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About this site... This is the main English-language site devoted to the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela
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About
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About us ... We're former pilgrims, here to help you plan and make your own pilgrimage |
About our partners... We work in close colaboration with other websites |
There is a lot of information on this site which will help you prepare for your pilgrimage, and we urge you to take the time to read it thoroughly and carefully - especially the pages about Planning your Pilgrimage and getting a Pilgrim Record or credencial - before contacting us for further help.
This site covers the history of the pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint James the Great at Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain, and the practicalities of following the ancient pilgrim ways today.
The dark red buttons at the top of the home page will take you to the pages that are most in demand, and the drop-down menus behind the grey buttons at the top of each page will allow you to explore the site more fully. Go to our FAQs page for answers to the most common questions about making the pilgrimage, and to our Bibliography for a reading list covering the most important books in English about the pilgrimage. You can buy our guides to the various routes to Santiago - often the only English-language ones available, and generally the most up-to-date - from our on-line Bookshop.
Click here for a comprehensive list of the many individual pilgrim stories that are now on the Net.
Click here for a page of links to other English-language pilgrim associations - in North America, Australia and elsewhere.
We try to keep the site up to date with a list of recent updates. We warmly welcome feedback, so let us have your comments on our site !
An ancient tomb was discovered, early in the 9th century, in what is now Galicia, in northwest Spain; it was identified as that of the Apostle and martyr Saint James the Great. Before long, pilgrims came flocking from all over Europe. Santiago de Compostela soon ranked with Rome and Jerusalem as one of the three great medieval pilgrimage destinations.
The pilgrimage reached its heyday in the 12th century, and though it has had its ups and downs since then, it has never been entirely forgotten. The last twenty to thirty years have seen an astonishing growth in the numbers of those qualifying for the traditional certificate of pilgrimage, the Compostela.
People make the pilgrimage today for many reasons, by no means all of them religious, or even spiritual - though most find that their journey changes them in more or less profound ways. Two essays by our former chairman, Laurie Dennett (To be a pilgrim ... and Gifts and Reflections), accurately reflect the present-day experience of the pilgrimage
Until quite recently, the Camino Francés, which runs from Roncesvalles in the Pyrenees across northern Spain, via Burgos and León to Santiago itself - and for those with the time and inclination to make a longer journey, the route from le Puy in the French massif central to Roncesvalles - were virtually the only routes followed. As they have more crowded, alternative routes have been opened up, and we encourage you, even as a first-time pilgrim, to consider walking from Seville, or from Vézelay. You will find accounts of all the routes to Santiago by following this link.
To find out more about the origin and the history of the pilgrimage, about what it's like, and about the practicalities of doing it today, work your way down the drop-down menus above.
We are the Confraternity of Saint James, a non-denominational association of former and current pilgrims, and others interested in the history and culture of Spain. There are similar pilgrim associations in most European countries. In British terms, we're an educational charity; in North American terms, a not-for-profit organisation. In any case, most of us have made the pilgrimage and have been sufficiently affected by it to want to give something back: giving advice and help to prospective pilgrims is our way of doing so.
Based in London, England, we publish up-to-date guides to all the main routes to Santiago (they are available through our on-line Bookshop), and organise an annual programme of lectures and other events, including Practical Pilgrim Days at which you can put all your questions to more experienced pilgrims, both walkers and cyclists.
Find out more about us and our activities by working down the drop-down menu behind the grey button marked "The Confraternity", above.
By joining the Confraternity you will support our work; and by keeping up your membership after you've made your journey to Santiago, you too will be giving something back to the pilgrimage.
We have close links with other websites, aiming, between us, to give detailed coverage to all aspects of the pilgrimage.
Pilgrimage to Santiago is "where past pilgrims share, and future pilgrims learn". With over 3,200 members it is the largest Internet community on the Camino, with separate bulletin boards for the individual routes as well as general sections for questions on transport, preparation etc.
The Picture Pages of the Camino contains stage-by-stage illustrated pages for 8 of the major routes in Spain, most translated into Spanish, French, German, Italian, and other languages. There is a large section of links to other websites classified by their content, and you can also register your Camino when you reach Santiago.
The Walking Pilgrim includes a comprehensive listing of pilgrimage routes, both historical and contemporary, throughout Europe: under continuous development, it is an essential resource.