Camino de Santiago

Camino de Santiago

Backgrounder

Source: Google Earth tour movie "Camino de Santiago; animated map of the Camino Frances, The French Way

"The Camino de Santiago...also known by the English names Way of St. James [&] Route of Santiago de Compostela...to the shrine of the apostle St. James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the saint are buried…[is a]…Major Christian pilgrimage route *.

"[For early pilgrimage travelers] those were dark and dangerous times. Travelers from the peninsula spoke of bloody battles between Christians and Muslims. Terror broke loose when the Saracen army flattened Compostela. Al-Mansur had destroyed its basilica and other churches and monasteries…[Going] further…excavations…under the cathedral…uncovered the remains of a Roman [citadel from] the 1st 4 centuries of the common era…It's mausoleum [contained the remains of the]…Apostle… [Centuries later]…chronicles tell of a hermit known as Pelayo who, as he fasted, observed some lights [in the sky] shining on the…citadel…[also elsewhere simultaneously independently observed by two shepherds; the sighting helped direct a bishop to the site, leading to the discovery of the mausoleum]…

Source: "Camino de Santiago" Full Documentary (The Way of St. James), Planet Doc Full Documentaries, YouTube

In those difficult times of battles against Moorish forces...The finding proved to be transcendental for the entire Christian population…2 events took place in the middle of the 9th century… The 1st, part myth & part reality, took place in the Battle of Clavijo when King Ramiro the 1st's Christian armies pulled back from the advances of [the then Emirate of Córdoba] Abd al-Rahman II. Suddenly [in a classic instance of Christian mystic lore, miraculously, in mid-battlefield, the centuries-deceased] Apostle Santiago appeared on a white horse, causing the Saracen troops to disband and fall in defeat. From this point the Apostle became the defender of Christianity against the infidels [(literally the infidel's infidels or infidels²); & earning him the title St. James the Moor Slayer]" **.

"The Way of St. James was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages...together with those to Rome and Jerusalem, and a pilgrimage route on which a plenary indulgence [complete forgiveness & pardon for all sins] could be earned...[still to this day by attending Mass at the Cathedral]...Whenever St. James's Day (25 July) falls on a Sunday, [which] the cathedral declares a Holy or Jubilee Year. Depending on leap years, Holy Years occur in 5, 6, and 11 year intervals. The most recent…[was]...2010. The next will be 2021, 2027, and 2032]" *. Pope Benedict the 16th [has visited]…Santiago at its cathedral [in a year when] the day of Santiago apostle falls on a Sunday, and when this happens…The Jacobean year is celebrated. Taking a cue from the Christian Jubilee [that] originated in 1300, pilgrims that arrived at the holy sepulcher during these jubilee years would receive full indulgence for their sins [every Jacobian year since] 1434…The [cathedral] has also been visited by] Pope John Paul II" **.

"In October 1987, the route was declared the first European Cultural Route by the Council of Europe; it was also named one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites." *.

● Camino de Santiago

● Cathedral Santiago de Compostela (Website; Contact; Int'l Call Codes) / Botafumeiro

●● Phone # ES/EN: 981 569 327 / 981 568 846

●● Phone # ES/EN with Int'l Prefix from USA: 011 34 98 156 9327 / 011 34 98 156 8846

● Plenary Indulgence Mass Requirements: I called the Cathedral for clarification & was informed as follows:

●● Indulgence Mass: Occurs at 12:00pm & 7:30pm during Holy/Jubilee Year (next are 2021, 2027, and 2032) when St. James's Day (July 25ᵗʰ) falls on a Sunday

●● Walk the Camino/Compostela Certificate: These are NOT required to receive the indulgence

●● Say a prayer at Apostle’s Tomb: This IS required to receive the indulgence.

●● Confession/Communion: These are BOTH required to receive the indulgence. The priest I talked to recommended doing both in the Cathedral at the Indulgence Mass, the recommendation & instruction being to, due to the large crowd, get in line early to enter the Cathedral before the start of the mass, then upon entering go to Confession & afterwards at the Mass receive Communion

●●● Alternately, for Confession: The Cathedral website page “Holy Year” tab “Earning the Jubilee” further states: “To earn the jubilee it is necessary to...Receive the sacrament of Confession (either in the cathedral or in any other place, fifteen days before or after)...[& that]....This Indulgence is applicable to the deceased.” In either case, for confession, non-Spanish speakers will need arrange for a priest speaking their language - in a pinch the use of the Smartphone app Google Translate (iPhone/Android), setup for the 2 languages & set to run in real-time voice driven speech “conversation mode”, may be acceptable to accomplish the translation with reasonably sufficient accuracy (demo)

● Jacobean Year / Christian Jubilee / Indulgence

● Al-Mansur / Battle of Clavijo / Emirate of Córdoba

● Saint James Matamoros (Moor Slayer)

● NY Times "Santiago's Golden Legend"

● European Cultural Route / Council of Europe

UNESCO World Heritage Site

● Santiago de Compostela (Old Town)

● Routes of Santiago de Compostela: Camino Francés and Routes of Northern Spain

Footnotes: * Camino de Santiago wiki; ** narrative, Camino de Santiago Documentary, Planet Doc