Camino de Santiago (The way of Saint James), a bit of history

 The Camino de Santiago dates back to the 9th Century when the remains of St James the Apostle were first discovered in Northern Spain.  There is no biblical evidence that James ever visited Spain, but medieval sources from the late 8^thcentury asserted that James had answered Jesus’s call that His apostles should spread the word of God as widely as possible. James chose or was assigned to travel to the Iberian Peninsula. He apparently reached as far as Galicia via Mérida but seems not to have had much success at evangelization, attracting only seven followers.*  When he returned to Jerusalem he was beheaded by King Herod Agrippa in 44AD. His followers are said to have transported his remains to Northern Galicia in a stone boat!. Legend has it that the boat capsized, and when the body of St James washed ashore, it was covered in scallop shells. His remains were buried in Galicia where they lay undiscovered until 813. The discovery of his remains in the 9th Century led to the creation of a religious shrine which marks the beginning of Santiago de Compostela and the Camino de Santiago.  The cathedral was begun in 1075, and completed around 1120AD.  

 I could expound here on the history of St. James, the patron saint of Spain, but if you are interested, a Google search will give you as much or more information than you may want.  And if you are not interested, well then I have saved you some time.  

The “Way” though, deserves a little more explanation. People have been walking the way for centuries.  It has become a major pilgrimage route and thousands of people walk it every year.  (There are actually several major routes, we are taking the French Way). Pilgrims come for all sorts of reasons, to pray, to heal, to forgive or be forgiven, to get away from every day life, or just to exercise!  But from what I read, and what people who have done it report, everyone who walks comes away changed in some way.  The way is marked with the sign of the scallop shell to guide pilgrims along the way. Many of the small towns along the way exist solely to support the travelers.  There are numerous hostels, small hotels, cafes and bars, as well as pharmacies to supply the essentials such as acetaminophen and blister remedies.

I was aware of the Camino in a vague way, but a pilgrimage was not something I aspired to or even thought about. My sister Lu  and her husband Ron made plans to walk the Camino about three years ago.  They are very adventurous world travelers who have been all over the world, even climbing Kilimanjaro several years back.  However, then came Covid, they had to postpone the Camino and eventually rescheduled it for the spring of 2022.  Not being much of a hiker, I paid little attention. 

Then last fall my book club read the book “I’ll Push You”.  I also watched the movie “The “Way”.   I am celebrating my 70th birthday this year, and have been thinking a lot about what that implies.  How am I going to finish well?  I was intrigued and did some reading and I was inspired by the spiritual aspect as well as the sheer adventure of walking several hundred miles.  So, I added it to my bucket list!  I mentioned it to Dick, but he was not impressed.  Not long after, my dear husband was talking to Ron (on speakerphone) and the subject of the Camino came up.  “Wanna come along?”   asked Ron.  “No thanks,” replied Dick.  “Yes!” I shouted.  Dick rolled his eyes.  But, because he is a great guy and he loves me, he secretly called Ron back, and discussed tagging along.  With Ron’s help and blessing, he made all the plans for our trip, and then surprised me with a Camino guidebook.  We are going on an adventure!