In albergues, or from passionate pilgrims, you’ll hear the story of the history of the Camino de Santiago in more detail, told with more passion and leaving a bigger impression. But let’s look together at why this pilgrimage came about in the first place. It’s a remarkable story, one that reveals the ingenuity of the rulers of the day alongside a real emphasis on spirituality. So what is the history of the Camino de Santiago? What do you actually know about the pilgrimage? That it starts on your own doorstep and that absolution awaits the pilgrim in the city of Santiago? And what about the fabled “end of the world”?
“The Way of Saint James”, or “Camino de Santiago”
The beginning of the history of the pilgrimage to Santiago
Around AD 44-100, after the death of Jesus, all of his apostles were scattered across the earth to preach about faith and about Jesus. Saint James was sent to Spain, specifically to the northern part of Iberia.
At that time King Herod issued an order to arrest James and have him executed. This duly happened somewhere between AD 44 and 100, when James set out to preach the faith in what is now Galicia.
A group of scholars hid the apostle’s remains on a ship guided by angels. It travelled a long way to the coast of present-day Portugal. There the remains were laid in a tomb “somewhere” near the modern town of Padrón.
The role of King Alfonso II
In the 9th century the shepherd Pelayo saw a cluster of stars in the sky and followed it. He tracked that sign all the way to the tomb of Saint James. He reported his discovery to bishop Theodomir, who wasted no time and passed it right up to the top, to King Alfonso II.
King Alfonso had a small chapel built around James’s remains and gave orders to spread word of the find. The reason was simple. Spain at the time was at war and under siege by the Arabs. Christianity was fading as the Arabs advanced from the south towards the north of Spain.
Christians from the old continent, captivated by the story, set out on the long pilgrimage to the remains of St James. As the number of pilgrims grew, the first official route emerged – the Camino Primitivo. At the start of the new millennium, the route became another Christian pilgrimage on the model of those to Rome and Jerusalem.
From the 10th century, surviving documents show as many as 250,000 pilgrims a year travelling to Santiago! Infrastructure was built for them: hospitals, bridges, camps and inns.
Note: today that figure is almost identical, which makes it an incredible number for the era in which the pilgrimage began.
The cathedral in Santiago
The cathedral pilgrims see in Santiago today was built in 1211. The 13th century set records for pilgrim numbers: around half a million people came to Santiago every year! At the start of the 16th century the Camino declined thanks to wars with the French and the English.
King Alfonso II’s creation of the route had a strong political subtext. As we know, at the time it was created Spain was occupied by the Arabs, and establishing such a route meant not only an inflow of money from pilgrims but also the spread of Christianity across the northern belt of Spain – which later proved crucial in the fight against the Arabs. The French Way is often mistakenly called the oldest route. In fact that’s the Camino Primitivo (the route between the French Way and the Northern Way).
The pilgrimage as we know it today is somewhat modified and adapted to people’s needs. So why do people set off on it now?
To work through personal questions, push past their limits, fulfil dreams, discover the beauty of the countries they pass through, or simply to walk and experience something “unique”. Very few people work up the nerve for that kind of adventure at home. We once had a small adventure of that sort with Karlos, when we crossed our beloved Sumava in 3 days (you could read more, but I haven’t written the article yet).
