Santiago de Compostela or Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of St. James, a leading Catholic pilgrimage route since the 9th century. In 1985, the city's Old Town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Camino 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 in northwestern Spain, where tradition holds that the remains of the apostle are buried.
Ponferrada is a city of Spain, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Ponferrada, the second most populated municipality of the Province of León, is also the capital city of El Bierzo, the only comarca recognized as an administrative entity by law in the region.
Torres del Río is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.
The Codex Calixtinus is a manuscript that is the main witness for the 12th-century Liber Sancti Jacobi, a pseudepigraph attributed to Pope Calixtus II. The principal author or compiler of the Liber is thus referred to as "Pseudo-Calixtus", but is often identified with the French scholar Aymeric Picaud. Its most likely period of compilation is 1138–1145.
Arzúa is a municipality in the autonomous community of Galicia in the province of A Coruña in northwestern Spain. It has an area of 155.89 km², a population of 6,315, and a population density of 40.64 people/km². It is one of the Galician municipalities with more cows per capita rate in Galicia.
The Camino de Santiago, also known as the Way of St. James, extends from different countries of Europe, and even North Africa, on its way to Santiago de Compostela and Finisterre. The local authorities try to restore many of the ancient routes, even those used in a limited period, in the interest of tourism.
Carrión de los Condes is a municipality in the province of Palencia, part of the Autonomous Community of Castile and León, Spain.
Sangüesa is a city in Navarre, Spain, 44.5 kilometers from Pamplona. It lies close to the River Aragon and in 2007 had a population of 5,128. It is located on the Way of Saint James. It has been an important stopping point for pilgrims since the Middle Ages and has preserved its medieval character.
Triacastela is a municipality in the province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain. It gets its name from the three castles that once stood here, none of which exist today. Norman (Viking) invaders in 968 A.D. pillaged here, eventually to be defeated at Cebreiro pass and driven off. They probably destroyed all three castles at that time.
A Fonsagrada is a town and municipality in the province of Lugo in the autonomous community of Galicia in northwest Spain which is 25 miles east-north-east of Lugo by road. Its population in 2004 was 5,007. A Fonsagrada is situated 3,166 feet (965 m) above sea-level on the watershed between the rivers Rodil and Suarna. Historically it was an important market for a variety of agricultural produce, and it manufactured linen and frieze for local trading.
The French Way is the GR 65 and the most popular of the routes of the Way of St. James, the ancient pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. It runs from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on the French side of the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles on the Spanish side and then another 780 km on to Santiago de Compostela through the major cities of Pamplona, Logroño, Burgos and León. A typical walk on the Camino francés takes at least four weeks, allowing for one or two rest days on the way. Some travel the Camino on bicycle or on horseback.
Juan de Ortega, better known as Saint John the Hermit, was a Spanish priest and hermit. A disciple of Dominic de la Calzada, he is best known for repairing roads and bridges along the Camino de Santiago. He also built a hospice as a shelter for pilgrims and founded the monastery of San Juan de Ortega.
Villafranca del Bierzo is a village and municipality located in the comarca of El Bierzo, in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain.
Frómista is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2009 data (INE), the municipality had a population of 822 inhabitants. In previous centuries, Frómista had a significant population supported by the farming of wheat.
Santo Domingo de la Calzada is a municipality in La Rioja, Spain, situated on the banks of the Oja River. Its name refers to its founder, Dominic de la Calzada, who built a bridge, hospital, and hotel here for pilgrims on the French Way the most popular path of the Way of St. James. He began construction of the town's Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada is buried within and it is dedicated to him.
The English Way is one of the paths of the Camino de Santiago. It begins in the Galician port cities of Ferrol (118 km) or A Coruña (75 km) and runs south to Santiago de Compostela.
Pelagius was a hermit or anchorite who lived in Solovio in the Libredon forest in 813 AD.
The Routes of Santiago de Compostela: Camino Francés and Routes of Northern Spain is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Spain. It was designated in 1993, and later expanded and renamed in 2015. The complete site includes a network of five traditional pilgrimage routes of the Way of Saint James as it passes through Northern Spain: the popular French Way, the Primitive Way, the Northern or Coastal Way, the Interior Way and the Liébana Route; as well as 16 of the most "culturally significant" individual structures, including religious and civil buildings.
Libredón was a forest, sometimes also described as a mountain, near Santiago de Compostela that according to legend, is where the body of Saint James was laid to rest.
