Pilgrimage

The Camino de Santiago, the first European Cultural Route and a World Heritage Site, is one of Christianity’s oldest and most important pilgrimage routes. Since the discovery of the tomb of Saint James the Apostle, countless pilgrims have set out for Compostela to venerate his relics, creating a whole culture of pilgrimage to Santiago across Europe.

Pilgrimage is a rite shared by the vast majority of religions. Santiago is one of Christianity’s three great pilgrimage cities, alongside Jerusalem and Rome. From the ninth century, European Christians who saw their faith threatened by the advance of Islam reaffirmed it by making a pilgrimage to the newly discovered tomb of Saint James the Apostle. Step by step, routes leading to Santiago de Compostela took shape, creating a form of unity between the different countries and regions of Europe.

The twelfth and thirteenth centuries were the golden age of pilgrimage to Santiago. Later, the Renaissance and the Reformation brought attacks on the tradition of pilgrimage to Santiago, which nevertheless endured, though with fewer pilgrims.

Pope Leo XIII’s bull Deus Omnipotens, which confirmed the authenticity of the apostolic relics, gave fresh impetus to the pilgrimage to Santiago. It continued to grow throughout the twentieth century and remains strong and flourishing today.

The pilgrimage to Santiago leads us to the tomb of an Apostle: one of the Twelve who belonged to Jesus Christ’s inner circle and was responsible for the evangelisation of Hispania, passing on the original faith received from Jesus.