Pilgrim Traditions in Santiago de Compostela

Altar at the Cathedral of St. James in Santiago de Compostela (Santiago Tourism photo)

Whatever route one takes to Santiago, the end of the journey is the same today as it has been for a thousand years:  the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, where the relics of St. James are kept. Pilgrims complete their long journey in the huge square that lies before the church, gazing upward at the massive structure formed of Galician granite.

What happens next has, over the centuries, become a highly ritualized set of actions. After climbing the cathedral stairs and entering its doors, the first sight that greets pilgrims is the spectacular Portico de la Gloria, an entryway of carved stone that is considered one of the masterpieces of medieval art. The entryway was created over a twenty-year period by the master sculptor Mateo, who finished the remarkable frieze in 1188. Carved into its center column is the figure of St. James, while above him Christ sits surrounded by his disciples and dozens of other religious figures and motifs, a work one could easily spend a day contemplating (indeed, in the Middle Ages such works were said to be the Bible of the poor).

Touching the Pillar in the Cathedral (Lori Erickson photo)

Pilgrims are instructed to place their hand on the pillar where St. James stands, finding the deep grooves formed by the hands of the millions of travelers who have come here before them. As they touch the pillar, they are to say the prayer of petition that has brought them on pilgrimage. Then they walk to the other side of the column where a small statue stands, a figure that is believed to be the self-portrait of the stonemason Mateo. To receive some of the master’s wisdom, they must knock their forehead three times gently on his head.

And then, at last, one can contemplate the interior of the cathedral. At the end of the long center aisle, a dazzling Baroque altar blazes with gold. It includes three depictions of St. James:  as teacher, pilgrim, and knight. But this magnificent, overwhelmingly ornate altar welcomes pilgrims in a surprisingly intimate way:  visitors are invited to climb the stairs that lead to an area behind the altar, where they can embrace the gilded statue of St. James from behind, wrapping their arms around him in a hug. After this familial embrace, pilgrims descend into the crypt where the saint’s relics are kept in a silver casket. The final pilgrim’s task is to attend a mass in the cathedral.

If pilgrims are fortunate, they can time their visit to coincide with a service during which the cathedral’s botafumeiro, a huge incensory made of silver-plated brass, is used. During special services at the cathedral, the 170-pound censer swings like an enormous pendulum through the sanctuary, leaving behind a trail of smoke and the fragrance of incense.

In this hushed sanctuary, an air of holiness is palpable. The cathedral seems filled with the petitions of the millions of pilgrims who have journeyed here over the centuries, bringing their prayers, hopes, dreams, and pleadings for mercy. After traveling so far to arrive here, many people spend hours in contemplation in the church, clearly reluctant to end their pilgrimage.

Worth double checking dates yourself:

As in 2013 / 14, Botafumeiro is running every Fridays at 19.30 mass, as well as in the main liturgical dates of the year, see below.

• Mary, Mother of God (Thursday, January 1, 2015)
  Holy Day of Obligation

• Ash Wednesday (Wednesday, February 18, 2015)

• Palm Sunday (Sunday, March 29, 2015)

• Holy Thursday (Thursday, April 2, 2015)

• Good Friday (Friday, April 3, 2015)

• Holy Saturday (Saturday, April 4, 2015)

• Easter Sunday (Sunday, April 5, 2015)

• Divine Mercy Sunday (Sunday, April 12, 2015)

• Ascension (Thursday, May 14, 2015)
  Holy Day of Obligation (transferred to Sunday, May 17, 2015, in most dioceses of the United States; see Is Ascension a Holy Day of Obligation? for more details)

• Pentecost Sunday (Sunday, May 24, 2015)

• Trinity Sunday (Sunday, May 31, 2015)

• Corpus Christi (Thursday, June 4, 2015; transferred to Sunday, June 7, 2015)

• Sacred Heart of Jesus (Friday, June 12, 2015)

• Assumption of Mary (Saturday, August 15, 2015)
  Holy Day of Obligation (abrogated because it falls on a Saturday; see Is Assumption a Holy Day of Obligation? for more details)

• All Saints Day (Sunday, November 1, 2015)
  Holy Day of Obligation

• First Sunday of Advent (Sunday, November 29, 2015)
  Complete Advent schedule

• Immaculate Conception (Tuesday, December 8, 2015)
  Holy Day of Obligation

• Christmas (Friday, December 25, 2015)

August training

I had a week off in August which meant it was around seven weeks until I embark on a walking trip of 120 miles, so I worked out  a schedule to get used to consecutive walking, rather than just Sundays as I do at the moment. 


This is how I did:

Date	Distance	Route	Weight carried	Time
Sunday 17th	12 miles	Home to Pegwell back to Broadstairs	5.3kg	5hrs
Monday 18th	20 miles	Home to Reculver	5kg	8hrs
Tuesday 19th	11 miles	Deal to St Margarets	5kg	4hrs
Weds 20th	16 miles	Home to Pegwell	5.4kg	5hrs
Thursday 21st	8.4 miles	Home to Dumpton	without rucksack	4hrs

I saw this today:

May your journeys on the Camino and in life bring you the adventure, and peace, you seek.

“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.”
–Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV)

 

Camino de Santiago

I am about to start training for this famous walk, please follow my progress on:

Let those feet do the walking Blog

http://letthosefeetdothewalking.blogspot.co.uk/

The Scallop Shell

The Scallop Shell of St James

 

On the way to Santiago de Compostela, the scallop shells markers are followed. The symbol was not only presented on road markers that guided the pilgrims to the cathedral, but it also appeared on some of the buildings along the way and was often worn by the pilgrims themselves as badges of their journey.

The scallop shell is traditionally a physical emblem of St. James, which has come about for several reasons. The first references St. James' supposed preaching in the Iberian Peninsula.  According to legend, when he first arrived, there was a wedding being held on the shore in Spain. "The young bridegroom was on horseback, and on seeing the ship approaching, his horse got spooked, and horse and rider plunged into the sea. Through miraculous intervention, the horse and rider emerged from the water covered in seashells, and galloped off into the distance" (www.otherspain.com). Through this story, James has forever more been associated with the scallop shell.

The scallop shell also has a more metaphorical connection to St. James as well, which coincided with the pilgrimage to Santiago. "The grooves in the shell, which come together at a single point, represented the various routes pilgrims travelled, eventually arriving at a single destination, the tomb of St. James in Santiago de Compostela”

Emotionally, the scallop shell served as a "'proof of completion'" for the pilgrims. Since they are very common on the shores of Galicia, gathering a scallop shell was a way for the pilgrims to indicate that they had accomplished their goal of reaching Santiago de Compostela.

The shells were very practical as well. Individual pilgrims would carry with them on their staffs, and the shells functioned as very useful vessels and bowls along the way. Also, by sporting a scallop shell, travellers could indicate their status as a pilgrim to the outside world. This was very important because, according to Edwin Mullins, "A pilgrim, after all was a privileged figure. There were laws safeguarding his progress - laws of hospitality, tax laws, church laws, moral laws. And the scallop-shell was his badge, or token..." (182 - 183).

The return

Well, the Camino beckons much sooner than expected... return to walk the next stage is planned for October THIS YEAR !

Its here... they leave tomorrow for the next stage and are hoping to complete 120 miles..

Here is the (rough) Plan for October 2013

 

Stage 6 – Saturday 5th – Los Arcos (23Km)
Stage 7 – Sunday 6th – Logrono (30Km)
Stage 8 – Monday 7th – Najera (30km)
Stage 9 – Tuesday 8th – Santo Domingo (23Km)
Stage 10 – Wednesday 9th – Belorado (23Km)
Stage 11 – Thursday 10th – St Juan (24Km)
Stage 12 – Friday 11th – Burgos (25Km)
Rest Day – Saturday 12th
Fly Home – Sunday 13th – Depart Bilbao 13:40

 

…then just another 22 stages until we reach Santigo

The Walk..

So The Walk finally arrived, I write this on Geoff's return, he decided not to make detailed notes but to relax and enjoy the walk, the lovely scenery and most importantly meeting interesting and fun pilgrims en-route.  If you would like more detailed information about the groups journey see blistersrus.wordpress.com.

Day One - Friday 5th April

Cliftonville to Bayonne, the journey included car, ferry, train to Paris and overnight TGV to Bayonne

Day Two - Saturday 6th April

Bayonne to Valcarlos, arriving in Bayonne around 8am, where the taxi was waiting to whisk them to St Jean Pied du Port.  They had a look around the town, Mark traded a walking pole with John who then bought Mark a staff.  To the Pilgrims Office to collect the Pilgrims Passport and the adventure to begin.  They then headed off to Valcarlos where they stayed in the excellent Municipal Albergue.

Day Three - Sunday 7th April

Valcarlos to Roncevalles, through snowy landscapes, challenging steep slopes and some deep snow.  Staying at another good Albergue, Roncevalles Monastery, Geoff and Mark attended the Pilgrims blessing.

Day Four - Monday 8th April

Roncevalles to Zubiri, a 6:30am wake up call to the sounds of Morning has broken , how civilised and on the road by 07:45.

Day Five - Tuesday 9th April

Zubiri to Pamplona, rain on and off for most of the day.  Was the Tapas the best in Spain ??

Day Six - Wednesday 10th April

Pamplona to Puente la Reine, blue skies and warm sunshine for a long 25k trek, Geoff has a really tanned face now.

Day Seven - Thursday 11th April

Puente la Reine to Estella, it took them a while to leave town including lunch with Pilgrims met en-route.  The overnight Albergue didn't meet the high standards of all the others they had stayed in.

Day Eight - Friday 12th April

Homeward bound, two buses, two trains via Pamplona back to Bayonne for an overnight stop in an Ibis Hotel, luxury compared to the rest of the week !

Day Nine - Saturday 13th April

The final leg home, TGV to Paris and train to Calais, back on the ferry, into the car and finally home.

A long journey of nearly 100 miles, a spiritual journey, a physical journey, an emotional journey, a journey that was ending but in reality is only just beginning.....

Will these Pilgrims travel this road further and together or find their own way, meeting eventually in Santiago de Compostella and kneel before God as a true Pilgrim in the city's famous cathedral. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, the destination of 1000's of Pilgrims past.

It's almost here!

Well.... Almost on top of the 'holiday' I will use the term loosely, it's a break from work, yes, but not your normal chilled relaxing break in the sun, which would be most people's idea of a holiday.

I have to say its been an interesting journey so far, the enjoyable weekend walks, although the weather has on the whole been awful for most of them. All the research surrounding the Camino, all the purchases (I think we have kept Amazon in business) and one of the funniest things Linda and I regularly comment on, Geoff and Mark constantly talk about the clothes (!) and contents of their rucksacks.

Easter Sunday saw the last training walk, Sandwich to Deal along the coast stopping of course for lunch halfway and for some of them an ice cream to help them cope with the return journey.

The latest emails to and fro from The Band of Brothers have been the weather reports, the snow may cause them to change their initial plans and routes. Davin (yes Davin) emailed to say B@@##o@*s to the weather....

John had an alternative to Plan A

"We resort to Plan 'B'. This is where we get to southern France and simply hole up in some delightful and warm auberge for the week...and there cook up tales of herosim, deprivation (Geoff) and valour equal in dare-doing to Norse mythlogy and Valhalla....(oh and just for Mark show off our respective man-bags), But we have to agree our stories! Then get some spoof shots of the walk and Photoshop us all in.This all leads to - and taking the lead from the NASA Apollo conspiracy theorists (the Americans never went to the moon) - we never went on the Camino Santiago but we fool the world (and ourselves) into thinking that we did...and no loss of pride or face!"

I think I will have to check those photos and stories closely on their return !

Well good luck boys.

Buen Camino