A Brief History of the Camino

XFINITY Connect: Camino (1)

The Way of St. James was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medievaltimes, together with Rome and Jerusalem, and a pilgrimage route on which a plenaryindulgence could be earned;^[1] other major pilgrimage routes include the Via Francigena toRome and the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Legend holds that St. James's remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern Spain where he was buried on the site of what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela.

The Way can take one of any number of pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. Traditionally, as with most pilgrimages, the Way of Saint James began at one's home and ended at the pilgrimage site. However a few of the routes are considered main ones. During the Middle Ages, the route was highly traveled. However, the Black Death, the Protestant Reformation and political unrest in 16th-century Europe led to its decline. By the 1980s, only a few pilgrims per year arrived in Santiago. Later, the route 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 ofUNESCO's World Heritage Sites.,

Source: Wikipedia

 

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