"Europe was made on the pilgrim road to Compostela" Pope John Paul II
The Camino de Santiago is network of ancient pilgrim routes stretching across Europe and finishing in Santiago de Compostela. This is where the remains, or relics, of St. James (Santiago in Spanish), are said to be buried beneath the altar of the cathedral.
James was assassinated in the year 42, in Jerusalem by King Herod. He was the first of the apostles to be martyred. The apostle's body was recovered by two of James’ disciples -- Theodore and Athanasius. The body was transported by boat to the coast of what is now Portugal and buried in the family tomb of a Roman convert in Galicia and lay hidden for almost 800 years.
For many non-religious people I have met on the Way in the past, I identify Saint James as the man to Jesus' left in Da Vinci's painting the Last Supper. 😕
The monk who discovered the grave contacted King Alfonso II of Asturias to validate the finding. In the year 834 on the path now known as the Camino Primitivo (original), King Alfonso II became the first pilgrim. He began walking from his palace in Oviedo, crossing the mountains that separate Asturias from Galicia, and on to the site of the recently discovered grave of the Apostle James the Greater.
Alfonso then purchased nine square miles of land located around the tomb of the Apostle, which would be known as the Manor of Santiago. He ordered a church to be built on the place of discovery, the precursor of the present Cathedral. At the same time, he requested the creation of a monastic community to guard the remains of the saint which gave rise to the first Compostela Monastery and Convent.
Over the next century pilgrims, in a search for an easier path farther away from the battles with the Muslims, opened the Camino del Norte.
At the end of the 10th century, with the advance of the reconquest of Muslim lands, a route less harsh than the Camino Primitivo for pilgrims from all over Europe was developed. The Camino Frances becoming the main route throughout the Middle Ages and is still the main route today.
This trip I will enjoy following the path of King Alfonso II -- the first pilgrim on the Camino Primativo.
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| King Alfonso the Chaste |
