Camino de Santiago

The Camino de Santiago, also known as the “Way of St. James,” is one of the most famous pilgrimages in Christianity. Since the Middle Ages pilgrims have traveled the network of routes throughout western Europe leading to the purported tomb of St. James the Greater in Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. The pilgrimage was originally made for religious purposes. However, in the modern era the Camino de Santiago is traveled by people of different religious beliefs from all over the world for recreational as well as religious or spiritual reasons.

History

The origins of the Camino de Santiago trace back to a tradition that claims that the Apostle St. James traveled to Spain in the 1st century ce to preach the gospel before returning to Jerusalem, where he was martyred in 44 ce. According to this tradition, his body was taken by boat to Galicia, a region in northwestern Spain. There he was buried in a stone tomb that was guarded by two of his disciples, who were subsequently buried beside him after their deaths.

For centuries the site of James’s tomb remained a mystery, until its purported discovery in the early 9th century during the reign of Alfonso II, king of Asturias (791–842). A church was built at the site of the tomb to house James’s relics, which began to attract pilgrims from all over Europe.

The discovery and location of James’s relics also propelled various legends. The most prominent states that a hermit named Pelagius discovered the tomb after being guided by a bright star to a field. The local bishop then declared that the tomb contained the long-lost relics of St. James and his two disciples. In time the site (and the city that grew up around it) became known as Campus Stellae (Latin: “Field of the Star”), which was eventually changed to Santiago de Compostela (Santiago being Spanish for St. James). Other legends claim that the boat that carried James’s body to Galicia was made of stone (attesting to the miraculous nature of its arrival) and that his original burial site was Padrón, a town about 25 km (16 miles) south of Santiago de Compostela.

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In the 11th century construction began on a cathedral to replace the original church in Santiago de Compostela. Meanwhile, a network of routes to the city developed throughout western Europe and grew into one of the most important Christian pilgrimages of the Middle Ages. In Christianity pilgrimage became both a devotional practice and a method of atoning for one’s sins. By making a pilgrimage to places such as Santiago de Compostela, Rome, or Jerusalem, Christians of the Middle Ages obtained indulgences, which, in Roman Catholic belief, could reduce their time spent suffering in purgatory after death.

An essential aspect of the development of pilgrimages in the Middle Ages was the Crusades, a series of holy wars waged by Christian armies to wrestle back control of parts of Europe and the Middle East that had become strongholds of the Moors and Islam. Among these strongholds was the Iberian Peninsula, which includes Spain. Consequently, the cult of St. James transformed the Apostle into a Crusader figure known as Santiago Matamoros, or St. James the Moor-Slayer. Thus, many churches and shrines on the routes of the Camino feature iconography of St. James on horseback in battle. Similarly, St. James is also depicted as a pilgrim with a staff for walking and a gourd for drinking water on his journey.

The Camino de Santiago remained popular until the 14th–16th century, when the combined impact of the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, and the Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation resulted in a decline in such devotional practices as pilgrimages and the seeking of indulgences. However, in 1884 Pope Leo XIII issued a papal bull that proclaimed that the relics at Santiago de Compostela were indeed those of St. James. By the end of the 20th century the Camino de Santiago had been thoroughly revived as a religious pilgrimage and an engine of Spanish tourism. Santiago de Compostela was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, and the Camino de Santiago received the designation in 1993.

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In the 21st century the Camino’s popularity grew exponentially in both the number of overall pilgrims and the number of pilgrims representing countries other than Spain. Likewise, an increasing number of pilgrims undertook the journey for nonreligious reasons. Walking remained the most common method of travel, but many pilgrims traveled the Camino by bicycle and some attempted it on horseback. People who use wheelchairs—most famously, British physicist Stephen Hawking in 2008—have also traveled portions of some routes.

The statistics for the years 2003 and 2023, which are collected by the Pilgrim’s Reception Office in Santiago de Compostela, show the tremendous growth of pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.

• Number of pilgrims: 74,324
• Percentage of Spanish pilgrims: 60
• Percentage citing religious reasons: 42
• Percentage citing “religious and other reasons”: 51
• Percentage citing nonreligious reasons: 7

• Number of pilgrims: 446,076
• Percentage of Spanish pilgrims: 45
• Percentage citing religious reasons: 43
• Percentage citing “religious and other reasons”: 35
• Percentage citing nonreligious reasons: 23

Routes

In the Middle Ages pilgrims began their journey simply by leaving their home and making their way to Santiago de Compostela. Over time several well-traveled routes across western Europe—in particular, through France, Portugal, and Spain—were established. The most popular route by far is the Camino Francés, which begins in southern France and covers a distance of about 790 km (500 miles). In 2023 half of all Camino pilgrims chose to trek some segment of the Francés route, while the second most popular route that year was along the Camino Portugués, which officially begins in Lisbon, Portugal, and was traveled by 20 percent of pilgrims.

Typically, the Camino Francés takes pilgrims about four to six weeks to walk to completion. However, pilgrims may undertake their journey in shorter stages or segments. To earn the official pilgrim’s certificate upon arrival in Santiago de Compostela, pilgrims must travel the final 100 km (62 miles) on foot or horseback or 200 km (124 miles) by bicycle. Therefore, the city of Sarria, located about 115 km (71 miles) west of Santiago, serves as a starting point for pilgrims on the Camino Francés who are unable to walk the full route.

The table below shows several routes with their approximate distances and the main cities along each route.

The pilgrimage

The modern-day Camino de Santiago involves a mix of old and new traditions. As in the Middle Ages, most pilgrims travel the Camino on foot, even though they may have arrived at their starting point by airplane, train, or automobile. Pilgrims must carry a pilgrim’s passport with them, known as a credencial, which can be obtained beforehand through a local pilgrims’ association or confraternity or at a pilgrims’ office in the city where they begin their journey.

As they travel along their route, pilgrims usually stay in hostels known as refugios or albergues, where they can meet other pilgrims and receive a stamp for their credencial. Many of these hostels are staffed by volunteers, known as hospitaleros, who have previously completed the Camino and wish to “pay it forward” by helping other pilgrims. Some convents and monasteries also provide food and accommodation for pilgrims.

The routes of the Camino are marked so that pilgrims can travel without having to carry extra weight in their backpacks in the form of guidebooks or maps. The most common route markings on the Camino are yellow arrows and scallop shells, the latter of which have come to symbolize the Camino. Different legends claim various reasons for the significance of the scallop shell, from serving as a convenient drinking vessel for medieval pilgrims to a story that claims St. James’s tomb was found buried in shells. They are also a symbol of baptism and rebirth, a concept that aligns with many people’s decision to undergo a pilgrimage, whether to mark a new start after completing a penance or taking an extended break from normal responsibilities such as a career.

Upon arrival in Santiago de Compostela, most pilgrims register at the Pilgrim’s Reception Office near the cathedral, where they present their credencial to receive a compostela, a certificate printed in Latin that features the pilgrim’s name and acknowledges their achievement.

In the cathedral St. James’s relics are kept in an ornate reliquary in a crypt below the main altar, which visitors can view. Traditionally, many pilgrims climbed the stairs behind the cathedral’s altar to hug and kiss a large statue of St. James, though this practice has at times been discouraged and access to the statue prohibited.

Pilgrim masses are celebrated in the cathedral multiple times a day. A highlight of masses celebrated on solemn occasions is the use of the silver botafumeiro, a giant thurible that is 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall and weighs 53 kg (117 pounds). It is swung by eight assistants using a system of pulleys that launches it across the transepts of the cathedral and all the way up to the ceiling. Though its use has been ascribed spiritual meaning, it is believed that it was originally devised to disguise the smell of pilgrims after their long and arduous journey.

After reaching Santiago de Compostela, some pilgrims continue the journey another 90 km to the coastal town of Finisterre. Many medieval Europeans believed this to be the most westerly point of the continent and the end of the known world—hence, its name (Latin for “end of the earth”). For this reason some modern pilgrims, especially those traveling for nonreligious reasons, consider Finisterre to be a more fitting end to their pilgrimage.