, in front of the cathedral.

The Plaza del Obradoiro (Galician: Praza do Obradoiro, English: Square of the Workshop) is main square of the Santiago de Compostela old town, although not placed at the real centre. It lies to the West of the main façade of the Santiago de Compostela cathedral, and thus the Pórtico da Gloria must be crossed to get into the building from the square. It is surrounded by four important buildings, said to represent the four powers of the city: the aforementioned Santiago de Compostela cathedral to the East (the Church), Hostal dos Reis Católicos (the doctors and bourgeoisie) to the North, Pazo de Raxoi (the government; after the Spanish transition to democracy was seat for the President of the Xunta of Galicia, nowadays the city council) to the West and the Colexio de San Xerome (the university) to the South. Once being crossed by cars, now is mainly pedestrian as the rest of the old town, with only traffic for taxis and (un)loading delivery lorries.The floor is decorated by eight rays starting from the center, where a plaque commemorates the World Heritage Site pilgrims' way of Camiño de Santiago, whose final target is around here.

The monastery of San Martiño Pinario (San Martín Pinario in Castilian) was a Benedictine monastery in the city of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. It is the second largest monastery in Spain after San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Little remains of the original medieval buildings, as the monastery has been largely rebuilt since the sixteenth century. The monastery was closed in the nineteenth century in the Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizábal. The buildings currently house a seminary.

Colexio de San Xerome (in Spanish Colegio de San Jerónimo) is a college in Santiago de Compostela, Province of A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. Founded in 1501, it is located on the Plaza del Obradoiro.

The Santiago de Compostela Arch cathedral Basilica (Spanish and Galician: Catedral Basilica de Santiago de Compostela) is part of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela and is an integral component of the Santiago de Compostela World Heritage Site in Galicia, Spain. The cathedral is the reputed burial place of Saint James the Great, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ. It is also among the remaining churches in the world built over the tomb of an apostle, the other ones being St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, St Thomas Cathedral Basilica in Chennai, India and Basilica of St. John in Izmir, Turkey. The archcathedral basilica has historically been a place of pilgrimage on the Way of St James since the Early Middle Ages and marks the traditional end of the pilgrimage route. The building is a Romanesque structure, with later Gothic and Baroque additions.

The Berenguela Tower (Spanish: Torre de la Berenguela or Torre de la Trinidad, lit. 'Tower of the Trinity'), is the bell tower of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Tradition states that it was built by Archbishop Rodrigo del Padrón as a defense tower with the work continuing after his death by his successor, Archbishop Bérenger de Landore, after whom the tower is named. Reflecting its original purpose, much of the tower is made of ashlar stone. The tower sits on the southeast side of the cathedral where the Pratarias Square and Quintana Square meet. The tower is visible throughout the city.

Casa do Cabido is a historic house in Santiago de Compostela, Province of A Coruña, Galicia, Spain, facing the Praza de Praterías. It was designed for urban beautification in order to decorate and match the surroundings and completed in 1758 in the baroque style.

Quintana Square (Spanish: Plaza de la Quintana; Galician: Praza da Quintana) is the main square of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. It is formed by the meeting of the south facade of Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, Casa da Parra, Monastery of Saint Pelagius of Antealtares and Casa da Conga.

The Monastery of Saint Pelagius of Antealtares (Galician: Mosteiro de San Paio de Antealtares) is a monastery in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain.