The History of El Camino
The Way of St. James or St. James' Way, often known by its Spanish name, el Camino de Santiago, is the pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where legend has it that the remains of the apostle, Saint James the Great, are buried.
The Way of St James has existed for over a thousand years. It was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medieval times. It was considered one of three pilgrimages on which a plenary indulgence could be earned; the others are the Via Francigena to Rome and the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
Legend holds that St. James's remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern Spain where they were buried on the site of what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela. There are some, however, who claim that the bodily remains at Santiago belong to Priscillian, the fourth-century Galician leader of an ascetic Christian sect, Priscillianism, who was one of the first Christian heretics to be executed.
There is not a single route; the Way can take one of any number of pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. However a few of the routes are considered main ones. Santiago is such an important pilgrimage destination because it is considered the burial site of the apostle, James the Great. During the Middle Ages, the route was highly traveled. However, the Black Plague, the Protestant Reformation and political unrest in 16th- century Europe resulted in its decline. By the 1980s, Only * a few pilgrims arrived in Santiago annually. However, since then, the route has attracted a growing number of modern-day pilgrims from around the globe. The route was declared the first European Cultural Route by the Council of Europe in October 1987; it was also named one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites in 1993.
Today tens of thousands of Christian pilgrims and other travelers set out each year from their front doorstep, or popular starting points across Europe, to make their way to Santiago de Compostela. Most travel by foot, some by bicycle, and a few travel as some of their medieval counterparts did, on horseback or by donkey (for example, the British author and humorist Tim Moore).
YOUR TRIP INCLUDES: Round-trip air from New York to Spain (special Add-on Airfares from all other US gateways) AIRPORT TAXES, SECURITY FEES & FUEL SURCHARGES INCLUDED 9 nights at 4-stars hotels & quaint Inns as follows: (or similar) ~ 1 night: Hotel Catalonia Gaudi, Madrid
~ 1 night: Hotel AC San Antonio, Leon
~ 1 night: Rectoral de Goian or Torre do Bario, Sarria
~ 1 night: Pousada de Portomarin, Portomarin
~ 1 night: Rectoral de Lestedo or Pazo Mariñao, Palas de Rei
~ 1 night: Pazo de Santa Maria or Lar da Mota, Arzua
~ 1 night: O muiño da Pena or Casa o Acivro, O Pino
~ 2 nights: San Francisco Hotel Monumento, Santiago de Compostela
Breakfast daily Picnic lunches on 5 days Dinner daily Professional local Catholic Tour Escort Sightseeing and admissions fees as per itinerary Transportation by air-conditioned motor coach Vehicle available to assist pilgrims who are unable to complete any leg of the journey Hotel taxes and service charges Catholic Mass daily Flight bag & portfolio of all travel document
Not Included:Lunches not specified, Travel Insurance optional at $99-$225. Tips to your guide & driver (Euro 6-8 per day). Items of a personal nature. *"Land Only *" does not include airfare or airport transfers.
Sample Day-by-Day Itinerary: Day 1 - Depart USA
Board your overnight transatlantic flights from your home town. Meals are served on board.
Day 02 – Arrive Madrid
We will be greeted by our escort/driver. Transfer to the hotel. Time for
resting. In the afternoon we will visit the Capital city of Spain.
Madrid became Spain’s capital simply through its geographical position
at the center of Iberia. When Felipe II moved the seat of government
from Toledo to Madrid in 1561 his aim was to create a symbol of the
unification and centralization of the country, and a capital from which
he could receive fastest post and communications from each corner of the
nation. Madrid’s main sights occupy a compact area between the Royal
Palace and the beautiful gardens of El Retiro. The great trio of
museums: the Prado (one of the oldest and greatest collections of art in
the world: Bosch, Velazquez, Goya, Titian, El Greco, etc), Thyssen
Bornemisza (like a walking through the history of the painting) and
Reina Sofía (permanent gallery of modern Spanish art: Picasso, Dalí,
Miró, Tapies, Chillida, etc); are ranged along the Paseo del Prado, over
towards the Retiro park. The oldest part of the city, el Madrid de los
Austrias, is centered on the gorgeous, arcaded Plaza Mayor, just to the
east of the Royal Palace. Other interesting buildings and sights would
be: Puerta del Sol, Gran Via Street, Cibeles fountain, Alcalá gate, the
Spanish Square, etc. Dinner and overnight in Madrid
Day 03 - Madrid – Burgos - León
After breakfast we will depart towards the city of Burgos. Burgos was
for some five hundred years the capital of the Old Castile and with its
dark stone old town and castle it remains redolent of these years of
power and military strength. It has historic associations as the home of
El Cid in the XI Century, and as the base of two centuries later of
Fernando el Santo, the reconqueror of Murcia, Córdoba and Sevilla. It
was Fernando who began the city’s famous Gothic cathedral, one of the
greatest in all Spain. During the visit we will be able to see: the Arco
de Santa María, originally this gateway formed part of the town walls,
the Cathedral, the Huelgas Monastery, the Cartuja de Miraflores, the
Castle, etc. We will continue our journey to Leon. The name of Leon
comes from the Roman Times, The Roman Legion named the town Legio in AD
68 and derivations over years led the name to Leon or lion. The city
amasses some of Spain’s most important historic-artistic monuments, like
its Cathedral, a Gothic gem and a masterpiece of architecture with the
best collection of stained-glass windows in Europe (Only * after
Chartres). Next to the Cathedral, there is the Roman Saint Isidoro
Basilica (eleventh and twelfth century), where Saint Isidoro of Seville
tomb is kept; and the Saint Marcus Monastery, with its fantastic front
in Plateresque style bedecked with shells (the symbol of the pilgrim).
Dinner and overnight in Leon
Day 04 - León – Villafranca del Bierzo – O Cebreiro - Sarria
Breakfast in the hotel. In the morning we will depart to Sarria. In our
way we will walk a little bit to “warm” our legs. Part
of our journey will follow the old Roman road that connected Ponferrada
with the silver and gold mines located in Las Médulas. We will visit
Villafranca del Bierzo, a town founded in the 11 C, where the Cluny
Order had an important representation. We can enjoy the Collegiate
Church of Santa María, built between the 13 and 16 C; the churches of
Santiago (12 C) and San Nicolas, as well as the Agua Street, full of
palaces and emblazoned houses. The Castle-Palace of the Marquisate is
worthy of being visited. Later we will enter Galicia by Lugo, not far from Santiago. The first village in the
region of Lugo along the Route is Cebreiro, with an altitude of 1,300
meters. A group of "pallozas" can be seen (Pre-Romanesque circular
houses with straw roofs) and a beautiful Pre-Romanesque temple, from the
9-10 C, containing a Chalice, the Paten of "Santo Milagro" (Holy
Miracle) and a precious Romanesque carving of Santa Maria la Real. At
the end of the day we will arrive to Sarria. In this town, where
Alfonso IX died in 1230, while making the pilgrimage, the old quarter
retains a strong Medieval character. We can also visit the church of
Salvador, with a Romanesque ground plan and Gothic façade; the small
chapel of San Lazaro; the hospital of San Antonio, which today houses a
Court; and the remains of its old fortress, from the 14 C. Dinner and overnight
in Sarria.
Day 05 - Sarria - Portomarín (walking day, 13 Miles / 21 kms)
Breakfast in the hotel. After breakfast we will go to the Pilgrim Office
to request our Pilgrim Passport and we will start our walking pilgrimage
to Santiago de Compostela. In the spirit of St James the Apostle we
become authentic pilgrims journeying along an outer road (and the road
within). Our walking trip will finish in Portomarin. The town, which dates back to the Roman Age, was
an important halt along the Route in the Middle Ages. The old Portomarín
lies beneath the waters of the dam built in 1962. But before flooding
the town, many monuments were moved, stone by stone, somewhere else.
Such was the case of the church-fortress of the Knights of San Juan of
Jerusalem, who once run the old hospital that lies beneath the waters of
the Miño river, along with the old Medieval and Roman bridges. The
municipality also has the church of San Nicolás, from the 13 C; the
portal of the church of San Pedro, from 1182; the Count’s House, from
the 16 C, and the Palace of Berbetoros, from the 17 C. Dinner and
overnight at Portomarin.
Day 06 - Portomarin - Palas de Rei (walking day, 15 Miles / 24 kms)
Breakfast in the hotel. From Portomarín we'll set off into the woods on
our journey towards Palas de Rei, once an
important town in the Middle Ages -it had a Royal Hospital- the church
of San Tirso stands on its lands, with a Romanesque portal. On
the hilly walk we'll continue through field and forest passing countless
granaries, hórreos, and wayside crosses or cruceiros (usually depicting on once side Christ and the
other the Virgin), both very characteristic of the Galician landscape.
Evening at leisure. Optional visit to the Monastery of Vilar de Donas, the fine Romanesque temple that stands
majestically is remarkable for its Gothic paintings from the 16 C, and
the busts of the "donas" or ladies that founded the house and its
central apse in the 14 C. The temple also treasures several sarcophagi
of Knights of the Order of Santiago along with a stone retable that
depicts the eucharistic miracle of O Cebreiro. Dinner and
overnight at Palas de Rei.
Day 07 - Palas de Rei - Arzua (walking in the morning, 17 Miles / 28 kms)
Breakfast in the hotel. The walk sets off from Palas and ends up at a
the bustling small town of Arzua, but before we finish our today’ stage
we will visit Melide. This town is crucial to the Route, because it is
the place where the French and the Oviedo Routes converge. At the
entrance to the town there is a crossroads from the 14 C, one of the
oldest in Galicia. The present Parish Church was the former church of
the Monastery of Sancti Spiritus. It contains stately sepulchers. Worthy
of note are also the small chapel of San Roque, with its transept from
the 14 C, and the Romanesque church of Santa María. Today we also pass
from Galicia's Lugo province to Galicia's A Coruña province. A Medieval
bridge leads pilgrims to Ribadiso, before arriving at Arzua, the next
halt on our journey. Surrounded by a beautiful scenery stands the Gothic
Chapel of Magdalena, the Only * part of the old Augustinian monastery that
has come down to us. The little town is famous nowadays for its Galician
cheese factories. The chestnuts and oaks give way to eucalyptus. Dinner
and overnight in Arzua.
Day 08 - Arzua - Arca do Pino/Rua (walking day, 12 Miles / 20 kms)
Breakfast in the hotel. We'll continue our trek to Arca do Pino, the
largest community before Santiago, immersing ourselves in the fragrant
eucalyptus groves. We'll picnic en route. After arrival in Arca, you can
take a quiet walk around this village. The emotion is reflected in the
pilgrims’ face, the tiredness accumulated during the pilgrimage does not
become apparent. Many things are on the pilgrims minds: the list of all
the sights to see in Santiago, the visit to the Apostle, the intention
to pick up the document that certifies that the Route to Santiago has
been made. Optional visit to the grandiose Monastery of Sobrado,
Galicia’s first Cistercian monastery and dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Renovations in the 17th and 18th centuries amply embellished the façade,
church and side chapel. Dinner and overnight in Arca do Pino.
Day 09 - Arca do Pino - Monte do Gozo - Santiago de Compostela (walking
day, 12 Miles / 20 kms)
Breakfast in the hotel. We'll set out in the cool morning air to make
the last and final stage of our journey to reach the famed city of
Santiago. En route we'll stop for our picnic on the Monte del Gozo
(Mount Joy) from which the spires of the Cathedral are first visible. We will soon arrive at the Cathedral, the
destination we have been yearning to reach for a long time. This
architectural masterpiece is the most important Romanesque monument After arrival in the Cathedral square and say thanks to God for taking
care of us during our pilgrimage, we'll check into our hotel. Free time.
Dinner and overnight in Santiago de Compostela.
Day 10 - Santiago de Compostela
Breakfast in the hotel. This morning we will visit and celebrate Mass at
the Cathedral of St. James, one of the finest examples of architecture
in all of Europe. Access to the Doorway of Glory
is via the Obradoiro façade. Once in its interior, we will be carried
away by the emotions produced by the sight of so many extraordinary
valuable works of art. Tradition invites us to perform some rites: The
most important and meaningful one is the hug to the Saint, go under the
main altar and visit the crypt where the relics of St. James are
preserved. Later on, comes the pagan rite of the
bumps. It consists in reaching for a branch on the mullion, below the
figure of the Sitting Apostle and, later making three wishes. On the
other side of the column, there is another statue believed to impart
wisdom and talents to whoever bumps his head against it. After
lunch (on your own) we will continue our visit to the city of Santiago:
Obradoiro Square, Fonseca Palace, Gelmirez Palace, Franco Street, etc.
Evening at leisure. Dinner and overnight in Santiago de Compostela.
Day 11 - Santiago de Compostela – USA
Breakfast in the
hotel. In the morning we will say hasta luego (see you soon or
good bye) to our new friends. We transfer to Santiago Airport for our
return flights home to the USA
Important notice:
this itinerary involves an average of 15-20 miles daily of walking/hiking.
It is essential that participants be in fit condition in order to
complete the journey. We will have assistance vehicles (motor
coach) available to assist pilgrims who are unable to complete a
particular leg of the journey.
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