El Camino de Santiago, or as it is known in English, the Way of
St James, is one of any number of pilgrimage routes to the
cathedral set in the town of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia -
situated in the north-western most part of Spain. One of the
apostles, St James the Great, is said to be buried there. Legend
has it that St James' remains were carried by boat from
Jerusalem to northern Spain where they were discovered in
Compostela. This pilgrimage is renowned to be one of the most
important in Christianity since medieval times, along with those
to Rome and Jerusalem . The route has existed for over 1000
years and recently, has been attracting more and more visitors.
Each year thousands of people set out to walk along the route
from a variety of starting points scattered across Europe , the
most popular being at St Albain. People walk, cycle or even go
by horseback for weeks and months. The route has now become so
popular, it is no longer used exclusively by Christians -
non-Christians are using the route to have hiking and cycling
holidays.
Of all the routes on El Camino de Santiago, the most popular is
the Camino Francés which runs from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on
the French side of the Pyrenees, across the mountains and
through to Santiago de Compostela. This route was originally the
path taken from one oasis to another one on the other side of
the mountains. There are three routes on the pilgrimage that
originate in different parts of France (Paris, Vézelay and Le
Puy) and converge on Saint-Jean.
El Camino de Santiago was declared as the first European
Cultural Route by the Council of Europe in October 1987 and
inscribed as one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites in 1993.
Records of people visiting the cathedral containing St James'
remains date back to the 8 th century. Even then it was one of
the most renowned pilgrimage routes and those who completed it
would return from Galicia with scallop shells to prove to others
that they had done the journey.
Once the Catholic Church had established its rules of penance
for those seeking absolution after confession, pilgrimages were
decided upon as an adequate punishment for certain crimes, and
El Camino de Santiago became busier. The Catholic Encyclopedia
at the time stated:
"In the registers of the Inquisition at Carcassone... we find
the four following places noted as being the centres of the
greater pilgrimages to be imposed as penances for the graver
crimes, the tomb of the Apostles at Rome, the shrine of St.
James at Compostela, St. Thomas's body at Canterbury, and the
relics of the Three Kings at Cologne."
Before the route became a popular Catholic pilgrimage, the route
also had significance with the Romans and the Celts that lived
in the northern areas of Spain . It is thought that the site was
that of a Roman shrine. Even today, many people on the pilgrim
route continue to follow it to the coast of Galicia and Cape
Finisterre, which is the most westerly point of Europe . In
Roman times, Finisterra represented a sacred location as they
thought it marked the end of the world. These pagan influences
can still be seen along the way and amongst the pilgrims
themselves.
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