Europe was formed on the road to Santiago — Goethe

History

The Way of St. James or St. James' Way (Spanish name: El Camino de Santiago), is the pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where legend has it that the remains of the apostle, Saint James the Great, are buried.

The Way of St James has existed for over a thousand years. It was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medieval times. It was considered one of three pilgrimages on which a plenary indulgence could be earned (the others are the Via Francigena to Rome and the pilgrimage to Jerusalem).

Legend has is that St. James' remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern Spain where they were buried on the site of what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela. There are some, however, who claim that the remains at Santiago belong to Priscillian, the fourth-century Galician leader of an ascetic Christian sect, Priscillianism, who was one of the first Christian heretics to be executed.

There is no single route on the Way of St. James. In fact, there are a number of pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. However, some of these routes are perhaps better known than others. Santiago is considered to be an important pilgrimage destination because of its association with James the Great. During the Middle Ages, the route was highly travelled, but the Black Plague, the Protestant Reformation and political unrest in 16th-century Europe resulted in a usage decline. By the 1980s, only a few pilgrims arrived in Santiago annually. However, since then, the route has attracted a growing number of modern-day pilgrims from around the globe. The route was declared the first European Cultural Route by the Council of Europe in October 1987; it was also named one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites in 1993.

The Routes

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• Camino Frances / French Way (walking)
• Camino Norte Northern Way
• Camino Primitivo / Original Way
• Camino Ingles / English Way
• Camino Portugues / Portuguese Way
• Via de la Plata
• Camino du Puy / Puy Route
• Camino Aragones / Aragonese Way

By Bike

• Camino Frances By Bike

Think different, Think responsibly

• Camino Rustic

Pilgrim Credential

The Compostela is a certificate of accomplishment given to pilgrims on completing the Way. To earn the Compostela one needs to walk a minimum of 100 km (cyclists must cycle at least 200 km). For walkers, it is most practicable to start in the small city of Sarria, as it has good bus and rail connections. Pilgrims arriving in Santiago de Compostela who have walked the required distance (as indicated on their credential), are eligible for the Compostela from the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago.

In medieval Catholicism, the Compostela counted as an act of indulgence. Pilgrims were entitled to a partial indulgence, or, if the Compostela was obtained in a Holy Year, a plenary indulgence. The full text of the certificate is in Latin and reads:

CAPITULUM hujus Almae Apostolicae et Metropolitanae Ecclesiae Compostellanae sigilli Altaris Beati Jacobi Apostoli custos, ut omnibus Fidelibus et Perigrinis ex toto terrarum Orbe, devotionis affectu vel voti cosa, ad limina Apostoli Nostri Hispaniarum Patroni ac Tutelaris SANCTI JACOBI convenientibus, authenticas visitationis litteras expediat, omnibus et singulis praesentes inspecturis, notum facit : (Latin version of name of recipient) Hoc sacratissimum Templum pietatis causa devote visitasse. In quorum fidem praesentes litteras, sigillo ejusdem Sanctae Ecclesiae munitas, ei confero. Datum Compostellae die (day) mensis (month) anno Dni (year) Canonicus Deputatus pro Peregrinis

The pilgrim passport is examined carefully for stamps and dates. If a key stamp is missing, or if the pilgrim does not claim a religious purpose for their pilgrimage, the Compostela may be refused. The Pilgrim Office of Santiago awards more than 100,000 Compostelas per year to pilgrims from over 100 countries.

The Way's name in other languages

The Way of St. James is most often referred to by the names used in the areas it passes:

• Spanish: El Camino de Santiago or simply El Camino
• Galician: O Camiño de Santiago or Ruta Xacobea
• Basque: Donejakue Bidea
• French: O Camiño de Santiago or Le Chemin de Saint Jacques
• Portuguese: O Caminho de Santiago

Further reading

Confraternity of St. James, "Pilgrim Guides To Spain 1. The Camino Francés".

Account of a horse back journey along the St James Way

Fiction and other literary works

• Paulo Coelho, The Pilgrimage
• Shirley MacLaine, The Camino
• James Michener, Iberia (contains one chapter about the Camino de Santiago)
• Tim Moore, Spanish Steps
• Tracy Saunders, Pilgrimage to Heresy (a fictionalised account of the pilgrimage. Suggests, after Professor Henry Chadwick, that the tomb in Compostela may be the burial site of Priscillian, Bishop of Avila, executed for "heresy and witchcraft" by the Romans in 385 AD