Santiago de Compostela

Emilio Estevez wrote and directed The Way. In the film his father, Martin Sheen, portrays an American man who goes to France to recover his son's body. Looking through his son's belongings he realizes his son had planned to walk the Road of St. James (El Camino de Santiago) and decides to travel the road with his son's ashes. The movie is filmed on the actual road beginning in France and ending in Spain. It is a beautiful story that unfolds as he meets other pilgrims and stops at hostels, known as albergues or refugios. The movie is entertaining, inspirational, grabs at your heart, and interesting.  I read in The Road to Santiago written by Ana Martin that the first pilgrimage occured in the year 950 by French Bishop Gottschalk. Pilgrims come from all over the world to Santiago where it is said that St. James' remains are buried. At one time it used to be a religious pilgrimage, but now it is more of a tourist attraction and can be done by bicycle, horseback  or walking

In 2007 I spent time in Santiago and was impressed by the huge Cathedral and the large square (plaza)surrounded by historical buildings.

Museo y Tesoro de la Catedral

Plaza de Obraidoiro.

The building used to be a

hostel for pilgrims but is now a hotel.

The cathedral photo is from a travel book because there was no way I could get the whole facade.  Photographs are not allowed to be taken inside the Cathedral so I was not able to photograph  St. James, the Apostle, on the main altar or the beautiful side altars. Pilgrims are allowed to go behind the main altar, up a few steps, and touch or embrace the gold cape of St. James.

An amazing sight was the gigantic incense burner that is on a pulley.  In order to get the botafumeiro to swing above the heads of the pilgrims, it takes eight men pulling on ropes.

A huge pulley used to swing

the giant incense burner.

St. James, the Moor Slayer,

graces the tops of many of the buildings in Santiago.

I saw carved pillars, statues, art work, side altars, and lots of gold filigree as I wandered through the huge cathedral. It was interesting to sit and watch the pilgrims arriving at their final destination with backpacks and hiking boots. Some pilgrims looked clean while others looked dusty and dirty. Most looked tired. Many touched the stone pillar of  St. James at the entrance of the Cathedral in thanksgiving of a safe pilgrimage.

The pillar that is touched by

pilgrims as they enter the Cathedral.



 At the end of the journey, if the pilgrims have gotten their special passport stamped along the way, they are given a certificate showing they completed the pilgrimage.

To guide the travelers, the road is marked with actual scallop shells or pictures of the shells. There are several stories as to what the shell means.  The tale I like is that the shell represents a pilgrim and the grooves on a scallop shell end up in one spot, just like the Pilgrims who will end up in Santiago.

 

The Way stirred the vagabond feeling in me and made me wish I was in my twenties so that I could  travel the road to Santiago de Compostela.

Shopping in Santiago de Compostela