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"The Way of St.James"
thanks to a bit of cut and paste from wikipedia...
The Way of St. James or St. James' Way (Spanish: El Camino de Santiago, Galician: O Camiño de Santiago,French: Chemin de St-Jacques, Dutch: Jacobus weg) is the pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried.
James is described as one of the first disciples to join Jesus. The Synoptic Gospels state that James and John were with their father by the seashore when Jesus called them to follow him. James was one of only three apostles whom Jesus selected to bear witness to his Transfiguration.
The 12th-century Historia Compostellana commissioned by bishop Diego Gelmírez provides a summary of the legend of St James as it was believed at Compostela. Two propositions are central to it: first, that St James preached the gospel in Iberia as well as in the Holy Land; second, that after his martyrdom at the hands of Herod Agrippa I his disciples carried his body by sea to Iberia, where they landed at Padrón on the coast of Galicia, and took it inland for burial at Santiago de Compostela.
Saint James is the Patron Saint of Spain. The city where his remains are said to be held, Santiago de Compostela, is considered the third most holy town within Roman Catholicism(after Jerusalem and Rome). The traditional pilgrimage to the grave of the saint, known as the "Way of St. James", has become the most popular pilgrimage for Western European Catholics from the early Middle Ages onwards.
Where is this "The Way of St.James"?
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The Way of St James has existed for over a thousand years. It was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medieval times, together with Rome and Jerusalem, and a pilgrimage route on which a plenary indulgence could be earned.
The route to Santiago de Compostela was a Roman trade route, nicknamed the Milky Way by travellers, as it followed the Milky Way to the Atlantic Ocean.
The Christian origin of the pilgrimage has been well documented throughout the centuries, but no historical reference has ever been found for the pagan origins.
The scallop, which resembles the setting sun, may have been a symbol used in pre-Christian Celtic rituals of the area. The Way of St. James may have originated as a pre-Christian Celtic death journey towards the setting sun,terminating at the "End of the World" (Finisterra) on the "Coast of Death" (Costa da Morte) and the "Sea of Darkness" (that is, the Abyss of Death, the Mare Tenebrosum, Latin for the Atlantic Ocean, itself named after the Dying Civilization of Atlantis), but no evidence has ever been found.
To this day, many pilgrims continue from Santiago de Compostela to the Atlantic coast of Galicia, to finish their journeys at Spain's westernmost point, Cape Finisterre. Although Cape Finisterre is not the westernmost point of mainland Europe (Cabo da Roca in Portugal is further west), the fact that the Romans called it Finisterrae (literally theend of the world or Land's End in Latin) indicates that they viewed it as such.
The route to Santiago de Compostela was a Roman trade route, nicknamed the Milky Way by travellers, as it followed the Milky Way to the Atlantic Ocean.
The Christian origin of the pilgrimage has been well documented throughout the centuries, but no historical reference has ever been found for the pagan origins.
The scallop, which resembles the setting sun, may have been a symbol used in pre-Christian Celtic rituals of the area. The Way of St. James may have originated as a pre-Christian Celtic death journey towards the setting sun,terminating at the "End of the World" (Finisterra) on the "Coast of Death" (Costa da Morte) and the "Sea of Darkness" (that is, the Abyss of Death, the Mare Tenebrosum, Latin for the Atlantic Ocean, itself named after the Dying Civilization of Atlantis), but no evidence has ever been found.
To this day, many pilgrims continue from Santiago de Compostela to the Atlantic coast of Galicia, to finish their journeys at Spain's westernmost point, Cape Finisterre. Although Cape Finisterre is not the westernmost point of mainland Europe (Cabo da Roca in Portugal is further west), the fact that the Romans called it Finisterrae (literally theend of the world or Land's End in Latin) indicates that they viewed it as such.