St James of Compostela
Compostela owes its fame to St James,
the Apostle supposed to have evangelised Spain.
Humble and powerful came there to express and defend their faith.
Today, pilgrims from all around the world are more numerous
than ever on the roads to Compostela.
But they do not stop at Compostela, they walk on to Finisterre,
where the Earth ends, and the Milky Way joins the Ocean
Pelgrimage to
St James of Compostela
St James the apostle
James the son of Zebedee
and his brother John were among
the twelve disciples of Our Lord.
Tradition has it that he made a missionary journey
to Spain, and that after his death his body was
taken to Spain and buried there at Compostela.
In his supposed burial place there was a major
site of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages .
A Pilgrimage? Why ?
Pilgrimage is an important part of spiritual life
for many Christians.
They see life itself as a journey, coming from
God and returning to God.
Back in the Middle Ages pilgrimages were very
popular. They were long and very dangerous not at all like a holiday! It may have taken
many years.
The pilgrims would usually travel in groups,
and stay in monasteries or inns overnight.
People went on pilgrimage for many reasons perhaps to say sorry to God for something they
had done wrong (penance), or because they
were ill and wanted God to heal them.
The scallop shell,
emblem of the pelgrims
to St James of Compostela
The scallop shell is the traditional emblem of saint James
and is popular with pilgrims on the way of st James to the
apostle's shrine at Santiago de Compostella in Spain.
Medieval Christians making the pilgrimage to his shrine
often wore a scallop shell symbol on their hat or clothes. The
pilgrim also carried a scallop shell with him and would
present himself at churches, castles, abbeys etc. where he
could expect to be given as much sustenance as he could pick
up with one scoop. Probably he would be given oats, barley,
and perhaps beer or wine. Thus even the poorest household
could give charity without being overburdened.
Saint James is always
represented with a big
walking stick to his side.
It is thanks to it that the
pilgrims managed to oppose
to the brigands and to push
back the wild animals.
For this reason, this object
became the main attribute
of the pilgrims on their way
to Compostelle.
The pelgrims made it bless
before leaving their parish to
go to Galicia, in Spain.
In 950, Godescalc,
bishop in Le Puy,
was the first pelegrim
to Saint James of Compostela
Le Puy en Velay
is a departure town
for the « Via Podensis »,
one of the medieval ways
to Saint James of Compostela.
From Le Puy to Conques
across the Massif Central mountains
There were 100.000 pelgrims for
the Holy Year 1999 and nearly
200.000 in 2004. But these
figures mean nothing as only
those who ask to receive the
"compostella" are counted.
They travel to Saint-Jacques de
Compostela on foot or by
bicycle, sometimes on
horseback.
In addition, it is walked since
the IXth century by Christians
forming step in monasteries, the
pilgrimage of Saint James has
also become a famous trek,
where the walkers cross art
lovers