Room Iv the Way of Saint James. Routes and Rituals
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ROOM IV Pilgrims arriving at THE WAY OF SAINT JAMES. plaza del Obradoiro Jacobo Remuñán ROUTES AND RITUALS 2003 PEREGRINOS A SANTIAGO. CAMIÑOS E RITOS Colour. Nikon S90X. 35- 70 mm. F2’8 Film: Fuji Superia 100 Donated by the artist Routes to Santiago in Europa Based on the Map of the Council of Europe LA VIEIRA. EMBLEM OF THE WAY OF SAINT JAMES A VIEIRA. INSIGNIA XACOBEA Pilgrim scallop shell (Pectem maximus) Prior to 1120 Santiago de Compostela Sacrarium 2nd third of the 16th century Carved and polychrome wood This” Vieira” (scallop shell) was found in a burial place in a plot that Triacastela (Lugo) was later occupied by the north central nave of the Romanesque cathedral of Santiago. Therefore, it is prior to 1120. The scallop shell is the symbol of the pilgrimage to Santiago, taken by pilgrims on their way back home to the most remote places in Europe. The yellow arrow Tiles José Antonio Robés 16th century. (?) 2001 Glazed china W/N and colour. Leica M6 Alfares de Triana (Sevilla) Film Ilford 100 y 400 Donated by the author 1 THE ROUTE AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE Puente la Reina, Ponte Regina in medieval documents –was O CAMIÑO E AS INFRAESTRUCTURAS created by royal decree to facilitate the pilgrimage. Its linear layout, with buildings on both sides of a high street or main street as it is As time went by, the pilgrimage route to Compostela gradually typical of towns along the Way. became fixed. Many a factor contributed to this: political Bridge of Puente la Reina (Navarra) circumstances, the construction of highways and bridges, the establishment of villages and towns, as well as of hospices and inns. ----- This route –the French Route, of Way of Saint James- is first documents in the 12th century, in Book V of the Liber Sancti Iacobi, One of the chapters of the Guide deals with the name of the regions better known as the “Pilgrim’s Guide”. The first known copy of the through which the Way of Saint James passes, and the Guide is part of the manuscript known as the Codex Calixtinus. The characteristics of the native people. After giving the Basques and the text is an invaluable source of information about the journeys people of Navarre a decidedly bad press, the Guide moves on to undertaken by pilgrims who set out from Tours, Vézelay and Le Puy Castile and Galicia and crossed to the Iberian Peninsula via Roncesvalles (Portus Cisere), or by those who started from Saint Gilles and crossed via “... once you have passed the Montes de Oca, towards Burgos, you the Pass of Somport (Summo Portu); the two routes met in Puente will come into the land of the Spaniards: Castile and Campos. This la Reina, and continued as one to Compostela. land is full of treasures, rich in gold and silver, cloth and strong horses; bread, wine, meat, fish, milk and honey are plentiful. Both Roncesvalles and Somport had major hospices, that of Santa However, it has no trees… Later, having passed through the land of María and Santa Cristina respectively. They offered food, warmth León, and after crossing the mountain passes of Monte Irago and and a place to rest in that most strenuous stage of the pilgrim’s long Monte Cebreiro, you will reach the land of the Galicians. Forests journey, the crossing of the Pyrenees. The Hospice of Santa Cristina abound, and the land is made pleasant by its rivers, meadows and has disappeared completely, though that of Roncesvalles remains to marvellous orchards, its fine fruits and crystal-clear springs; but this day, and still tends to pilgrim’s needs with the same dedication cities, towns and agricultural land are scarce. Wheat and wine are in as it did many centuries ago. short supply, but it is rich in rye and cider, in livestock and horses, The Guide divides the journey in thirteen one-day stages of differing milk and honey and great and little fish of the sea. Abundant too are length; some would be quite impossible even on horseback. It gold and silver, fabrics and furs and other riches, particularly speaks, too, of the names of towns, of the great hospices, of the Saracen treasures”. land, the people and their customs; in short, it is a practically Entering Galicia from Cebreiro oriented travel guide, full of down-to-earth advice designed to help pilgrims and make their journey easier. ----- The two routes of the Pyrenees run separately until reaching the area of Óbanos-Puente-la Reina where they meet. The road out of The Códice Calixtino already mentions the two possible access the village is across a fine Romanesque bridge over the River Arga. routes in the Iberian Peninsula through the Pyrenees: Portus 2 Cisere or Port de Cize which connects with Roncesvalles in Navarre Bull of Pope Gregory XIII whereby and Summo Portu, or Somport in Aragón. Two important hospitals plenary indulgence was granted in are found in these towns: Santa María’s hospital and Santa articulo mortis to the infirm, the pilgrims Cristina’s. They offered hospitality to pilgrims providing the and the remaining members of the Hospital del Rey de Burgos founded by necessary rest and care after such a hard effort as it was to cross Alfonso VIII the Pyrenees. Nowadays, there is no trace of the hospital of Santa Roma, 1574, february, 13 Cristina but the one in Roncesvalles continues to provide assistance Original with lead seal hanging to travellers with the same devotion as in former times. Parchment, manuscript Pass of Somport in the Pyrenees (Huesca) The Way of Saint James brought about the establishment of villages throughout it with a typical lineal arrangement. The Calle Real or ----- Calle Mayor (high or main street) of so many towns and villages is nothing but the old Road around which the village grew. But along One thing the pilgrim badly needed was drinking water; caution in with these more or less spontaneous villages, there were villages this regard was very important as poor health conditions made that came into being as a result of royal decisions motivated by their indiscriminate consumption of water something extremely connection to the Way of Saint James. As maps demonstrate, the dangerous. In fact, the Códice Calixtino devotes a whole chapter to pilgrim’s route has left an important imprint on toponymy. listing the good and the bad rivers along the Route. Amongst the Bridges take on an extraordinary importance from the 11th century latter, we find the River Salado, in Navarre, of which we read onwards as essential elements in the infrastructure of the Way of “refrain from drinking here both you and your horse for this river is Saint James. Pilgrims were exempted from paying bridge tolls, deadly”. Good for drinking, in contrast, were the Pisuerga, the although many a time greed and cunning turned this privilege into Carrión, the Esla, the Valcarce, the Sil, the Miño, and the Sar. nothing. In the history of pilgrimages some “puenteadores” (bridge builders) have made themselves a name such as Petrus Peregrini, Bridge over Río Salado in the vicinity of Lorca (Navarre) santo Domingo de la Calzada, san Juan de Ortega and even Master Mateo. The Guide comes to an end with a detailed description of the city of Santiago and the Saint James’ Catedral. The city’s gates and its Castrillo de los Polvazares (León) churches are listed, and the Cathedral is described in a wealth of Roman Bridge of Leboreiro (A Coruña) detail: its dimensions, the date when work commenced and the lamps, and the stonemasons who participated in its construction. ----- This is an extraordinarily important source of information about the Cathedral and its surroundings, and most notably about those Wooden or stone crosses (cruceiros in Galician) are part and aspects of the Cathedral which have disappeared or changed since parcel of the Way of Saint James. They were originally symbols of that time. piety, of fulfilment of holy vows, of supplication of grace. In time, Mazarelos’ gate (Santiago de Compostela) 3 they became important landmarks along the Way of Saint James and Ponte da Lima being the main junction of roads and the port cities of resting places at that. Viana and Porto due to the importance of the maritime route that originated in Lisbon. Humiliatorios or milladoiros were piles of small stones on the wayside. Following an ancient custom, pilgrims would toss a pebble Evidence of the importance of this maritime route is the story that onto the pile as they walked by. Originally, this was a pagan rite, tells of a miracle that occurred when, while a young lord of the area aimed at invoking the favours of the deities who protected travellers. was celebrating his wedding in Bouças, the ship taking to Galicia the Very few of the humiliatorios along the Way of Saint James have remains of the Apostle sailed by the coast of Portucale. survived: one at Foncebadón, some vegetation-covered remains on the Unexpectedly, a runaway horse rode into the sea with the horseman Monte do Gozo, and the toponym of Milladoiro, near Santiago. and when everyone had lost all hope of ever seeing him alive, the man and the mount came out of the sea covered in scallop shells Lameiros’ cross (Lugo) which ever since have been the symbol of Saint James. ----- Drawing of P.M. Baldi, of the journey of Cosme de Médici, Coimbra The Religious buildings along the Route were of course of great Drawing of P.M. Baldi, of the journey of Cosme de importance and assistance to the pilgrim.