So, what is the Camino?

[This section, as well as the summary regarding logistics, I compiled with the help of Arthur Mitchell’s website – a site I used extensively before I left for my own Camino.]

People have been making the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela for nearly 1 200 years. According to legend St. James (Santiago, in Spanish) was sent by Jesus to Galicia to preach. He was largely unsuccessful, and returned to Jerusalem. Agrippa had him beheaded, and his followers placed his body in a boat (some versions has it that it was a miraculous boat, carved from stone), which eventually reached the Iberian peninsula. His body was re-discovered by a shepherd in the 9th century. (In one version of the story, his body was found at Compostela covered by scallop shells – hence the scallop shell that, today, is a symbol of both St. James and of the pilgrims en route to Santiago). The locals decided to built a church on the spot where St. James’ grave was found, and so it is believed still today that his tomb is right beneath the cathedral where your pilgramage ends.

A more accurate version would rather be that the site – where a small church already stood in the early 9th century – was since the 9th century used as place for gatherings by monks.

During the Middle Ages, over a million Europeans put their lives on hold and walked to Santiago. It was a challenging feat, for not only were the pilgrims subjected to bandits on the way, but the south of Spain was also under the control of the Moors.
Santiago de Compostela was the third most important Christian pilgrimage destination, after Jerusalem and Rome. The reasons for its importance are many. The primary reason, was, of course, to venerate the saint. Santiago is also the patron saint of Spain. At the battle of Clavijo, Spanish soldiers saw a vision of St. James in the sky, and went on to defeat a Moorish army. Santiago became known as Santiago Matamoros – or Moor killer.

Finally, as Maria Rosa Menocal points out in her book The Ornament of the World, the veneration of St. James’ remains was largely local until Al-Mansur sacked Santiago and melted the Cathedral’s bells to make lamps for his mosque in Cordoba. This enraged the Christians of the time, and the local cult became international.

Cees Nooteboom, in his excellent book, Roads to Santiago, asserts that the sheer number of pilgrims who made the pilgrimage may be a reason the Moors never successfully conquered the most northern part of Spain, and may also be why the Islamic conquest of Spain never spilled into France and the rest of Europe.

There are a number of routes to Santiago de Compostela. Pilgrims started from their home countries, like Switzerland, Germany, England, Italy and France, and then converge at a couple of entry points in Spain from where they would walk together to Santiago. The most famous – and currently most well-traveled – is the Camino Frances (or French Road). One leg begins its Spanish phase in the Pyrenees at Roncesvalles. An alternative way from France starts at Somport. Both routes from France converge at Puente la Reina. From there, a single route continues to the destination on the west coast of Spain.

Today, about 150 000 people a year make the pilgrimage. The majority (80%) walk. Crossing Spain from the French border to Santiago de Compostela on foot takes about a month to forty days, and by bike ten days to two weeks. Why do people do it? Religion. Spirituality. Culture. The physical challenge. Or simply to take part in the river of history – to participate in something that has endured for twelve centuries.

Completing the pilgrimage entitles you to receive a Compostela – a certificate you obtain in Santiago de Compostela. To qualify for a Compostela, you must walk the last 100 kilometers or cycle the last 200 kilometers to Santiago. You can also cover the distance on horse back. No matter where you start, you need to prove you’ve covered the requisite distance. For that, you need a Credencial, a pilgrim’s passport. You fill up the Credencial with stamps – or sellos – in the towns you pass along the way. The Credencial also entitles you to spend the night in Refugios and Albergues – dormitories and hostels for pilgrims along the Camino. It’s usually a convent that’s geared for pilgrims (dormitory style rooms) which let you stay one night over for either 5 euro, or sometimes for free. It provides for an inexpensive way to see the country and be part of something special.

If you can find the time, do it. It’s a relatively inexpensive bike tour, a great way to see a country and a cool, physical challenge. But apart from the physical aspect, it will also be an emotionally rewarding experience. For me it was a moving, but fun tour. You’ll learn more about yourself, and you’ll meet interesting people from all over the world.