Camino de Santiago
The Camino de Santiago is also known as the “Way of the Saint” and is a pilgrimage to the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain, where pilgrims walk tracing the route of Saint James. It is believed by the devout that the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried at the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, and the event of participating in the Camino de Santiago is seen as a spiritual undertaking by many people throughout the world.
The Camino de Santiago was a popular pilgrimage throughout the Middle Ages and was considered to be one of the ways to earn a plenary indulgence. A plenary indulgence was a way for the pilgrim to earn a remission from the punishment of a sin after guilt has been forgiven. Each pilgrim on the walk could start at different locations, although the main route was considered to be the actual Camino de Santiago. In current times many thousands of pilgrims make the trip every year, some traveling by foot and others by bicycle, while still others make the trip either by horseback or donkey. (more…)