Santiago de Compostela – Spain
In the Jacobean year, all roads lead to Santiago. Come with us and discover what makes thousand of pilgrims to the “Field of Stars”.
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A mix of the religious and a sporting challenge; a search for oneself and for the truly genuine; an itinerary boasting Romanesque and Gothic styles, Templar knights and Benedictine monks, beech forests and wheat fields, mountains, rivers and cities; these are the things that make the Way of St James a unique experience. This is especially true this year because 2010 is a Jacobean year, which occurs whenever July 25th (St. James’ Day) falls on a Sunday and, in Compostela (whose Cathedral is the last stop of the pilgrimage), the Holy Door is opened under exceptional circumstances.
Since the discovery of the apostle James’ tomb in the 9th century, this has become the most important medieval European pilgrims’ route, welcoming the faithful from every corner of the globe. This influx of people has led to the artistic, social and economic development of the various routes, which boast testimonies, relics, monuments and legends that have survived over hundreds of years.
This journey back through time began in the year 812, when a hermit, on seeing a field being endlessly showered by miraculous stars, discovered the apostle’s tomb. It is said that the first pilgrim was the Asturian Afonso II, the Chaste. Taking what is now known as the Primitive Way (Oviedo – Santiago), the monarch had a church and monastery built on the spot, charging Benedictine monks with preserving the sepulchre and the ritual of worship. In the matter of a few decades, belief and faith, alongside the efforts of the ecclesiastical authorities in disseminating the importance of this sacred place ( and thus consolidating the Christian re-conquest that had started against the Islamic Caliphate of Córdoba) made Compostela as important as Rome and Jerusalem as a place of pilgrimage.
From the 10th century onwards, as the routes on the Way saw more churches, monasteries, hospitals, inns, bridges built and cobbled paths laid, the number of pilgrims grew to create what would be one of the main channels of cultural and artistic exchange of the Middle Ages up until the 13th century. At that time, plagues and religious divisions reduced the number of pilgrims, only for this to change in the late 20th century, when various St. James’ associations, the local authorities and Pope John Paul made efforts to see the Way returned to its former glory. Old inns were re-opened and new ones constructed, guidebooks and maps were published and specialist tourism was provided in the historical cities. This successful strategy culminated in the classification as World Heritage by UNESCO.
According to an old saying, the Way of St. James begins at the individual’s door, an undeniable truth during the Middle Ages, when pilgrims left their lands and walked to Compostela, many not making it home. Nowadays, the pilgrimage is quite different and the tens of thousands of “wayfarers” follow official routes, where they find all possible comforts on this type of journey: from accommodation to medical aid, as well as merchandising and other attractions of our consumer society. Despite this, the goal is still the same: to arrive in Santiago following the signs and the yellow arrows: on foot, on a bike or on horseback.
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by Patrícia Brito
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