Camino de Santiago – ‘Walking the Way’

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The Camino Beyond Santiago Decline & Revival Tour Options FAQ Mini-Competition

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THE CAMINO •What is the Camino? •Where is the Camino? •History •Legends •Passport – ‘La Compostela’

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Camino de Santiago - ‘Way of St James’



One of Europe’s Oldest Walking Trails



Pilgrims have travelled to Santiago in Spain to visit the burial place of Apostle Saint James spanning 3 millennium



Christianity has 3 important cities: • Rome / Bethlehem / Camino de Santiago

• Camino - most exciting – cross Pyrenees, at the end receive

Compostela – guarantee that would halve their time in purgatory • During Middle Ages it was Christendom’s most popular pilgrimage

Statue of St James at Cathedral of Santiago

Santiago de Compostela

FRANCE

SPAIN



Codex Calixtinus – ‘World’s first travel book’ – Written 1130  Only a few copies of the Codex

 1 copy was stolen from Santiago Cathedral last year  Rumours are it was an inside job!



Pilgrims of yesteryear left from their home  Meet at the church parish  Move to larger population centres

 Meet at 4 key starting points in France  Paris/Vezelay/Le Puy - converged at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port ▪ Mainly Dutch, German & Italian pilgrims  Arles - crossed the mountain range in Somport ▪ Mainly Italian and southern German pilgrims



Galicia is located in the north-west of Spain



Towns on Galician borders still approx. 150 km to Santiago



The ‘Ways’ of St James



Within Galicia, Santiago can be reached by:  The French Way  The Primitive Way  The Northern Way  The South Eastern Way  The English Way



Outside Galicia pilgrims also travelled from southern Spain



The Reconquest of Spain from the Moors gradually progressed and pilgrims after being freed from the Muslim Invaders travelled to Santiago to give thanks to the Apostle



Old Roman roads from Seville & Granada  Via de la Plata (The Silver Way) – Seville  Mozarabe – Granada



Portugal  Portugese Way  Portugese Coastal Way



Remains of St James arrived in Galicia in the 1st Century



After Christ’s crucifixion James the Apostle was given Spain as his mission • Lived there for 7 years with little success • Returned to Jerusalem & put to the sword by Herod Agrippa in AD44 • Became first of Christ’s apostles to be martyred.



His disciples returned his body to Spain by boat to Iria Flavia – approx 30km walk to Santiago



Burial place became forgotten after invasions / diversions



During the early 9th Century hermit Paio saw flickering lights over Libredon forest (shower of stars) and later exhumed the bones of ‘Saint James’



Santiago de Compostela (‘James of the Field of Stars’) • Or was it? Compostela was also the Roman word for ‘Cemetery’ –

Which is your guess? •

Cathedral built by orders of King Alphonso II and bones kept



30 years later St James seen on a white horse at the battle of Logrono • Swift victory against the Moors reunited Christian hope



The Camino became important as a pilgrimage site to St James tomb around the 10th and 11th Centuries but the Camino was already there beforehand  Atonement for sin or a fixed penalty for certain sins



Believed to be a Pre-Roman “Pagan" culture, possibly linked to seeing the Atlantic ocean



Some think there was a “Stonehenge” like site



The Cathedral was built on that site using some of the stones



Protectors of the Pilgrims – Knights Templar  Codex: ‘Murderous Basques; the robbers of Navarra who might beat

  



and ride them like beasts before killing them; and Castile the people are evil and vicious’ Was the violence exaggerated? Whatever the case violence did exist Knights Templar, principally of the Order of Santiago recognised by Pope Alexander III in 1175 to combat this violence The Knights Templar patrolled the Camino, providing protection, places of hospitality, healing and worship, as well as a banking system that became one source of their fabled wealth They too fell though.. in 1312

Knights Templar Castle



Hospitals were established along the ‘Way’  Many pilgrims would not complete the journey – ill or in search of cures  Thousands also fell and large cemetery in Roncesvalles

 Sick pilgrims reached Leon or Villafranco del Bierzo – ‘Pardon Doors’  Genuinely could not go on received same indulgences as if you had

reached Santiago 

Roncesvalles Cemetery – ‘Charlemagnes Silo’  Covered cemetery but you can see the old bones – creepy!  Exhumed bones show many pilgrims were from Central Europe

(Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, etc)  If you died in Roncesvalles you were given the same indulgences of reaching Santiago



When St James Day (25 July) falls on a Sunday – HOLY YEAR • Pilgrims due time in Purgatory would be expunged entirely



Last Holy Years were 1982, 1993, 1999, 2004 & 2010 • 6, 5, 6 and 11 year cycle • Next during 2021!



Average Pilgrims arriving to Santiago • During summer period (2011) – 1000 a day • During summer period & Holy Year – 3000+ a day



Botafumeiro - Largest swinging ‘censer’ in the world  Used on religious days including all Pilgrim Masses during Holy Years  Attached to a pulley system & 8 red-robed servants pull the ropes and

bring it into a swinging motion  Near the roof of the cathedral it reaches speeds of 80 km/h and

dispenses thick clouds of incense  One explanation of this custom, which originated more than 700 years

ago is that masked the stench emanating from hundreds of unwashed pilgrims

Botafumeiro



Timeframes based on the Codex  Often last months – round trip from Paris took 4 months??

 From the French border – 13 days – no less than 21km per day ??  Our tours usually take just over a month from the French border!



Black death of the 14th Century



Numerous wars



Northern Europe by boat – seasickness, sinking?



‘Murderous Basques, Robbers from Navarra, ……..’



Wolves….



Some key questions arising about the St James Way

1.

The origin of the Scallop Shell as the Camino symbol

2.

If the Apostle St. James is really buried in the cathedral

3.

Why the Pilgrims still come to Santiago?

4.

Why do many pilgrims carry a stone?



Scallop Shell symbol origin is unknown:  Some think it was a way of showing one made it to

the coast  Some think it just helped to scoop up water and beg!  But its probable the symbol goes back further in time.. it was a Roman symbol for Neptune and probably has Pre-Roman origins 

It was made illegal to sell along the way



Now – 3 types of main signage for direction!



Some say the person really buried in Santiago is a popular “Heretic” who was from Galicia but became famous in Germany.  He was executed by the Church because he retained too many

“Pagan” rituals  He was buried back in Santiago (where he was from) and the site became a popular pilgrimage for his German followers  The Church wanted to turn it into a “Christian site” and so chose to say St James was buried in Santiago.

 Atonement for sin or to say thanks to the Apostle  Europeans – seek out and follow the footsteps of their

ancestors  “Cultural” Visit ▪ History, food & friendly environment that exists along the Way

 New World - the truth of the Way! ▪ Self-discovery and time to think!



Iron Cross – Cruz de Ferro  Pilgrims have long dropped stones at the “Iron Cross“  It’s the highest point on all the European camino paths (1500m)

 Milestone for pilgrims  Pre-Christian origins, similar to the “Stone Cairn" markers in Scotland,

Wales and Ireland.  They say a priest but the iron cross there to christianize a pagan ritual!  It’s still an emotional and special place for pilgrims  It’s a few days walk out of Leon

The Iron Cross – Cruz de Ferro



The Pilgrim’s Passport  Personal document with space for large numbers of stamps

 Hotels/hostels, restaurants & churches

 ‘La Compostela’ is obtained in Santiago  Pilgrims Office in Santiago  Minimum Pilgrim Requirements:

 Walking or Ride Horseback (Final 100km)  Bicycle (Final 200km)  Historically - Letter from your Parish



On arriving at the Cathedral of Santiago:  Enter looking for the column with effigy of St James  Put your hand in the grooves formed by millions of pilgrim

 Tap your head gently on the figure around the corner  Climb the stairs behind the alter and hug the St James statue

 Visit St James tomb below the statue



Pilgrim mass each day at noon – Pilgrim nationalities read out!

Beyond Santiago

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One more route exists beyond Santiago!  The extension of the Way that leads to Fisterra and Muxia

 For pilgrims with the uncontrollable urge to travel to what was

considered the very end of the earth – Cape Finisterre 

Finisterre (‘End of the World’)



Cape Finisterre is about a 90km walk from Santiago



It is a recent tradition for some pilgrims to burn their clothes or boots at the end of their journey at Cape Finisterre



Not encouraged - Last year a fire spread and burnt part of the peninsula

Cape Finisterre ‘Lands End’

The Camino – Decline & Revival

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The popularity of the Camino has fluctuated  Sparked interest thanks to the reawakened Catholicism and the

flourishing cultures of the Middle Ages  Decline when the Saints bones were removed during a Protestant English attack on the coast in the wake of the Armada (late 16 th Century)  Bones returned in time for the War of Interdependence (1808-14) when the French sacked the Cathedral in Santiago but spared the remains and relics  Never again retained its importance until recently



Combination of religious tourism and post-Franco Spain  People began to test their own spirituality and future



Yellow Paint – Priest of O Cebreiro (150 km to Santiago) with helpers began to indicate the French Way using this cheap and necessary solution in the 1980’s



In 1987, the Camino de Santiago was named the first European Cultural Route



In 1992 John Paul II was the first Pope to visit Santiago



In 1993 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site



Today - Now Galicia is full of yellow arrows!

Walking Tour Options •The Guide •Self-Guided or Guided •Camino Frances •The Experience •Favourite Places •Challenges

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Garry is a 51 year old Aussie from Young , NSW Lives in Santiago de Compostela, Spain 10 years working on the Camino He is married to a Galician lady Almost fluent in Spanish He's walked and cycled the Camino many times, including the less developed routes  Has lead numerous groups and had hundreds of Self-Guided groups.  He loves the north of Spain and to share stories, legends and experiences about the Camino  He is a qualified walking guide, having passed the UK’s "Summer Mountain Leader" award, which allows him to take groups walking all over Europe      



Published Tours: Camino Frances – ‘French Way’  But we can customise special tours as requested



Self-Guided Tours  7 to 36 days ranging from 100 km to 760 km



Guided Tours  8 to 15 days ranging from 120 km to 280 km



Tour Advantages:  Side routes – Benedictine monastery, well preserved Knights tombs and

14th Century frescoes  Tour provides good quality accommodation, local and friendly people!  Luggage transfers if requested

Leon Cathedral - Mid 13th Century to late 16th Century - 1800 square metres of stained glass windows

Portomarin: Church of St Juan - Built 12th Century - Church and castle architecture - Moved during 1960

Wooded Valley of Barbadelo - Beautiful oak woodland

O Cebreiro - Gateway to Galicia - Prehistoric stone houses called ‘Pallozas’ - Well known throughout the whole of Europe - Church of Santa Maria – 9th Century Pre-Romanesque - Legend of the Holy Grail

Furelos Bridge - Medieval Bridge - Last Roman bridge before Santiago

Monte de Gozo - First view of the Cathedral - All down hill to Santiago



Traditionally - Religious & Spiritual Journey



Today:  Adventure & Personal Challenge

 Learn about rich History & Culture in rural Spain  Architecture, Art & Photography

 Leisure - simply take a breath of fresh air and escape the hustle and

bustle of everyday life 

“Anyone who has walked it will tell you that it transforms you regardless of whether you travel with a religious spirit or not”



The Pyrenees  The most difficult stage is St Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles  It’s a 27km stage with 1200m of elevation gain



Entering Galicia  Villafranca del Bierzo to O Cebreiro  1300m altitude – climb higher to Summit of Poio

 1/2 to 2/3 difficulty of The Pyrenees crossing



Weather – Northern Spain fluctuating weather



Sore feet - Sturdy worn-in hiking boots



Cramps - Usually the third day

Tour Type

Starting Point

Days

$AUS (pp)

Dinners

Guided

Leon

15

3,000

14

Sarria

8

1,600

7

St Jean

36

4,000

15

Burgos

23

2,800

10

Leon

16

2,000

7

Villafranca

11

1,500

5

Sarria

7

1,000

3

Self-Guided



July 23 to 6 August 2012 – Leon to Santiago – 280 km



July 30 to 6 August 2012 – Sarria to Santiago – 120 km

Frequently Asked Questions

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Where does the Camino de Santiago begin? • From your front door? • From all over Europe



When does the Way Open? • It never opens or closes – over 1000 years of history!



How many kilometres per day? • Requires an honest assessment

• Can you walk a total of 100km, 200km or 780km? • No race so it’s best to choose a sensible daily distance (20-25km a day)

• Get up early and rest in the afternoon



When is the best time to walk the Camino?  From mid-November to early-March almost no-one comes  April – there is still snow from St Jean to Roncesvalles

 May & June – popular months  July & August – this can be hot especially on the Meseta

 September – popular month  October – can begin raining in Galicia

 May and September are definitely the most popular months!



What gear? • Good pair of hiking boots with Gore Tex when travelling in rainy

periods and they should be worn in

Mini-Competition

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BUEN CAMINO

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