Staff with pumpkin and shell (2019)Original Source: S.A. de Xestión do Plan Xacobeo
When the relics of the Apostle were rediscovered in 1879, this marked a moment of revival for the Way. Although this was held back during the first decades of the 20th century due to wars, particularly the two World Wars and the Spanish Civil War.
The 19th Century
In the 19th century, the Way became a mainly peninsular event. Most of the people who completed the pilgrimage came from Spain and Portugal.
King Joe's Reception at Madrid (August 21, 1808) by Joseph Bonaparte|George Moutard Woodward|Thomas Rowlandson|Thomas TeggThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
Napoleon's invasion caused a crisis in Spain and an immediate War of Independence (1804–12). This had a negative impact on the number of pilgrims from France, which gradually increased again over the rest of the century.
Convent of San Francisco and Church of the Pilgrim Virgin (2020)Regional Government of Galicia
At this time, the Portuguese Way (Camino Portugués), was the most commonly used route, mainly due to the arrival of Portuguese pilgrims. The Franciscan convent in Pontevedra (in the image) formed part of the accommodation and hospitality infrastructure on this route.
Portret van Francis Drake (1598) by Passe, Crispijn van de (I)Rijksmuseum
In 1879, the remains of the Apostle were rediscovered. Their whereabouts had been unknown since at least the 16th century when, according to legend, they were hidden for fear that the privateer Francis Drake (who attacked the coast of A Coruña in 1589) would come to Santiago de Compostela.
Popes Leo XiiiLIFE Photo Collection
Rome declared the authenticity of the remains of Saint James and his disciples through Pope Leo XIII's papal bull Deus Omnipotents (1884), which announced that 1885 would be an Extraordinary Holy Year for Santiago de Compostela.
Urn of the Apostle Santiago (1884-1886) by José Losada, Ricardo MartínezOriginal Source: S.A. de Xestión do Plan Xacobeo
The recently recovered relics were placed in a silver urn in the cathedral's new crypt in 1886. This space was renovated in 1960 and is still visited today.
Santiaguiño do Monte (2020)Regional Government of Galicia
The Cardinal and Archbishop Martín de Herrera opened the crypt in the Holy Year 1891 and promoted the revival of the pilgrimage. Pope Leo XIII also revived the local legends from Iria Flavia, Padrón, and Santiaguiño do Monte about Saint James evangelizing Hispania (the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula) and about his remains being transferred from Palestine.
The 20th Century
In the 1950s and 1960s, the first Societies of Friends of Santiago were created in Paris (1950) and Estella (1963), bringing about the beginnings of change. This was later helped by the celebration of the Holy Years of 1965 and 1971.
Postcard of the Jubilee of the holy year in Santiago de Compostela 1915 (1915) by Fototipia ThomasOriginal Source: Galiciana. Archivo Digital de Galicia
Although the pilgrimage had become almost entirely local, there was an important flow of pilgrims from Galician parishes and from the rest of Spain in the Holy Years of 1897, 1909, 1915, and 1920.
People outside the old A Coruña railway station (1915)Original Source: Galiciana. Archivo Digital de Galicia
Modern methods of transport were gradually becoming more widespread in the 20th century, radically changing the geography of the Camino and also affecting the logic of the very act of pilgrimage.
Spanish Refugees In France (1939)LIFE Photo Collection
The increasing popularity of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela was thrown into crisis in the 1930s with the Spanish Civil War (1936-39). The Franco regime that followed this used the worship of the Patron Saint of Spain and the Camino to support the doctrine of National Catholicism.
By George RodgerLIFE Photo Collection
At the start of the 20th century, there were signs that foreign pilgrims were beginning to return, but this declined with World War II (1939-45) and during the Cold War.
Holy Year of 1954, Santiago de Compostela. Rules for Pilgrimages (1954) by Imprenta y Papelería La ComercialOriginal Source: Galiciana. Archivo Digital de Galicia
From 1950 onwards, pilgrimage from outside of Spain started to recover again when a group of French historians and archivists founded the French Society of Friends of Saint James (Société Française des Amis de Saint Jacques de Compostelle).
Pilgrim in San Breixo de Parga (2020)Regional Government of Galicia
New studies combined with the Societies of Friends of Saint James created in Spain and other European countries prompted a revival of the traditional pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela on foot.
The St. James Way Today
Now, at the start of this new century and new millenium, the Way is a more far-reaching, spiritual, and ecumenical phenomenon than ever. It opens the way for knowledge, friendship, and mutual understanding.
John Paul II in Santiago de Compostela (1982)Regional Government of Galicia
The end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st centuries opened up a new period of appreciation for the Way. The highest spikes in religious interest occurred around the papal visits of John Paul II (1982 and 1989) and Benedict XVI (2010).
Sign of the Way and monastery of San Martiño do Couto (12th Century)Regional Government of Galicia
Other crucial factors for the current explosion in popularity of the Way include the impetus from the Societies of Friends of Saint James and its promotion by public bodies, in particular the regional government of Galicia in the Holy Years of 1993, 1999, 2004, and 2010.
O Cebreiro (2020)Regional Government of Galicia
During this time, the St. James Way cemented its international recognition. It was declared the first Cultural Route of the Council of Europe in 1987. A few years later in 1993, the Way became a World Heritage Site and its listing was later extended in 1998 and 2015.
Portomarín (2020)Regional Government of Galicia
This was the moment when the traditionally European and Christian pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela broke through the boundaries of the old world to become a universal phenomenon, open to all faiths.
As Illas Beach (2020)Regional Government of Galicia
The pilgrims of the 21st century travel the Way for the landscape, history, cultural heritage, shared experience, and the sense of solidarity.