Following In Medieval Footsteps: The Camino de Santiago

After my A-levels I was fortunate enough to take a year out before heading to university. For months I was able to work in the glorious Devonshire countryside. I was mostly on my own, with my thoughts and history podcasts, either working among the vines of a local vineyard or trekking through valleys planting tree saplings; it was joyous, but I had no idea what to do with the money I was earning. I knew I wanted to go inter-railing in Europe, but I wasn't sure where to start, how long to stay at each destination? How extensively to plan? One day, my parents broached the idea of a hike people do across Spain. Initially I was sceptical. A walk? That would be so boring. Surely no one my age would be doing that: wouldn’t I be stuck with a bunch of old people I had nothing in common with? After a couple weeks of deliberation, I came round to the idea.  And so, in early March 2023 I decided to embark on what would turn out to be one of the best decisions of my life: the Camino de Santiago.

So, what exactly is the Camino de Santiago? In medieval times, a good Christian had three bucket list destinations: Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostela. The Camino de Santiago, translating as the Way of St James, is a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, a region in Northwestern Spain. The pilgrimages’ origins date back to the discovery of St James’s grave (one of the Twelve Apostles) in the ninth century; fortuitous timing for King Alfonso II and his vassals, who were caught in a struggle with the Iberian Muslim powers. The supposed uncovering of St James’ remains helped galvanize Christian support in the region, consolidating Alfonso II’s authority against his Moorish enemies. Across Europe people flocked to this remote Galician shrine. By the twelfth and thirteenth century, as many as 250,000 individuals undertook the pilgrimage annually.

Why would an individual choose to embark on such a potentially precarious undertaking? There were two key motives: religion and money. For one, pilgrimage offered an opportunity for Salvation in the Afterlife; by paying indulgences to shrines dedicated to saints, people hoped their actions would perhaps reduce their time spent in Purgatory. Rarer still, a pilgrim may have hoped to receive divine intervention during their earthly life, potentially witnessing a miracle carried out by the divine hands of God or Saints like St James. If not for religion, there were certainly monetary motives.

Undergoing pilgrimage was an expensive affair. In the volatile Medieval world foregoing employment, risking disease, robbery and poverty was something many were unwilling to chance. Instead, many chose to sponsor another’s pilgrimage, hoping this generosity would serve them well after death. Funding from Guilds and local monasteries in addition to the prospect of commercial activity during the trip, meant some saw a journey to Santiago de Compostela as a financially smart one. Today, it would probably be more appropriate to see the Camino de Santiago as a “secular pilgrimage”, unlike medieval pilgrims, those that choose to undertake the journey are often not driven by religious means. For one, I was not made to carry limestone for kilometres on end, in aid of the maintenance or profit of the church. The Camino now is a space to focus on oneself rather than their position in the divine world. Many people I spoke to, like myself, saw the Camino as a leisurely activity, to enjoy the countryside. Others see the journey as a space for reflection. The Camino becomes a haven for those looking to rest, escape or address issues within their lives. The   Camino offered a spiritual, if not celestial, joy. I completely understand why undertaking the Camino would be rewarding to those of a religious inclination.

If there are differing reasons for walking the Camino de Santiago, then how did the experience of a medieval pilgrimage differ from today? Medieval pilgrimage was certainly more dangerous. The certainty of a consistent supply of well supplied and wealthy pilgrims made the Camino de Santiago’s trails vulnerable sites for crime and the wolves that roamed northern Spain made for an unwelcome encounter. The author of a twelfth century “guide” to the Camino described thieves at the River Salado skinning his horse. If you weren’t attacked by thieves or ravaged by wolves, then disease was another threat equally as potent. Medieval pilgrims were often away from their homes and livelihoods for a much longer time, having travelled to Santiago de Compostela from across Europe. A pilgrim from Paris could expect the journey to last several months.

I chose the most popular route: the Camino Frances, it begins in the French Village of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, takes you across the Pyrenees, across northern Spain, through the Galician mountains and eventually to Santiago de Compostela, taking around a month to complete. My pilgrimage was definitely eventful. From flying off a bike I had rented whilst descending a mountain (I continued the rest of the journey on foot), to a Spanish man who saw me as a suitable spouse for his daughter one drunken evening. The lockers placed in most alburgeus meant my belongings were more or less safe from thievery and although a friend I made was hospitalised because of a foot injury that led him to hallucinate, compared to the medieval experience, I was left relatively unscathed from my pilgrimage.

My journey may’ve been a far more leisurely undertaking, however, the landscape I traversed would’ve been recognizable to a medieval pilgrim. In Roncesvalles, a small settlement tucked into the Pyrenees, I was lucky enough to stay within the walls of a medieval hospital, a haven for pilgrims since the twelfth century. I then walked through the narrow, vividly coloured streets of Pamplona, with the bells of the city's cathedral chiming as I searched for a place to rest for the night. I was able to follow the very steps of a medieval pilgrim through visiting sites like Burgos, the resting place of Eld Cid, the 12th century Spanish Christian champion and the walls of the Templar Castle at Ponferrada. 

 For a medieval pilgrim religion would be central to their motive to undertake such an arduous task. Now, with an increasingly “secular” global population, the reasons to embark on the Camino de Santiago have undoubtedly shifted from their divinely ordained foundations. However, much remains the same. From carrying all your belongings on your back, the wear and tear to your feet, the communal sleeping areas, and the very landscape you pass through day by day, despite the technologies of the modern world, the pilgrims experience of today continues to resemble its medieval past. To date, the Camino de Santiago was one of the most formative experiences of my life. I will forever cherish the highs and lows it brought me, the friendships I went on to make and the memories that will last me a lifetime. If you’ve felt the need to shift from the sometimes-monotonous challenges of life, or like me, are a lover of both history and the outdoors, then don't hesitate; strap on your boots, put on your rucksack, walk the Camino de Santiago and follow in medieval footsteps.

Bibliography:

Bell, Adrian, Dale Richard, 'The Medieval Pilgrimage Business', Enterprise & Society, vol.12, no.3, (2011), pp.601-627

Candy, Julie, 'Landscape and Perception: The Medieval Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela from an Archaeological Perspective', eSharp, vol.4, (2005), pp. 1-18

Davidson, Kay, Dunn, Maryjane, 'The Pilgrimage to Compostela in the Middle Ages', (Routledge, 2000)

Fitzpatrick, Martin. “PILGRIMAGE TO SANTIAGO De COMPOSTELA.” Archaeology Ireland, vol. 24, no. 4, (2010), pp. 14–17

Margry, Jan Peter, 'Chapter 1 Secular Pilgrimage: A Contradiction in Terms?', in Shrines and Pilgrimage in the Modern World: New Itineraries into the Sacred, ed. By  Peter Jan Margry, (Amsterdam University Press, 2008)

'The History of the Camino de Santiago', (2023), <https://caminoways.com/the-history-of-the-camino-de-santiago>, [Accessed: 18 December 2024]