The St. James Way: 1,000 Years of Walking

Men and women alike, from all walks of life and no matter what shape they are in, travel hundreds of miles to reach Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula.

The Jacobean pilgrimages began in the ninth century. In what is known today as Santiago de Compostela, in around 820 AD a tomb was identified as belonging to the apostle St. James the Great, aligning with chronicles stating that his body had been transported by boat from Palestine to Western Europe.

King Alfonso II of Asturias would be the first to make the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela where he ordered the first basilica to be built. From then on and during the Middle Ages, pilgrimages to the site gradually evolved into the St. James Way, which eventually became spiritually and culturally significant for pilgrims all over Europe.

After its medieval heyday, from 16th century onwards, plagues, the protestant Reformation and wars of religion throughout Europe significantly thwarted the development of the Way, until gaining momentum during the Counter-Reformation.

The last decades of the 20th century saw the beginning of a new golden age for the Way, that it continues to enjoy to this day. Hundreds of thousands of people from different countries and faiths make the pilgrimage every year, either on foot, bike or horseback.

There are 10 different routes that Galicia recognizes as official. Of these, three have been declared World Heritage sites by UNESCO: The French Way (el Camino Francés) in 1993, and the Northern Way, (el Camino del Norte) and the Original Way (Camino Primitivo) in 2015.

The Way starts at your front door. The journey can begin anywhere, but over the centuries, a few main routes have emerged which are historically poignant. These have been properly signposted and catered for to appropriate hospitality and safety standards.

All these routes contributed to the construction of Europe through cultural, social, and economic exchange. They were key, for example, to enabling the spread of art during the Middle Ages and the expansion throughout Europe of Romanesque art, one of the most distinctive styles of the era.

A wealth of cultural heritage has flourished around the St. James Way, embodied in its art and architecture, but also extending to other culturally expressive forms including gastronomy, music, traditions, festivals, and language.

But the Way isn't just about culture; it is home to unparalleled scenery shaped by both nature and humanity. Today is it also an important economic driver for all regions it traverses.

The footsteps and voices of thousands of pilgrims echo across dusty trails, leafy forests, narrow, meandering lanes, quaint little villages, and bustling towns. Men and women of today and of all centuries that have traversed this ancient route.