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{{Short description|Giant thurible in Santiago de Compostela Cathedral}}
[[File:Santiago Compostela Cathedral 2023 - the botafumeiro.jpg|thumb|The currently used Botafumeiro, made in 2013.]]

The '''Botafumeiro''' is a famous [[thurible]] used at the [[Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela|Santiago de Compostela Cathedral]], in [[Spain]]. Its name comes from the [[Galician language]], where ''botar'' means "to eject, to throw away, to expel", and the [[Latin]] ''fume'', meaning "smoke".

It is considered a symbol of both the cathedral and [[Santiago de Compostela|the city]]. The Botafumeiro is especially celebrated for its swinging motion during the Pilgrim's Mass and other solemn dates, where it can reach speeds of about 60&nbsp;km/h.<ref>[http://catedraldesantiago.es/en/liturgy/ Liturgy]</ref> This ritual has been taking place since at least the 12th century.

==Description==
The current Botafumeiro is made of an [[alloy]] of [[brass]] and [[bronze]] and is plated by a very thin 20-micrometre layer of [[silver]]. The current Botafumeiro was created by the gold and silversmith José Losada in 1851. It has a golden sheen.

The Santiago de Compostela Botafumeiro is one of the largest [[censer]]s in the world,<ref>The claim that the Botafumeiro is the largest thurible in the world is often made, but in fact there is a thurible in [[Lohne, Germany|Lohne]], [[Oldenburg (city)|Oldenburg]], [[Germany]] that reportedly weighs 500 kg and stands 3.21 meters high [http://santiago-online.com/deu/Santiago_Botafumeiro.html Der Botafumeiro], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100308115238/http://santiago-online.com/deu/Santiago_Botafumeiro.html |date=2010-03-08 }}.</ref> weighing 80&nbsp;kg<ref>There are many other weights given in the literature, as can be seen in [[#Reported weight of the Botafumeiro|this section]].</ref> and measuring 1.93 m in height. It is normally on display in the library of the cathedral,<ref>[http://www.galiciaguide.com/Santiago-pilgrimage.html ''Camino de Santiago (Way of Saint James) pilgrimage''], Galicia Guide: Guide to everything Galicia; includes a picture of the Botafumeiro in the museum library of the cathedral.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.galinor.es/santiago/monum-e.html|title=Santiago de Compostella Old City Monuments |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924020513/http://www.galinor.es/santiago/monum-e.html |archive-date=2015-09-24 |work=Galicia Espana The Tourist Guide|publisher=}}</ref> but for certain important religious occasions, like the [[Feast of Saint James ]], it is brought to the floor of the [[cathedral]] and attached to a rope hung from the pulley mechanism.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Santiago Botafumeiro |url=https://rawtravel.com/insights/the-santiago-botafumeiro/ |website=rawtravel.com|date=22 February 2023 }}</ref>

There is another large thurible used in the other masses carried out in the cathedral, called {{Lang|es|La Alcachofa}} (literally, 'the Artichoke')<ref name=vld>[http://santiagodecompostela.vivelaciudad.es/2007/01/31-el-botafumeiro ''El Botafumeiro''], Javier Mosquera, Vivelacuidad, January 31, 2007.</ref> or {{Lang|es|La Repollo}} (literally, 'the Cabbage').<ref name=derB>{{cite web|url=http://santiago-online.com/error.php|title=santiago-online.com - Santiago de Compostela - Jakobsweg - Galicien|website=santiago-online.com|access-date=2019-06-10|archive-date=2020-06-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601060746/http://santiago-online.com/error.php|url-status=dead}} </ref> {{Lang|es|La Alcachofa}} is a silver-colored metal censer. It was created in 2013 by the sacred art artisans working under the craftsman Luis Molina Acedo.

The Botafumeiro is suspended 20 m from a pulley mechanism under the dome on the roof of the church. The current pulley mechanism was installed in 1604.

[[Image:Santiago Compostela Cathedral 2023 - Dome and botafumeiro pulleys.jpg|thumb|left|The pulley mechanism under the transept's dome.]]
The ropes typically last about 20 years before they have to be replaced. However, recently a thicker rope than usual was used, and the extra rubbing produced premature wear of the rope. Therefore, this thicker rope had to be replaced sooner than had been expected, in 2004.<ref name="Revke1">[http://www.santiago-today.com/santiago_article.cfm?art_id=108 ''The use of La Botafumeiro, the smoking pot, in the cathedral has been suspended''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060516223619/http://www.santiago-today.com/santiago_article.cfm?art_id=108|date=May 16, 2006}}, Ivar Rekve, Santiago Today, August 6, 2004</ref><ref>[http://www.santiago-today.com/santiago_article.cfm?art_id=118 ''The Botafumeiro swings again''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071209015143/http://www.santiago-today.com/santiago_article.cfm?art_id=118 |date=December 9, 2007 }}, Ivar Rekve, Santiago Today, Thursday, August 19, 2004</ref> Before 2004, the ropes were woven from [[hemp]],<ref>Charles Ranald, 17 October 2001, [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/main.jhtml?xml=/travel/2001/10/17/etcharles6.xml&page=3 "Santiago at last"]{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''</ref> or a type of grass called [[esparto]],<ref name=vld/> and made in [[Vigo]], [[Spain]]. Since 2004, a rope made of synthetic material has been used.

The censer is pushed initially to start its motion. Eight red-robed {{Lang|gl|tiraboleiros}} pull the ropes, producing increasingly large oscillations of the censer. The thurible's swings almost reach the ceiling of the [[transept]]. The incensory can reach speeds of 68&nbsp;km/h as it dispenses thick clouds of [[incense]].

At the top of the swing, the Botafumeiro reaches heights of 21 meters. It swings in a 65-meter arc between the Azabachería and Praterias doorways at the ends of the transept. The maximum angle achieved is about 82°. The maximum can be reached after about 17 cycles, and requires about 80 seconds of swinging.

Numerous sources report different weights of the Botafumeiro ranging from 50 kilograms to 160 kilograms.<ref name="Revke1" /><ref name="DE">[http://perso.orange.fr/jpq/equadiff/botafumeiro/index.htm ''Le Botafumeiro''] differential equation example</ref><ref>[http://www.cuuthe.com/bao/s218hanhhuong.html HÀNH HƯƠNG NĂM THÁNH SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA 2004], Tứ Linh, [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] account.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.galiciaguide.com/cathedral-tour.html|title=GALICIA GUIDE - Santiago cathedral pass - Spain|website=www.galiciaguide.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://santiago-de-compostela.costasur.com/en/catedrale.html|title=Cathedral Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain|last=Costasur.com|website=santiago-de-compostela.costasur.com}}</ref><ref>[http://www.theharvardadvocate.com/archives/2005/fall/features_tiao.html ''Speaking in Tongues: Stories from the Road to Santiago'', G. Tiao, Harvard Advocate, Fall, 2005] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928125832/http://www.theharvardadvocate.com/archives/2005/fall/features_tiao.html|date=September 28, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://gryjhnsn.tripod.com/santiago/closerwalkmay.pdf|title=''The Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela: A Closer Walk'', Gary T. Johnson, 2002|publisher=}}</ref>

== Operating dates ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=November 2023}}
It costs about €450 to privately request a thurible "performance" at the cathedral.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} It is however very popular with pilgrims, tourists and visitors. The Botafumeiro officially operates during these solemn dates:

* 6 January: [[Epiphany (holiday)|Epiphany]]
* Between 22 March and 25 April in the Gregorian calendar: [[Easter]]
* 23 May: The Apparition of the Apostle-Clavijo
* Between 10 May and 13 June in the Gregorian calendar: [[Pentecost]] (50 days after Easter)
* 25 July: [[The Feast of Saint James]] 
* 15 August: [[Assumption of Mary]]
* 1 November: [[All Saints' Day]]
* 20–26 November: [[Feast of Christ the King]] (Last Sunday of the liturgical year)
* 8 December: [[Immaculate Conception]]
* 25 December: [[Christmas]]
* 30 December: Transfer of the Body of James the Apostle to Galicia

==Tiraboleiros==
{{Unreferenced section|date=November 2023}}
The Botafumeiro is carried and swung by eight men in red robes, called {{Lang|gl|tiraboleiros}}. The term {{Lang|gl|tiraboleiro}} is a [[Galician language|Galician]] derivation from the [[Latin]] word {{Lang|la|turifer}}, which means 'incense carrier', and from which is derived the English equivalent, ''[[thurible|thurifer]]''. This comes from the Latin words {{Lang|la|thus}}, meaning 'incense', and {{Lang|la|fero}}', meaning 'carry'. There is a comparable term in Spanish, {{Lang|es|turiferario}}. (This is also the term used in Italian.)

==History==
{{Unreferenced section|reason=As of 2023-11-16, none of the citations in this section work. They are either dead links or do not verify the text.|date=November 2023}}
[[Image:SantCompostela27.jpg|thumb|The swinging ''Botafumeiro'' dispensing clouds of incense.]]
One tradition has it that the use of a swinging censer in the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral began in the 11th century.<ref>One document from around 1300 describes the Botafumeiro as "now part of the ceremony" [https://web.archive.org/web/20071219135925/http://pagesperso-orange.fr/jpq/equadiff/botafumeiro/index.htm]. </ref> Arriving pilgrims were tired and unwashed. It was also believed that incense smoke had a [[prophylactic]] effect at the time of [[Plague (disease)|plagues]] and [[epidemic]]s. Incense burning is also an important part of the liturgy, being an "oration to God", or form of [[prayer]].{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

In the 13th century, the pulley mechanism was changed to incorporate a set of coaxial drums of different diameters.<ref>{{cite web |title=133_o.jpg |url=http://www6.worldisround.com/photos/5/414/133_o.jpg|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071028084221/http://www6.worldisround.com/photos/5/414/133_o.jpg|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 October 2007|date=28 October 2007}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=November 2023}} Without this innovation, the largest excursion of the Botafumeiro would be about 1.5 meters, the length of the rope pulled by the {{Lang|gl|tiraboleiros}}.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

In the 15th century, France's [[Louis XI of France|King Louis XI]] (1423–1483) donated money to the cathedral to replace their medieval thurible, which was made of silver. A new silver thurible was put into service in 1554. Unfortunately, this ornate vessel was stolen by [[Napoleon]]'s troops in April, 1809, during an episode in the [[Peninsular War|Spanish War of Independence]] (1808–1814).<ref name=derB/>{{dead link|date=November 2023}} Therefore, the Louis XI censer was replaced by the present less-ostentatious Losada thurible in 1851.

After 155 years of use, the Botafumeiro was restored in early 2006 by artisans and craftsmen working under Luis Molina Acedo. They repaired the dents and cracks in the Botafumeiro and reapplied a 20 micrometre thick plating of silver to the vessel.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/albumes/galeria.jsp?album=2006329101118 |title=Pictures of the Botafumeiro being repaired and restored in 2006 |access-date=2006-11-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061009000415/http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/albumes/galeria.jsp?album=2006329101118 |archive-date=2006-10-09 |url-status=dead }} </ref>

In 2018, the Spanish perfume and leather company Carner Barcelona released the Botafumeiro perfume, dedicated to the censer. The main note in the fragrance is incense.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Духи с запахом ладана - Лучшие ладанные парфюмы - Парфюмерия с ладаном. |url=https://duhiladan.ru/ |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=duhiladan.ru}}</ref>

Many other cathedrals had similar large thuribles at one time. However, most of the other cathedrals discontinued the use of their swinging censers over the years.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

==Accidents==
Over the years, a number of accidents have occurred during the swinging of the Botafumeiro. Apparently at one time, the Botafumeiro was attached to the rope with a hook which sometimes became disconnected.

One of the most renowned accidents took place during a visit of [[Catherine of Aragon|Princess Catherine of Aragon]]. She was on a journey to marry the [[Arthur Prince of Wales|heir to the English throne]] in 1499 and stopped by the cathedral in [[Santiago de Compostela]]. While it was being swung, the Botafumeiro flew out of the cathedral through the Platerias high window. No one was reported to have been injured on this occasion.

The ropes and other devices securing the Botafumeiro have also failed; on May 23, 1622, and more recently in 1925 and July 1937. In 1622, the Botafumeiro fell at the feet of the {{Lang|gl|tiraboleiros}}. In July 1937, the cords holding the Botafumeiro failed again, and hot coals were spilled onto the floor.

Current procedure is to attach the rope to the Botafumeiro with a set of [[Carrick bend|sailor's knots]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rubens.anu.edu.au/raid1cdroms/spain/santiago_de_compostella/cathedral/interior/botafumeiro/PB267642.JPG|title=Picture showing the knot securing the Botafumeiro|publisher=}}</ref>

==Footnotes and references==
<references />
* {{Cite journal |last=Sanmartín |first=Juan R. |date=October 1984 |title=O Botafumeiro: Parametric pumping in the Middle Age |url=http://scitation.aip.org/getabs/servlet/GetabsServlet?prog=normal&id=AJPIAS000052000010000937000001&idtype=cvips&gifs=yes |journal=[[American Journal of Physics]] |volume=52 |issue=10 |pages=937–945|doi=10.1119/1.13798 |bibcode=1984AmJPh..52..937S |url-access=subscription }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Botafumeiro}}
* [http://www.catedraldesantiago.es The official site of the Santiago de Compostela cathedral]
* [http://rubens.anu.edu.au/raid1cdroms/spain/santiago_de_compostella/cathedral/interior/botafumeiro/ Botafumeiro pictures]

===Botafumeiro simulations===
* [http://www.sciences.univ-nantes.fr/physique/perso/gtulloue/Meca/Oscillateurs/botafumeiro.html A simulation of the motion of the Botafumeiro] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523233141/http://www.sciences.univ-nantes.fr/physique/perso/gtulloue/Meca/Oscillateurs/botafumeiro.html |date=2011-05-23 }}
* [http://perso.orange.fr/jpq/equadiff/botafumeiro/botafumeiro1.htm Another simulation of the motion of the Botafumeiro]

===Videos===
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-A-laww7x4 Botafumeiro video] 
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOoHyEEXxoA HD movie of the Botafumeiro]

{{Santiago de Compostela Cathedral}}
{{coord missing|Spain}}

[[Category:Christian religious objects]]
[[Category:Incense equipment]]
[[Category:Religion in Galicia (Spain)]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Galicia (Spain)]]
[[Category:Santiago de Compostela Cathedral]]