The history of the Way of St James in five chapters

In short: Pilgrimages began in the 9th century, shortly after the discovery of the tomb in Santiago.

The Way of St James is more than a thousand years old, and for a time it was almost forgotten.

The tomb

In the 9th century a tomb was found in Galicia and attributed to the Apostle James. King Alfonso II is said to have walked there, which is why the Camino Primitivo is considered the oldest route.

The Middle Ages

In the 11th and 12th centuries Santiago became one of the three great destinations of Christendom, alongside Rome and Jerusalem. Bridges, hospices and churches were built along the way. The 12th-century Codex Calixtinus contains a kind of travel guide for pilgrims.

The decline

The Reformation and wars caused numbers to fall sharply from the 16th century onwards. Later the pilgrimage almost came to an end, and only a few people still came.

The revival

Interest returned in the 20th century. In the 1980s the priest Elías Valiña marked the route with yellow arrows. In 1987 the Council of Europe declared the route the first European Cultural Route, and in 1993 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Today

Hundreds of thousands now come to Santiago every year. Many of them are not religious, and that is no contradiction: pilgrims have always had different motives. You will find an overview of all the routes on our Way of St James page.