Entry charge for Santiago cathedral's La Gloria portico following restoration

The spectacular 12th-century archway, featuring detailed carvings and considered one of the most iconic works of Mediaeval architect Mateo, was restored and painted with colourful oils in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, but underwent hundreds of years of neglect and suffered badly from damp.

Experts in Mediaeval architecture and art began restoring the splendid portico, part of one of Spain's most famous cathedrals, in 2009 and, €6.2 million and 50,000 hours later, the result was unveiled at the end of June this year.

It will still not be open to the public until this coming Tuesday, September 18, after which it will be free of charge to visit until October 31 inclusive, with group sizes limited to 25, says the Cathedral Foundation, headed up by Archbishop Julián Barrio.

But so much time, money and energy spent restoring the portico has to be paid for somehow – especially as a new and ambitious restoration project for the temple as a whole is about to start, costing €20m, of which €17m will come from the central government and the remainder from the private Barrié Foundation.

The first phase will focus on the inside of the main nave of the cathedral, including the vault, plus the south and east façades and the so-called 'Treasure Tower' (Torre del Tesoro) and the roof.

As yet, the additional cost for accessing the portico has not been set, but is unlikely to be significant and will be a must for any visitor to the cathedral who wants to get the best out of their trip, given that the La Gloria arch is one of the most famous parts of the temple.

Santiago de Compostela cathedral, in the province of A Coruña (Galicia), is the official end point for the world-renowned Camino de Santiago pilgrims' trail.