Iacobus Absconditus Peregrinorum

St. James historical itinerary through Compostela

La ciudad que crearon los peregrinos

'When exiting the Cathedral we made some shopping: scallop shells, rosaries, lead figures…' says Guillaume Manier, French who went on pilgrimage to Santiago in 1726 with several friends.
This is an example among many others. The purchase of St. James symbols and emblems conferred meaning and permanence to the pilgrimage, it was how pilgrims felt that they had achieved their goal, the meaning and the secrets of Compostela. They came from all around Europe, islands included, since the X century to visit the tomb of the apostle James the Grater. The apostle had been discovered by a hermit around 820-830 in an ancient cemetery which nowadays is the high altar of the Cathedral.
The pilgrimage through the Way of St. James is an historical route with several branches. It appeared in the Middle Ages throughout Europe and its goal was Compostela. The pilgrimage could take months and it meant an adventure full of difficulties and surprises.
Therefore, most of the city was made to the measure of pilgrims. When arriving, they extended their experience around the city. They went to the inns, favourite accommodation for all nationalities, to the hospitals for the poorest and sick, to the cemeteries where those pilgrims who died where buried, to specialized shops, to St. James devotional places such as the Franco’s fountain, San Fiz de Solovio, etc.

Pilgrims’ hidden Santiago

The historical Compostela has been blurred, time has turned it into the pilgrims’ hidden Santiago. But that city, thought by and for European pilgrims, is still here connecting the past with the present. It just has to be looked for. It is worth a try. It was and t is still being the necessary continuation for all those pilgrims who have intensely experienced the Way and the visit to the Cathedral. This is the way to finally give shape to such a travel. Emotion in the long-yearned city.
In short, Compostela was born with the discovery of the Apostolic tomb, Its initial revealing name was Locus Sancti Iacobi, was developed around pilgrims and their use of it, they made it their city. The strength of this past reaches the present.
This is why we suggest an itinerary through the most singular Compostela. A route beyond compare. It is only possible within this city, made to the measure of what many pilgrims and tourists from the five continents are still looking for: the being, the soul which built Compostela. The final stage of the Way.