Another option is that the symbol may have come into being simply because pilgrims visiting Santiago de Compostela had ready access to a plethora of sea shells. Through miraculous intervention, the horse emerged from the waves and both horse and rider both covered with cockleshells.Īnother version substitutes a knight for the bridegroom, but regardless of the version of events, Santiago had performed his first miracle. The bridegroom was on horseback, and upon seeing this mysterious ship approaching, the horse spooked, plunging both the horse and rider into the sea. ![]() One version is that during Saint James’s boat journey, it arrived near Finisterre as a wedding was taking place. The Significance of the Shell SymbolĪs with many myths, the details change depending on who is telling the story. This was all greatly encouraged by the powerful Archbishop Gelmirez of Galicia and the cathedral authorities, who were anxious to promote Santiago as a pilgrimage destination, as well as by the monks of the Abbey of Cluny in France who were anxious to support the Spanish Church in its struggle against the Moors on the Peninsula.Īnd thus began the millennium-long relationship between the holy and the commercial. Miracles came to be attributed to the site, and the miracles encouraged pilgrimage and pilgrimage elicited more miracles. In any event, news of the discovery spread, and a trickle of pilgrims began to arrive. It’s also possible the “Compostela” phrasing came from the Roman word for cemetery or “to bury”, which is “componere.” Theodomir, in turn, reported the finding to Alphonso II, King of Asturias, who then declared James (Santiago) the patron saint of Spain (or of what would eventually become Spain).Ī small village named Campus de Ia Stella (Field of Stars or Compostela) and a monastery were established on the site. The bishop declared the remains to be those of Santiago and two of his followers. He immediately reported this to the local bishop, Theodomir. They led him to what proved to be an ancient tomb containing three bodies. In 814 CE, Pelagius, a hermit living in that part of Galicia, had a vision in which he saw a star or a field of stars. The Discovery of Saint James’s Burial Site And there, the body lay forgotten until the 9th century. Saint James was believed to have been buried there with two of his disciples. Queen Lupa, the local queen, provided the team of oxen used to draw the body from Padrón to the site of a marble tomb. The boat was guided by angels and carried by the wind beyond the Pillars of Hercules (the Strait of Gibraltar) to land in Northern Spain at Padrón, which is near Finisterre. Seventh and eighth-century documents suggest that he spent a number of years preaching there before returning to Jerusalem, where in the year 44 CE he was beheaded by Herod Agrippa I.Īfter his martyrdom, a popular belief arose which says that Saint James’s followers carried his body to the coast and put it into a stone boat. ![]() The First Century OriginsĬhristian legend has it that when the Apostles divided the known world into missionary zones, the Iberian peninsula fell to James. ![]() Indeed, it was only these pilgrimages-to Jerusalem, to Rome, and to Santiago de Compostela-which could result in a plenary indulgence, which frees a person from the penance due for sins. Throughout the medieval period, it was one of the three most important Christian pilgrimages undertaken. ![]() The Camino has existed as a Christian pilgrimage for well over 1,000 years, and there is even evidence of a pre-Christian route as well. Legend has it that the remains of Jesus’s apostle Saint James the Greater lie in Santiago. In English, “el Camino de Santiago” means “the Way of Saint James” and it represents the pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. The cathedral in Santiago de Compostela What is the Camino de Santiago? UNESCO has recognized the network of routes that converge in Santiago de Compostela as a significant factor in the cultural, historical, artistic and architectural advances on the Iberian peninsula.īy embarking upon your own pilgrimage, you can experience those traditions, find your spirituality, face your challenges and get into the flow of becoming a pilgrim. The Camino de Santiago represents more than one thousand years of history and tradition.
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