Master Mateo (c. 1150 - c. 1200 or c. 1217) was a sculptor and architect who worked in medieval Christian kingdoms of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

during the second half of the twelfth century. He is best known now for the Pórtico de la Gloria of the

Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela The Santiago de Compostela Archcathedral Basilica (Spanish and Galician: ) 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 c ...

. He was also responsible for the stone choir of the cathedral in 1200, later torn down in 1603. The earliest information about Maestro Mateo is from an 1168 document in the archives of the cathedral of Santiago, which says that the Master was already working on the

, for which he received a large sum of money from King

Ferdinand II of León Ferdinand II (c. 1137 – 22 January 1188), was a member of the Castilian cadet branch of the House of Ivrea and King of León and Galicia from 1157 until his death. Life Family Born in Toledo, Castile, Ferdinand was the third but second sur ...

. Very little information remains about his early training, but everything seems to imply that he already had a long career behind him all along the Way of Santiago, especially in the French sections.

Bibliography

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

and Galician articles about Maestro/Mestre Mateo *http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/sculpture/master-mateo.htm *http://www.wga.hu/html_m/m/master/mateo/p_gloria.html * :gl:Coro pétreo do Mestre Mateo 12th-century Spanish sculptors 13th-century Spanish sculptors Medieval Spanish architects Romanesque architects Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Year of birth uncertain Romanesque artists 12th-century Spanish architects 13th-century Spanish architects 12th-century people from León and Castile 13th-century Castilians {{Spain-sculptor-stub