Final answer:
The plan of Santiago de Compostela from 1075-1120 reflects its importance as a major pilgrimage site with a cruciform design to manage pilgrim traffic and a Churrigueresque facade. It influenced ecclesiastical architecture along pilgrimage routes across Europe.
Step-by-step explanation:
The plan of Santiago de Compostela from 1075-1120 is a reflection of its significance during the medieval period as a major pilgrimage destination.
The way of Saint James, which is the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, was critically important for the faithful, who considered a pilgrimage to the site an expression of Christian devotion with potential for soul purification and miraculous healing.
The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, built upon the site where it was believed the bones of Saint James were unearthed, featured a cruciform plan which facilitated the movement of crowds of pilgrims.
This design included a central nave, a transept, and radiating chapels, allowing pilgrims to circulate from the western portal, around the church, to the apse containing the shrines, and out again.
The cathedral's Churrigueresque facade was known for its lavish decorative elements that had little structural significance.
The plan of the church, along with others along the pilgrimage route, like the Church of Sainte-Foy in Conques and the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Chartres, represents the typical Romanesque style of church architecture.
This era's churches were often built along the pilgrimage routes across Europe to accommodate the needs of the pilgrims traveling to Santiago de Compostela, where the church itself, along with its function and design, became a major influence on ecclesiastical architecture across the continent.