WHEN SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA AND MONDOÑEDO WERE BUILT IN WOOD: HALF TIMBER WITH EARTH CONSTRUCTIONS IN THE CITIES OF GALICIA

Abstract. Nowadays, more common traditional constructions in Galician historical cities are houses with stone walls and wood slabs. However, Galician medieval cities were built with half timbers with earth and bricks used as structural closures and recovered interiorly with mud and lime mortars. At that time, Santiago de Compostela and Mondoñedo were two cities built in wood, not in stone and these half timbers were the most widespread technique in these cities until the XVIII and XIX. Only a few examples can be seen at present. These constructions are on the brink of disappearance due to three main factors: the lack of general public knowledge, the lack of Government protection and, finally, the lack of building professional training in the aforementioned techniques.