Treasures of the
Click to buy the Treasures of the Camino: Interactive Virtual Visit" CD ROM
The Way of St James / El Camino / le Chemin St Jacques is the pilgrimage route to the shrine of St James at Santiago de Compostella - the Field of the Star - in northern Spain. To set out on the Way to Santiago de Compostella / Saint-Jacques de Compostelle is a spiritual adventure. The Way of St James has existed for more than a thousand years, and in 1993 the Camino de Santiago was declared a world heritage site. In fact the Way of St James consists of many pilgrim routes which traverse Europe, as witnessed by the scallop shells of St James which adorn wayside crosses, drinking fountains and monasteries as far afield as northern Britain and Poland. These routes all converge in the Pyrenées before traversing Spain. Our ancestors made their way to Santiago using the sun, moon and stars for navigation - indeed the Way is sometimes also referred to as the Via Lactea (the Milky Way). So throughout all of Europe there
are many routes and shrines which claim a history of welcoming and caring for pilgrims en route to Santiago, where waymarks of brass and tile scallop shells or distinctive yellow arrows all guide the pilgrim
towards Santiago de Compostella.
The northern route, Camino del Norte - also referred to as the Chemin Côtier / Camino primitivo / Camino de la Costa - follows the atlantic coast, from Donostia Sao Sebastian via Bilbao, Santander, Ribadeo and Lugo passing through the Basque Country, Cantabria and Asturias. El Camino de Fisterra /chemin du Cap Finisterre, is an extension of the Camino, linking Santiago de Compostella with cap Finisterre - Land's End / the End of the World. This mythical promontory is the most
westerly point of western Europe, and for many pilgrims it symbolises the end of the terrestrial way and the beginning of a spiritual renewal. It is the tradition of pilgrims who continue to cap Finisterre to burn
their clothes and sandals here as a sign of this renewal. Discover the treasures of the Caminos de Santiago de Compostela! Connect to the Internet and click to buy now: £18 free delivery worldwide
Selected Bibliography
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