The Long Walk...

'ElCamino de Santiago’, ‘le Chemin de Saint-Jacques’, and ‘the Way of Saint-James’ are just some of the names ‘El referring to the age-old pilgrimage routes which converge upon a common destination: the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in the northwest of Spain. Having reached the capital city of the ancient region of Galicia, many of those who have already completed their long and arduous pilgrimage then decide to continue a few kilometres further to Finisterra, a rocky windswept peninsula on the Atlantic coast regarded by the Romans as the end of the known world. On the shoreline they would have found the scallop shells which became the emblem of the Camino de Santiago, providing medieval pilgrims with a potent keepsake as proof of having completed their journey. Over the centuries its symbolism has also taken on various metaphorical and mythical connotations, and appears among the sculpted decoration adorning countless churches, abbeys and other ancient structures sited along the routes.

Santiago’s magnificent cathedral is now a prominent UNESCO World Heritage Site, although perhaps less well-known is the fact that the same protection has also been accorded to many historic halt sites (plus sections of the GR65 Grand Randonnée route, which follows the ancient Roman Via Podensis) found along the four main trails through France.

Among our own UNESCO-listed historic sites on the Chemins de Saint- Jacques is the Cathédrale Saint-Marie de Bayonne, near the Spanish border on the Voie Littoral (or Voie de Soulac). Bordeaux has several sites, most notably the Basilique Saint-Seurin and Cathédrale Saint-André, each of whose portal statuary includes Saint-Jacques.

Further inland, the Cistercian Abbaye de Cadouin’s acquisition during the 12th century of the supposed shroud of Christ made it a centre of pilgrimage. The most sacred of the many treasures of Saintes is the atmospheric crypt of the Eglise Saint-Eutrope, whose earliest sculptures are believed to date from the 6th century. At Aulnay-de-Saintonge the Romanesque Eglise Saint-Pierre is sited on the Via Turonensis and is adorned with a wealth of sculpted decoration, as is another serene beauty, the 12th century Eglise Saint-Hilaire, in Melle. Poitiers has long been welcoming pilgrims, key sites being the vast Angevin Gothic Cathédrale Saint- Pierre, the Romanesque Eglise Saint- Hilaire-le-Grand and Eglise Notre- Dame-la-Grande and a remarkable survivor: 4/5th century Baptistère Saint-Jean, believed to be the oldest religious structure in France.

Further up the Via Lemovicensis was another major halt for pilgrims, namely the Bénédictine Abbaye Saint-Martial de Limoges in whose crypt lay the tombs of the Saint, along with that of Sainte-Valérie. The complex was destroyed after the French Revolution, but in 1960 the crypt was rediscovered during construction work in Place de la République, with the tombs still intact. Until they reopen to visitors the excavations can be visited during les Journées Europénnes du Patrimoine. The prospect of so many places of historic interest and such varied scenery along the way inspires many modern walkers to follow a route as a purely physical challenge, with a sense of personal achievement. For others, however, the journey still has a spiritual purpose. Either way, the routes are growing in popularity each year, studies suggesting that in 2018 almost 350,000 walkers followed the trails.

Obviously not everyone is able to devote sufficient time to tackling an entire route in one go, so many spend a week or two each year, spreading their epic journey across several years. Both approaches obviously require significant commitment, but dedicated maps are available, rural sections are way-marked and walkers who purchase and carry a Credencial (‘pilgrim’s passport’) can access overnight accommodation along the route. Each town they pass through, or refugio at which they have stayed, will add an official Saint-Jacques stamp, the resulting record providing proof to the Pilgrim’s Office in Santiago that the journey was accomplished according to an official route. Those who have completed a minimum of the final 100 km (200 km if they’ve cycled or ridden on horseback) to the tomb of Saint- Jacques and with ‘a Christian sentiment’ will then receive a Compostela certificate attesting to their pilgrimage.

Find out more: oficinadelperegrino.com/en/

Pilgrims from throughout France and beyond pass through our region on five principal routes, most of which join the French Way or Camino Francés, which begins in Basque country at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and crosses the Franco-Spanish border to pass through Pamplona, Burgos and Léon, peaking at 1515m near Manjarin and reaching Santiago di Compostela 769km later.

La Via Turonensis runs from Paris via Orléans, Tours, Poitiers, Saintes and Bordeaux to the village of Ostabat. La Via Lemovicensis begins in Vézelay and passes through Bourges, Noblat, Limoges, Périgueux, Mont de Marsan and Ostabat, and was also followed by pilgrims from Alsace, Lorraine and Belgium.

La via Podiensis commences in Le Puy-en-Velay and passes through Conques, Moissac and Ostabat. La via Tolosana begins in Arles, passing through Saint-Guilhem, Toulouse, Auch and Ostabat.

Finally, pilgrims crossing the Gironde can follow the Voie Littoral along the coastline from Soulac to Sanguinet, Bayonne and Hendaye or cross from Blaye to Lamarque to descend to Bordeaux and beyond. More information: www.saint-jacques-aquitaine.com

According to medieval legend, the mortal remains of Saint James the Apostle were brought to Galicia for burial, the site chosen being then known as Mount Libredon. In the year 813, a shepherd was keeping watch over his flock at night, when the clouds parted and a bright star appeared. He followed the light, which guided him to the burial site.

The shepherd lost no time reporting the revelation to Bishop Teodomiro of Iria, who declared the remains to be those of the apostle and then informed King Alfonso II in Oviedo. Eventually a cathedral was constructed on the spot where the Saint’s remains had been discovered, and where other miraculous events had occurred, inspiring the Catholics to defend their stronghold in northern Spain during the Christian crusades against the Moors. In time the city now known as Santiago de Compostela grew up around the sacred site.

Around 830, Bishop Theodemar of Iria claimed to have found some remains which he attributed to Saint James. By then Charlemagne had recognised Asturias as a kingdom, ruled by Alfonso II, with whom he established close ecclesiastical and political ties.

Meanwhile, a new settlement was founded around the newly discovered burial site, which soon became a place of pilgrimage, known by the 10th century as Compostela. Subsequent events are unclear.

Some say that the cult of Saint James had been established before 11-12th centuries as an essentially Galician affair while other sources suggest that by the mid-11th century the site had already become a place of pilgrimage from much further afield.

What is beyond dispute is that Santiago would soon become a prominent Catholic shrine second only to Rome and Jerusalem.

In the 12th century Compostela gained an Archbishop, with an expanding multinational population, which sowed the seeds of unrest, the people of the city opposing the local bishop (the secular and jurisdictional lord of the city and the semi-independent Terra de Santiago) in their struggle for self-determination.

Things came to a head in the 14th century, when French prelate Bérenger de Landore executed the city counsellors, after inviting them for talks.

A century or so later they were rediscovered hidden inside a chamber in the cathedral crypt.

Much later, during the Napoleonic Wars Santiago de Compostela was captured and sacked by the French and the remains attributed to the Saint disappeared.

As a footnote, further excavations conducted in the cathedral during the 19th and 20th centuries revealed a burial site from Roman (19BC–410) and Suebi (411-585) occupations. A martyrium confirms the existence of an old Christian holy place.