Downshift Musings

Note: So my daughter Genevieve asked me “Is you blog about the Camino now?” For the moment, that answer is “Yes”. I am hoping to prepare posts that can be resources for anyone thinking of walking the Camino de Santiago, but most especially for the group of pilgrims that have put their faith in me for our 13-stage trip from Léon to Santiago this September.

The Legend of St. James

Briefly, legend has it that St. James the Greater, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, went to northwest Spain to preach and convert pagans to Christianity. Returning to Palestine, he was taken prisoner and decapitated by Herod Agrippa in AD 44. His disciples stole the body and took it in a sarcophagus of marble on board a small boat. The current of the sea drove the boat to the Spanish coast (Galicia) and here the Apostle was buried in a secret place in a wood.

Centuries later, in 813, a hermit heard music in that wood and saw a shining light and thus the tomb was discovered. King Alphonse II declared St. James the patron of his empire and had a chapel built at that place, which was named Campus Stellae (field of stars). The original chapel soon became the cathedral of the new settlement, Santiago de Compostela.

In later traditions St. James is credited with several miracles, even fighting side by side with King Ramiro I in the decisive battle against the Moors, earning him the title of Santiago Matamoros (“Moor-slayer”).

What’s his name again?

Interestingly, Wikipedia says the name Santiago derives from the Hebrew name Jacob (Ya’akov) via “Sant Iago”. The English usage of James, instead of Jacob, may have been influenced by Old French, possibly in this manner: Yaʻaqov (Hebrew) → Iacobus (Greek) → Iacomus (Latin) → Jammes (Old French) → James (English). If you want to be more confused here’s the source article for you. The name James has many variants in Iberia including Xacobo or Xacobe (in Galician) and Jacobo. (e.g. Jacotrans backpack transport company and the Complexo Xacobeo Albergue in Triacastella). You’ll also see “Saint Jacques” along the way from the French.

Pilgrimage in the High Middle Ages

The first written records of pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela date to the 10th century. Originally the safe routes would have been the Camino del Norte and the Camino Primitivo. The Camino Francés route developed after the threat of the Moors was reduced. The 12th and 13th centuries marked the height of prestige for the pilgrimage with as many as 250,000 pilgrims traveling each year, essentially taking the place of the pilgrimages to the Holy Lands after they had been lost.

Medieval pilgrims walked for the promise of spiritual benefits (indulgences) for the pilgrim himself or for an ill or deceased person represented by the pilgrim. Additionally, Pope Calixtus II declared all years when the Feast of St. James falls on a Sunday (July 25th) as Holy years during which pilgrims can achieve a plenary indulgence (forgiveness for their sins) known as a Jubilee. The next Holy Year is 2021. Expect many more pilgrims on the trail!

Pagan Roots

The Camino Francés apparently took advantage of a pre-exiting Celtic pagan route which seems to have been mapped by following the Milky Way. The final destination was at Finisterre. “It is a proven fact that there was a pre-Christian necropolis on the site and also that the Path followed by the Camino existed long before the finding of St. James’ remains in the 9th century.” (source: A Pagan History of the Camino)

Here is another web page, which is an excerpt from a French book, with images that appear to show a clear correlation between the pilgrimage route and place names that come from the word “star”, archeological sites of megalithic dolmen and the location of ancient monasteries.

Pilgrimage Resurgence

It is widely accepted that the revival of the Camino de Santiago can be attributed to work started in the 1980’s by the parish priest of O Cebreiro, Father Elias Valiña. He was a scholar of the Camino and made it a mission to mark and promote the route, including starting the tradition of painting the iconic yellow markers. You can read more about him by clicking on the image above.

In 1993, the Camino de Santiago was designated a UNESCO World Heritage route and the number of pilgrims that walk it just keeps growing. In 1985, 1,245 pilgrims arrived in Santiago. By 2019, that number became 347,578. The graph peaks are Holy years.