Over the centuries the scallop shell has taken on a variety of meanings, metaphorical, practical, and mythical, even if its relevance may have actually derived from the desire of pilgrims to take home a souvenir.Īccording to Spanish legends, Saint James had spent time preaching the gospel in Spain, but returned to Judaea upon seeing a vision of the Virgin Mary on the bank of the Ebro River. The scallop shell, often found on the shores in Galicia, has long been the symbol of the Camino de Santiago. History Pre-Christian history Ī stylised scallop shell, the modern sign post of the Way Depending on leap years, Holy Years occur in 5-, 6-, and 11-year intervals. Whenever St James's Day (25 July) falls on a Sunday, the cathedral declares a Holy or Jubilee Year. By the 1980s, only a few hundred pilgrims per year registered in the pilgrim's office in Santiago. However, the Black Death, the Protestant Reformation, and political unrest in 16th century Europe led to its decline. During the Middle Ages, the route was highly travelled.

However, a few of the routes are considered main ones. Traditionally, as with most pilgrimages, the Way of Saint James begins at one's home and ends at the pilgrimage site. Pilgrims on the Way can take one of dozens of pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. Legend holds that St James's remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern Spain, where he was buried in what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela. The reliquary of Saint James in the Cathedral of Santiago The French Way and the routes in Spain were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, followed by the routes in France in 1998, because of their historical significance for Christianity as a major pilgrimage route and their testimony to the exchange of ideas and cultures across the routes. The French Way gathers two-thirds of the walkers, but other minor routes are experiencing a growth in popularity. Pilgrims come mainly on foot and often from nearby cities, requiring several days of walking to reach Santiago. Since 2013, the Camino de Santiago has attracted more than 200,000 pilgrims each year, with an annual growth rate of more than 10 percent. In 1987, the Camino de Santiago, which encompasses several routes in Spain, France and Portugal, was declared the first Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. But it was only after the capture of Granada in 1492, under the reign of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, that Pope Alexander VI officially declared the Camino de Santiago to be one of the 'three great pilgrimages of Christendom', along with Jerusalem and Rome. It is also popular with hiking and cycling enthusiasts and organized tour groups.Ĭreated and established after the discovery of the relics of Saint James the Great at the beginning of the 9th century, the Way of St James became a major pilgrimage route of medieval Christianity from the 10th century onwards. The Camino de Santiago ( Latin: Peregrinatio Compostellana, 'Pilgrimage of Compostela' Galician: O Camiño de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition holds that the remains of the apostle are buried.Īs Pope Benedict XVI said, 'It is a way sown with so many demonstrations of fervour, repentance, hospitality, art and culture which speak to us eloquently of the spiritual roots of the Old Continent.' Many follow its routes as a form of spiritual path or retreat for their spiritual growth. Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France

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