What is the pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela?

What is the pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela?

The Camino de Santiago
The Camino de Santiago (Latin: Peregrinatio Compostellana, “Pilgrimage of Compostela”; Galician: O Camiño de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims’ ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia …

What is Compostela in English?

(Spanish de kɔmpɔsˈtela) noun. a city in NW Spain: place of pilgrimage since the 9th century and the most visited (after Jerusalem and Rome) in the Middle Ages; cathedral built over the tomb of the apostle St James.

Why is Camino de Santiago important?

The Camino de Santigo is also known as the Way of St James and was an important Christian pilgrimage in the Middle Ages. Pilgrims walked the route in order to reduce the punishment of their sins. The scallop shell has long been the symbol for the Camino de Santiago.

Why is it called Santiago de Compostela?

A city in NW Spain, capital in Galicia, named after St James the Great (Spanish Sant Iago), whose remains, according to Spanish tradition, were brought there after his death.

How old is Santiago de Compostela?

Background. Construction of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral began in 1075, during the reign of Alfonso VI. It was built under the direction of Bishop Diego Peláez, on the site of an old church dedicated to Saint Santiago, or St James as he is known in English.

Who is buried in Santiago de Compostela?

Saint James the Great
The cathedral is the reputed burial place of Saint James the Great, the apostle of Jesus Christ. It is also one of the only three remaining churches in the world built over the tomb of an apostle of Jesus, the other two being St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City and St.

Why is Santiago de Compostela a holy place?

Santiago de Compostela is one of three holy cities in the world where Catholics can earn absolution of their sins by making a pilgrimage. King Alphonso II (a.k.a. Alphonso the Chaste) soon had a church built on the site of the discovery, and the dead apostle’s mojo has attracted pilgrims ever since.

What does Camino mean?

path, road; journey; way.

Is the Camino de Santiago religious?

The Camino was historically a religious pilgrimage to the tomb of St. James and today many people (about 25%) still walk for a religious or spiritual reason.

Who discovered Santiago?

conquistador Pedro de Valdivia
The city was founded as Santiago del Nuevo Extremo (“Santiago of the New Frontier”) in 1541 by the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia. The area was inhabited by the Picunche Indians, who were placed under the rule of the Spanish settlers.

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