About the Camino

The Camino de Santiago is one of the most culturally significant pilgrimage routes in the west, along with the pilgrimage to Rome, the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and the pilgrimage to Canterbury. The destination was Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, northern Spain, the site of the reputed tomb of the Aspostle James. According to legend, St. James prostelized in Spain, but later returned to the middle east. After his death, his remains mysteriously sailed to Santiago, and were buried there, only to be rediscovered

The pilgrimage route became popular because of the lnfluence of Pope Calixtus

Technically, the pilgrimage route begins at one's doorstep and ends in Santiago, but most people now follow one of the many historic routes to Santiago, the Camino Frances being the most popular. The Camino Frances traditionally begins at site of the Saint Jacques church in Paris, the tower of which only remains today, and goes south, entering Spain at St. Jean Pie de Port. Modern pilgrims starting the route begin there or in nearby Pamplona and walk, ride bikes, or ride horseback about 775 KM to Santiago.

Other routes include:

• The Via de la Plata, which Christians in Muslim-controlled Spain followed to make the pilgrimage. (In fact, because of these pilgrims, Santiago became the site of contact and cultural exchange between the Christian-controlled north and Muslim controlled south during the so-called Reconquest of Muslim Spain.
• The Camino Aragones, which starts in Aragon and continues 164 KM until it joins the Camino Frances.
• The Camino del Norte and the Camino Primitivo, more northerly routes used early in the camino's history when areas further south were still dominated by Muslims. 
• The Camino Vasco (Basque), which starts in Spain at the border with France in Irun and continues until it joins the Camino Frances. Travelers considered the Basque route dangerous and tended to avoid it once the more southern routes were opened.
• The English Route, which required the least walking, since travelers walked from their homes to Plymouth or another port and sailed to Spain, where they continued a short way to Santiago.

One of the first Americans to travel the route was John Adams, who was sent to Paris to seek funding for the war of independence. However, his ship began to leak en route and made landfall in Finisterre, a short distance from Santiago. He followed the pilgrimage route in reverse to get to Paris, though he did not stop in Santiago, much to his later regret. His memoirs give a colorful view of the pilgrimage route as it existed in the 18th century, and help us understand monuments, shrines, churches, hospitales, and other places of interest that have ceased to exist during the intervening years.