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| Found photo road to Santiago in the Web |
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 of St James or “El Camino de Santiago” has existed for over a thousand years. It was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medieval times, and a pilgrimage route on which a plenary indulgence could be earned (in Catholic theology, an indulgence is the full or partial remission of temporal punishment)[; James is styled "the Greater" to distinguish him from the Apostle James "the Less", who was probably shorter of stature..He was the brother of John, the beloved disciple, and probably the elder of the two. His parents seem to have been people of means. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome (Cf. Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40; 16:1).
It is believed that his mother, Salome, was the daughter of a priest. As a matter of fact, some even believe that she was a sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and that James the Greater and John were first cousins of the Lord -- this may explain the discipleship of the two brothers, The Galilean origin of St. James in some degree explains the energy of temper and the vehemence of character which earned for him and St. John the name of Boanerges, "sons of thunder" (Mark 3:17). Apparently, Galilean were religious, hardy, industrious, brave, and the strongest defenders of the Jewish nation. Several incidents scattered through the Synoptics suggest that James and John were keen representatives, and that the name "Boanerges," sons of thunder, given to them by the Lord (Mark 3:17) was well deserved:
THEY WERE PASIONATE AND IMPETUOUS IN THEIR EVANGELICAL ZEAL AND SEVERE IN TEMPER.
The Order of Knights of St. James of Compostela. Was founded in the twelfth century,and named after him, the national patron of Spain, , under whose banner the Christians of Galicia began in the ninth century to combat and drive back the Mussulmans of Spain. It is called Compostela, like in Galicia, even though this is neither the cradle nor the centre of the order. Yet, the authenticity of the sacred relic of Compostela has been questioned and is still doubted. Even if St. James the Greater did not preach the Christian religion in Spain, his body may have been brought to Compostela. According to this tradition St. James the Greater, having preached Christianity in Spain, returned to Judea and was put to death by order of Herod; his body was then miraculously translated to Iria Flavia in the northwest of Spain, and later to Compostela, an area that, especially during the Middle Ages, became one of the most famous places of pilgrimage in the world.
The vow of making a pilgrimage to Compostela to honour the sepulchre of St. James is still reserved to the Pope, who alone of his own or ordinary right can dispense from it. During the Middle Ages, the route was highly traveled. However, the Black Plague, the Protestant Reformation and political unrest in 16th-century Europe led to its decline. By the 1980s, only a few pilgrims arrived in Santiago annually. Since then however the route has 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 of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. Even before, the route to Santiago de Compostela was a Roman trade route, nicknamed the Milky Way by travellers, as it followed the Milky Way to the Atlantic Ocean.[ The Christian origin of the pilgrimage has been well documented throughout the centuries, but no historical reference has ever been cited for the pagan origins.
One legend holds that walking the route was a pagan fertility ritual; this would explain why the scallop shell is a symbol of the pilgrimage, the scallop being a symbol of birth.[4] An alternative interpretation is that the scallop, which resembles the setting sun, was the focus of pre-Christian Celtic rituals of the area, and that the Way of St. James originated as a pre-Christian Celtic death journey westwards towards the setting sun. [ The Pilgrims' road seems related to prehistoric cults of fertility arriving to Atlantic Europe from Mediterranean shores[citation needed]. Symbols of Ashtarte, the star within a circle, or Aphrodite, Venus coming on a shell, have been found along the roads to Compostela[citation needed] and among ancient Basques' mythology and legends. [ The scallop shell is the mythical symbol identifying the route, and also acts as a metaphor. The grooves in the shell, which come together at a single point, represent the various routes pilgrims traveled, eventually arriving at a single destination: the tomb of Saint James in Santiago de Compostela.
There are different accounts of the mythical origin of the symbol. Which account is taken depends on who is telling the story. A popular theory is that when James disciples shipped his body to the Iberian Peninsula to be buried in what is now Santiago; off the coast of Spain a heavy storm hit the ship, and the body was lost to the ocean. After some time, however, the body washed ashore undamaged, covered in scallops. Today tens of thousands[11] of Christian pilgrims and other travellers set out each year from their front doorstep, or popular starting points across Europe, to make their way to Santiago de Compostela. They travel by foot, by bicycle, and a few emulating their medieval counterparts, travel on horseback or by donkey In addition to religious pilgrines, many travellers and hikers walk the route for non-religious reasons: travelling, sports, or simply the challenge of weeks of walking in a foreign land.
Finally there are those that consider the experience a spiritual adventure to remove themselves from the bustle of modern life. It acts as a retreat for many modern "pilgrims". New Symbol for the route It is believed the route had known many pilgrims, emperors like Charlemagne, popes like Calixtus II, kings like Alfonso II, brave knights like the Spanish “El Cid”, thousands of noblemen, priests, farmers, whether healthy or sick, rich or poor. And all of them would be treated the same, because no one knew if the dirty, tired and blistered pilgrim that just arrived in the village before sunset was a king, a bishop or a pauper.
All of them pilgrims, in search of something special; following the Sun in the day, from East to West and the Milky Way (Via Lactea) in the night. walking through pure, golden fields and crossing colourful mountains... The Route of St James
