Editing Santiago de Compostela (section)

==Way of St. James==
[[File:Stjacquescompostelle1.png|thumb|Way of St. James]]
[[File:Santiago de Compostela view.jpg|thumb|A partial view of Santiago de Compostela, with the ''Pico Sacro'' in the background]]
[[File:Codex Calixtinus.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Depiction of Saint James in the 12th century [[Codex Calixtinus]]]]
During medieval times, the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage emerged as one of the most significant Christian journeys in Europe, attracting thousands of pilgrims seeking spiritual redemption and fulfillment. Believed to be the final resting place of Saint James the Apostle, the pilgrimage route traversed many countries and scenic locations.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Melczer |first1=William |title=The pilgrim's guide to Santiago de Compostela: first English translation, with introduction, commentaries, and notes |last2=Melczer |first2=William |date=1993 |publisher=Italica Press |isbn=978-0-934977-25-8 |location=New York}}</ref> The pilgrimage not only fostered spiritual growth but also facilitated cultural exchange, as towns along the route thrived with the influx of visitors, leading to the construction of churches,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bell |first1=Adrian R. |last2=Dale |first2=Richard S. |date=2011 |title=The Medieval Pilgrimage Business |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/23701445 |journal=Enterprise & Society |volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=601–627 |doi=10.1093/es/khr014 |jstor=23701445 |issn=1467-2227}}</ref> and further development of the towns. This sacred journey symbolized a profound devotion to faith, enduring trials, and the hope of divine grace. A symbol of the Pilgrimage is the scallop shell, as seen in a sculpture, depicted below, in Santo Domingo de Silos, in which Jesus is shown as a pilgrim with a satchel that is embroidered with the scallop shell. The Scallop shell comes from a legend about St. James’s arrival: he frightened a horse, scaring it into the sea, and the horse reemerged with the shell covering itself.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fitzpatrick |first=Martin |date=2010 |title=Pilgrimage to Santiago De Compostela |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/40961787 |journal=Archaeology Ireland |volume=24 |issue=4 |pages=14–17 |jstor=40961787 |issn=0790-892X}}</ref>
[[File:Santo Domingo de Silos Relief 2077.jpg|thumb|'''A carving in the wall of Santo Domingo De Silos showing Jesus with a scallop shell satchell''']]
Santiago de Compostela’s pilgrimage, known as the Camino de Santiago, is one of the world's most significant and historical Christian pilgrimages.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rudolph |first=Conrad |title=Pilgrimage to the end of the world: the road to Santiago de Compostela |date=2004 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-73125-4 |location=Chicago}}</ref> This sacred journey leads to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in the Galicia region of northwest Spain, where the remains of Saint James the Apostle are believed to be buried. The pilgrimage dates back to the Middle Ages and continues to draw thousands of pilgrims annually from all corners of the globe. Participants embark on various routes, the most popular being the Camino Francés,<ref>{{Citation |title=French Way |date=2024-10-28 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Way |access-date=2024-11-06 |language=en}}</ref> traversing hundreds of kilometers on foot, by bicycle, or even on horseback. The journey is not just a physical challenge but also a profound spiritual and introspective experience, offering a sense of community, personal reflection, and fulfillment. Along the way, pilgrims pass through diverse landscapes and historic towns and encounter symbols of faith and support.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Graham |first1=Brian |last2=Murray |first2=Michael |date=1997 |title=The spiritual and the profane: the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/44251953 |journal=Ecumene |volume=4 |issue=4 |pages=389–409 |doi=10.1177/147447409700400402 |jstor=44251953 |issn=0967-4608}}</ref> 

The legend that St. James found his way to the [[Iberian Peninsula]] and had preached there is one of a number of early traditions concerning the missionary activities and final resting places of the apostles of Jesus. Although the 1884 [[Papal bull|Bull]] of [[Pope Leo XIII]] ''Omnipotens Deus'' accepted the authenticity of the relics at Compostela, the [[Holy See|Vatican]] remains uncommitted as to whether the relics are those of [[Saint James the Greater]], while continuing to promote the more general benefits of pilgrimage to the site. Pope Benedict XVI undertook a ceremonial pilgrimage to the site on his visit to Spain in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2010/november/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20101106_welcome-compostela.html|title=Apostolic Journey to Santiago de Compostela and Barcelona: Welcoming ceremony at the International Airport of Santiago de Compostela (November 6, 2010) – BENEDICT XVI|website=w2.vatican.va}}</ref>

===Establishment of the shrine===
[[File:Spain Leon - Santiago Shell.jpg|thumb|upright|The Scallop Shell, emblem of [[James, son of Zebedee|St James]], worn by pilgrims]]

The 1,000-year-old pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James in the [[Santiago de Compostela Cathedral]] is known in English as the [[Way of St. James]] and in Spanish as the {{lang|es|Camino de Santiago}}. Over 200,000 pilgrims travel to the city each year from points all over Europe and other parts of the world. The pilgrimage has been the subject of many books, television programmes, and films, notably [[Brian Sewell]]'s ''[[The Naked Pilgrim]]'' produced for the British television channel [[Channel 5 (UK)|Channel 5]] and the [[Martin Sheen]]/[[Emilio Estevez]] collaboration ''[[The Way (2010 film)|The Way]]''.
===Legends===
According to a tradition that can be traced back at least to the 12th century, when it was recorded in the ''[[Codex Calixtinus]]'', Saint James decided to return to the [[Holy Land]] after preaching in Galicia. There he was beheaded, but his disciples got his body to [[Jaffa]], where they found a marvelous [[stone ship]] which miraculously conducted them and the apostle's body to [[Iria Flavia]], back in Galicia. There, the disciples asked the local pagan queen ''Loba'' ('She-wolf') for permission to bury the body; she, annoyed, decided to deceive them, sending them to pick a pair of oxen she allegedly had by the ''Pico Sacro'', a local sacred mountain where a [[dragon]] dwelt, hoping that the dragon would kill the Christians, but as soon as the beast attacked the disciples, at the sight of the cross, the dragon exploded. Then the disciples marched to collect the oxen, which were actually wild bulls which the queen used to punish her enemies; but again, at the sight of the Christian's cross, the bulls calmed down, and after being subjected to a yoke they carried the apostle's body to the place where now Compostela is. The legend was again referred with minor changes by the [[Czech people|Czech]] traveller [[Jaroslav Lev of Rožmitál]], in the 15th century.<ref>{{cite book|last=Garrido Bugarín|first=Gustavo A.|title=Aventureiros e curiosos : relatos de viaxeiros estranxeiros por Galicia, séculos XV – XX|year=1994|publisher=Ed. Galaxia|location=Vigo|isbn=84-7154-909-3|pages=35–37}}</ref>

The relics were said to have been later rediscovered in the 9th century by a hermit named Pelagius, who after observing strange lights in a local forest went for help after the local bishop, [[Theodemar of Iria]], in the west of Galicia. The legend affirms that Theodemar was then guided to the spot by a star, drawing upon a familiar myth-element, hence "Compostela" was given an [[etymology]] as a corruption of Campus Stellae, "Field of Stars."

In the 15th century, the red banner which guided the Galician armies to battle, was still preserved in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in the centre Saint James riding a white horse and wearing a white cloak, sword in hand:<ref>{{cite book|last=Garrido Bugarín|first=Gustavo A.|title=Aventureiros e curiosos : relatos de viaxeiros estranxeiros por Galicia, séculos XV – XX|year=1994|publisher=Ed. Galaxia|location=Vigo|isbn=84-7154-909-3|pages=40}}</ref> The legend of the miraculous armed intervention of Saint James, disguised as a white knight to help the Christians when battling the Muslims, was a recurrent myth during the High Middle Ages.

===Pre-Christian legends===
As the lowest-lying land on that stretch of coast, the city's site took on added significance. Legends supposed of [[celtic mythology|Celtic]] origin made it the place where the [[Soul (spirit)|soul]]s of the dead gathered to follow the sun across the sea. Those unworthy of going to the Land of the Dead haunted Galicia as the ''[[Santa Compaña]]'' or ''Estadea''.

===In popular culture===
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Santiago de Compostela is featured prominently in the 1988 historical fiction novel ''[[Sharpe's Rifles (novel)|Sharpe's Rifles]]'', by [[Bernard Cornwell]], which takes place during the French Invasion of Galicia, January 1809, during the Napoleonic Wars.

The music video for ''[[Una Cerveza]]'', by [[Ráfaga]], is set in the historic part of Santiago de Compostela.

A pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela provides the narrative framework of the [[Luis Buñuel]] film [[The Milky Way (1969 film)|La Voie lactée (The Milky Way)]].

A mystic pilgrimage was portrayed in the autobiography and romance [[The Pilgrimage]] ("O Diário de um Mago") of Brazilian writer [[Paulo Coelho]], published in 1987.