The Camino de Santiago or Way to Santiago, is known for its yellow arrows and distinct scallop shell symbols leading to Santiago de Compostela – and to the tomb of the Apostle Santiago (Saint James). Whichever Camino or “Way” one takes: the Portuguese, Coastal, French or Basque, whether hiking, biking or riding on horseback, the Camino de Santiago travels through numerous beautiful and historic locations and is a unique and enriching life experience.
According to oldest Jacobean legend, the Virgin Mary visited the Apostle Santiago “el Mayor” (James the Great) in Muxía – today found on the Camino de Fisterra and Muxía in Galicia – as he sat by the seashore, exhausted and saddened by the difficulty of his evangelical mission. The Virgin was said to have arrived by a stone boat that remained after she departed. This legend is tied closely to Atlantic myths about stone ships stemming from the oral pagan culture of the pre-Christian period. Almost two thousand years later, the popular imagination continues to see the hull, sail and rudder of that miraculous boat in three large rocks adjacent to the Virxe da Barca (Our Lady of the Boat) sanctuary. After the region converted to Christianity, it became one of most popular sanctuaries in the northwest of the peninsula.
When Santiago ended up martyred in Jerusalem in 44 AD, his disciples chose to lay his body to rest in the land where he preached, following a tradition for Christ’s apostles. Legend has it that they transported his remains in a stone ship which sailed miraculously from Palestine to what is present day Galicia, also considered the edge of the world. Although this tale is not mentioned in the Codex Calixtinus (a 12th c. guide for pilgrims) the legend may be related to ships that were used to transport mineral rock.
Here are 7 interesting facts about this very popular pilgrimage route.
- Why are there so many Caminos or “Ways” to Santiago?
Because, since the discovery of the supposed tomb of Santiago “El Mayor” in Galicia, each traveler has made their own way, from the door of their home to Compostela. Some routes became more popular than others for a variety of reasons (safety, ease of replenishing supplies), but were never able to use the title of Camino de Santiago exclusively. In 1993, UNESCO added the Camino de Santiago to its list of World Heritage Sites and decided to grant the distinction to the French Way, the most frequently travelled since antiquity and until today. In 2015, the World Heritage title was extended to Camino del Norte, with its different variants. But in fact, the Camino de Santiago starts at the door of your home.
- How has technology changed the Camino experience?
Two technological advances, the cellphone and Wifi, have changed the unforgettable feelings of community that were originally found in all pilgrimage hostels. “In the past, these spaces were more shared. Now, people are less present at dinner and more attentive to their cell phones”, one of the hosts acknowledges sadly. New technologies have also changed how guests book their trips. Travelers can now book accommodation through hotel websites, send emails to request bedding and find hostel rooms on Facebook. The general feeling is that everything is increasingly planned, studied and organized before the start. And, during the camino, some people communicate more with family and friends at home than with the locals and fellow pilgrims.
- The Other Bible about the Camino
Since the resurgence of interest in the Compostela pilgrimage in the 1990s, a multitude of guides, novels, essays and treatises on the phenomenon of the Compostela Jubilee have been written. But, in one way or another, all of these publications take their information from the same source: Las Peregrinaciones to Santiago de Compostela (Pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela), the most rigorous and detailed study ever made on the subject. It was written by three medievalists of international prestige: Luis Vázquez de Parga, José María Lacarra and Juan Uría Riu. First published in 1948, the work contains three volumes that have become an indispensable source for studying the pilgrimages to Compostela and the Camino de Santiago. After going virtually out of print, renewed interest in the Camino spurred a reprint of several editions.
- Who was the first pilgrim?
The first pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago was Afonso II – King of Asturias, who traveled the “Camino Primitivo” to Santiago de Compostela after receiving the news of the alleged discovery of Santiago’s tomb.
- Apostle lost, apostle reappeared
In 1558, San Clemente, the Archbishop of Compostela, fearing English pirates would attack the tomb of the Apostle, hid the ark with his remains. He hid it so well however, that it was lost for more than 300 years. It reappeared in 1878, during Cardinal Payá and Rico’s renovations of the Cathedral’s altar, when workers pierced a hidden vault and found the bones of three men. In 1884, Pope Leo XIII endorsed four years of scientific study and in a papal decree recognized that the relics found were actually those of the apostle and his two disciples.
- The Irache fountain of wine (and water)
The Fonte de Viño of Irache recalls the medieval custom of the monks offering bread and a glass of wine to every pilgrim upon arrival. Just outside of Ayegui and the Irache monastery, the Irache winery installed a fountain offering free wine to the pilgrims. Beside it is a tap with water for those who prefer. The fountain even has a webcam to show the pilgrims, in real time, replenishing their strength at it. This part of Navarra was already known as the “land of good bread and excellent wine” as described in the Codex Calixtinus in the 12th century.
- Who invented the yellow arrows?
The iconic yellow arrows that unify the Caminos de Santiago were first painted in the 80s, when little information about the Camino was available. They were the idea of two great promoters of the pilgrimage: Elías Valiña, a priest from O Cebreiro, the first Galician location on the French Way, and Andrés Muñoz, president of the Association of Friends of the Way of Navarra, who devoted much of his life to the improving and conserving the French Camino and the Via de la Prata or the Silver Way. Since then, several associations of friends of the Camino have improved and maintained the signs in their respective areas of influence.
Terracotta Journeys offers both hiking and cycling tours of the Camino de Santiago.
The seven-day hiking tour consists of highlights of the Camino de Santiago – the Portuguese Way encompassing the very best parts of three Portuguese Caminos: the Central, Coastal and the Portuguese Queen Isabel’s Camino. The first two routes are quite popular with pilgrims. The third one is a route that we’ve found through research. Queen Isabel went on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela shortly after her husband D. Dinis’ death in 1325. She followed the Camino to Santiago de Compostela while riding on a donkey. We discovered that she travelled through the Serra de Arga and stayed in the 13th c. monastery there. On the final stretch to Santiago, she travelled on foot, giving away many of her personal goods. Queen Isabel was pronounced a saint after her death in 1336. Our tour provides you with a virtually all-inclusive Camino itinerary and full time guides so you can turn off your cell phones, admire the scenery and simply immerse yourself in this unique experience.
For another type of Camino experience, Terracotta Journeys suggests the Mythic French Camino de Santiago bike tour, which begins in Burgos, Spain and ends in Santiago after 11 fun-filled days. The French route to Santiago is one of the oldest and most travelled pilgrimage routes in the world. On this bike tour we stay in charming historical accommodations, such as converted monasteries and palaces, and we visit the ruins of Celtic settlements and cross over Roman and medieval bridges. We dine on delicious meals all along the way: platters of local seafood, soul-warming caldo gallego stew, grilled padrón peppers, with wholesome Galician country bread, thick hot chocolate and so much more. The unforgettable myriad of emotions we feel upon arrival at Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, surrounded by pilgrims from all over the world, are what bring many pilgrims to return.
Come on a Terracotta Journeys Camino de Santiago – The Portuguese Way Walking Tour.