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>> The
Discovery of St. James' Tomb
>> The
Pilgrimage History
>> A
Profile of the Pilgrims
The Discovery of St. James' Tomb
According to the stories handed down from the first years of Christianity,
the distant Hispanic lands had been assigned to St. James, son of Zebedee
and brother of John the Divine. St. James was the apostle responsible for
spreading the faith here. He returned to Jerusalem where he was martyred
at the order of Herod who also forbade his beheaded body to be buried.
According to tradition, during the night, however, a group of Christians
gathered up his remains and took them to shore where they found an unmanned
ship ready to go to sea. There they put the apostle's body in a marble
sepulcher which was taken by an angel across the seas to the distant
kingdom of the Asturians. According to the most popular version the sarcophagus
was taken up the River Ulla and came to a halt new Iria Flavia, the capital
of Roman Galicia, at exactly the spot where a former compostum-cemetery-lay
which in the course of time became Compostela.
The apostle's body remained undiscovered in that far-off enclave of
Christianity until a supernatural light appeared in the first years of
the 9th century and showed the burial place to a pious hermit. Thus the
area that had been the site of a cemetery in Roman times becomes known
as 'Campus Stellae' in medieval writings, i.e., the Star Field, with
which Compostela is identified from then onwards. Excavations have in
fact unearthed Roman tombs here. The appearance of the star (likened
to the star that led the Magi to the manger in Bethlehem) has only left
its mark in the well-intentioned chronicles.
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| The Pilgrimage
History |
| Soon after the hermit's discovery, the local
Bishop Theodomir had a church built over the
sepulcher, officially proclaiming the find
as valid. Miracles and visions multiplied and
created an extensive collection of stories
designed to give courage to the pilgrims who
very soon began to make their slow way along
the Path to
Santiago.
The discovery of an apostle's tomb was more
than enough reason to promote, long, arduous
pilgrimages compensated by indulgences. Before
long, pilgrimages to Santiago mushroomed
from all across Europe. Practically all the
roads of today were used to travel to the
holy place of Compostela. The French contributed
a fair share of the faithful traveling to
Compostela, and it was the so-called "French
Way" - the one linking the Pyrenees
with Galicia - which came to stand as the
unofficial "Pilgrim's Way to Santiago."
Along the Pilgrim's Way, in the main towns
and on the most rugged mountain passes hospital
facilities were built by kings and religious
orders and also by private individuals who
had left a bequest to assist the pilgrims
of Santiago. At times, however, inns were
required since in general the influx of pilgrims
took place at certain times of the years
and the official pilgrim hospices were overcrowded.
Traveling alone was frankly dangerous and
the most pilgrims set out in the company
of a group large enough to scare off highwaymen
who lurked at the roadside and demanded a
toll from anyone venturing into their territory.
In 1122 Pope Calixtus II agreed to grant
indulgences to those who made the Santiago
pilgrimage, with special consideration granted
to those who made the pilgrimage during a
year in which the Feast of St. James fell
on a Sunday. Such years were called 'Jubilee
Holy Years.'
Up through modern times, pilgrims have continued
to make their way to Santiago. Many do so
by the traditional means – by foot.
This site, GoSantiago2004.com, is dedicated
to those modern pilgrims who wish to make
the journey in the modern comfort of a motor
coach. |
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| The Pilgrims |
| While most pilgrims historically
were motivated by devotion, not all of those
who went on the journey did so for spiritual
reasons. Quite frequently, the pilgrimage was
a punishment imposed for some crime that had
been committed or even as a means of earning
money since there were cases in |
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which the convict
chose to send a poor man with all expenses
paid to Compostela under the condition that
part of the penitence would be dedicated to
the salvation of his client.
Nothing special was required to become a pilgrim
to Santiago. What later became the costume because
it was always shown in exactly the same way in
all the pictures was at first nothing but the normal
dress of any traveler. A short cloak which did
not interfere with walking, a cape and a hat against
the heat and rain were the only items considered
reasonable in the face of a long journey. The staff
was simply a stick on which to lean along the difficult
starches. It was also a useful weapon against wolves
and robbers. The preferable deer-skin pouch was
already more part of a pilgrim's equipment since
it always had to be carried open in proof of good
faith.
The scallop finally was the unmistakable badge
on the pilgrim's dress that would open the doors
of the inns for him along the way. The gourd, on
the other hand, was a light canteen fastened to
the pilgrim's staff or belt.
NOTE: The above text was derived
extensively from publications provided courtesy
of the Spanish National Tourist Office, especially:
EL CAMINO DE SANTIAGO: THE PILGRIMS' WAY TO SANTIAGO.
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