The Way of the Pilgrims

September 16, 2010

We were now on our way to Leon and as we neared Compostela (Santiago de Compostela), I saw pilgrims walking on the Camino (Camino de Santiago) assisted by walking sticks, carrying knapsacks on their backs, and wearing the scallop shell (the insignia) around their necks. Compostela is the destination of pilgrims from all over the world.

I became interested in Santiago de Compostela after I read Paulo Coelho's book, The Pilgrimage. Now I see the place and the pilgrims, not merely read about them.

The Camino de Santiago is a seven hundred kilometer route from Saint Jean-Pied-de Port in France to Santiago de Compostela, although pilgrims from different parts of Europe use a different route. The pilgrims use a guidebook, supposedly written by Pope Callixtus or by Aimery Picaude, a Frenchman. The book guides pilgrims on the "sights, shrines, and people that the traveler is likely to meet along the road." It also lists inns where pilgrims could receive complementary meals and lodging or little stores where they could buy food at a cheap price. Near the plaza, Praza do Obradorio, food is supposedly cheap, as pilgrims may not have money left at the end of the journey. The pilgrims' aspiration was to receive a "certificate of completion." To get the certificate, one must walk for at least one hundred kilometers starting at Sarria or ridden a bike or a horse for at least two hundred miles and must have a spiritual motive of doing the pilgrimage. Because the route was so long, some pilgrims would arrive in Compostela looking sicker than when they first started, so King Ferdinand and Queen Isabela constructed a hospital for the pilgrims.

According to old records, walking the Camino did not use to be a pilgrimage but a penance imposed on criminals as part of their sentence. This later evolved into a pilgrimage. What motivates these pilgrims to walk 700 miles? Some believed in the healing power of St. James's relic upon contact or nearness to it; some aspired for self-purification gotten from contemplation provided by time and tranquility during the arduous journey; others wanted to experience the merits of constant prayer while walking the hundreds of miles. Yet, some said that they experience a sense of "awakened wonder" in beholding the different scenery as they traveled from the Pyrenes to Spain, meeting strangers in a strange land, communicating and adjusting to other people while seeking refuge, eating in hostels and inns, and dodging rain and welcoming the sun while treading on some old gravelly paths.

After seeing the pilgrims along our way to Santiago de Compostela, I felt the urge to do the pilgrimage myself. Would my sixty-six year old arthritic body survive the "perils" that could be encountered on the way? Intent, aspiration, and inspiration might provide me the strength to do it.

At Santiago de Compostela, we walked to the square, Praza do Obradorio, and the Cathedral. As we reached the square, our tour director, gave us a briefing of what we could do and when she expected us back in the bus. Ron and I immediately looked for the concrete embossed scallop shell in the middle of the square. I took a picture of my foot stepping on the shell to show that I have reached the place. Although not a pilgrim, I was satisfied with the thought that I had reached the place just as like the pilgrims.

At the plaza, we saw some pilgrims just arriving. A number of them had already arrived and were lying on the plaza resting. Some were in the cathedral praying; some were attending the eleven o'clock mass. I made a 360 degree turn and viewed the statue of Saint James, the hospital, and the cathedral. I went inside the cathedral and marveled at the intricate décor of the altar. 

With disappointment, I was not able to take a picture of the famous Portico of Glory as the cathedral's façade was under renovation.

After we had visited the surroundings, Ron and I went up and down some streets to look for a restaurant that would cater familiar food. We found one. We had empanada, a couple slices of cheese, bread, a can of coke and cerveza. Cost us 16.80E.

The short stop at Compostela was a welcome break from the road trip. It not only gave us time to stretch our legs, it also gave us the opportunity to visit the resting place of Saint James's relics. Unfortunately, the two-hour stop was not enough to appreciate everything there was to see and experience in Compostela. We had to go…to Leon.