Spain
Walking the Way:
The Camino de Santiago
A mile marker designates the route of the Camino as it passes by the Templar Castle in Ponferrada. The castle was built to protect medieval pilgrims along the way. "Castillo de Ponferrada" by Contando Estrelas is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Buen Camino!
July 3-14, 2022
For over one thousand years, pilgrims from around the world have been walking the Camino to Santiago de Compostela where the remains of the Apostle Saint James are buried. Consequently, the Camino has been a path for the transmission of ideas, language and culture.
On this trip, we will explore the historic, artistic, social, economic, and religious development of the medieval pilgrimage in the broader context of the history of Spain. We will meet in Madrid then travel to Segovia to see the Roman aqueduct and the castle of the Catholic Kings Ferdinand and Isabella. From there we will drive to León, our first city on the Camino. We will tour gothic cathedrals, a templar castle and an active, sixth century Benedictine monastery. These institutions are all part of a vast network to serve pilgrims along the Camino.
Depending on the interest of our group, we will have the opportunity to walk the last 110k of the Camino Francés from Sarria to Santiago, gathering stamps on our pilgrims’ passports in order to receive the compostela. Participants may also choose to cover some of the distance in our private van. For this portion of the trip, we will be staying in small rural hotels along the camino in individual rooms with private bathrooms. We will have the chance to engage with people from many countries and walk in the footsteps of centuries of pilgrims. Once we arrive in the beautiful city of Santiago de Compostela, we will attend the pilgrim's mass in the Santiago cathedral and hopefully experience the swinging botafumiero. As we travel the Camino Francés through Galicia, we will and learn about the architecture, food, and music of Northern Spain.
Want to learn more? Join me for an online info session:
Tues. March 15th 7:00-8:00 pm
Wed. March 16 5:00-6:00 pm
Mon. March 28th 7:00-8:00 pm
https://stmarys-ca.zoom.us/j/5176309641?pwd=Nm9UbUlhWWdnbGMyRS9PWTlpRVZ0UT09
To get a sense of the experience, watch the film The Way (2010).
Trip Leader: Professor Molly Metherd
Register Now! Deadline extended to April 8th!
The Pilgrim's Credential
The Pilgrim's Credential or Passport is a modern version of the medieval document of safe conduct. It verifies your journey along the Camino and is proof of your pilgrim identity.
Los Sellos del Camino
Along the way, you will stop at churches, monasteries, alberques, and cafes to receive stamps in your pilgrim's passport. You must walk at least 100k and obtain at least two stamps a day to receive a Compostela from the Cathedral in Santiago.
The Compostela
The Compostela is the document that certifies that a pilgrim has completed at least 100k of the Camino de Santiago. Pilgrims submit their credential to the Church authorities at the Pilgrim’s Reception Office to receive their compostela.
This accreditation was created in the 9th and 10th centuries when the pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint James the Apostle was given official status. At first, insignias such as the venera or scallop shell were used to certify the pilgrimage. But these were easy to falsify, and in the 13th century the Church decided to replace them with the so-called cartas probatorias or evidentiary letters, which are the direct predecessor of today’s Compostela.