The so-called “Botafumeiro” was originally an instrument designed to purify the atmosphere in the medieval Cathedral, which was crowded with smelly pilgrims covered by dirt acquired along the way. The first mention of it goes back to the 14 th century, when there appears to have been similar censers, which no longer exist, in the Cathedrals of Tui and Ourense. The brazier honouring the Apostle James was luckier, especially after the invention in the 16th century of a system of pulleys that improved its pendulum movement. Now part of the liturgy after Communion, the “Botafumeiro” appears with its 1.5-metre height and 53-kilo weight on the shoulders of eight expert “tiraboleiros” (from thuribulum, “smoke throwers”), who are the ones that make it fly through the transept air. It is no longer the silver brazier that arrived in the 16th century as an offering from King Louis XI of France, since that one was stolen by Napoleon’s troops during the War of Independence. Today’s artefact is made of silver-plated brass and dates from 1851. After being tied to the thick rope hanging from the ciborium, it only takes a minute and a half of swinging until the laws of physics –intuited in Santiago before Galileo officially formulated them– take it to a speed of 68 ilometres per hour at an angle of 82 degrees away from vertical.
There are two botafumeiros: a silver-plated one which is the one used customarily and another one made of solid silver. The latter was a present made to the Cathedral by the silversmiths of Santiago some years ago and it is only used on special occasions, such as the visit from the King and Queen and during the opening of the Holy Door on December 31st.