THE WAY OF SAINT JAMES.
The nameSantiagogoes back to theApostle James(Saint James =Santiago) who went to this most north-western part of Spain, called by the Romans"Finis Terrae", "end of the world", to preach and convert people to Christianity.
After returning to Palestine in 44 a.C., he was taken prisoner byHerodes Agrippaand tortured to death. The king forbid to bury him, but in the night Jacob's disciples stole the body and brought him, in a sarcophagus of marble, on board of a small boat. The current of the sea drove the boat to the Spanish coast, into the port of the Roman province's capital,Iria Flavia. Here the Apostle was buried at a secret place in a wood.
Centuries later, in 813, the hermitPelayolistened music in that wood and saw a shining. For this shining the place was called, in Latin, "Campus Stellae",field of the stars, name that was later turned into Compostela.
King Alfonso IIdeclared Saint James the patron of his kingdom and built a chapel at that place. It is reported that from then on Saint James did several miracles, even that he fought side to side with the christians in battles against the Moors.
More and more pilgrims followed the way of Santiago, the"Way of Saint James", and the original chapel soon became the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
A Pilgrimage Route: The earliest records of pilgrims to the shrine dedicated to St. James atSantiago de Composteladate from the 9th century, in the time of theKingdom of Asturias. The pilgrimage to the shrine became the most renowned medieval pilgrimage, and it became customary for those who returned from Compostela to carry back with them aGalicianscallopshell as proof of their completion of the journey.
The earliest recorded pilgrims from beyond thePyreneesvisited the shrine in the middle of the 11th century. The earliest records of pilgrims that arrived fromEnglandbelong to the period between 1092 and 1105.
One of the great proponents of the pilgrimage in the 12th century wasPope Callixtus II, who started the Compostelan Holy Years. Four pilgrimage routes originated in France and converge at Puente la Reina. From there, a route crosses northern Spain.
The daily needs of pilgrims on their way to and from Compostela were met by a series of hospitals and hospices. These had royal protection and were a source of revenue. Since the Christian symbol forJames the Greaterwas the scallop shell, many pilgrims wore one as a sign to anyone on the road that they were a pilgrim. This gave them privileges to sleep in churches and ask for free meals, but also protected them from thieves who dared not attack devoted pilgrims.
Majority of the pilgrims came from France. French settled in towns along the pilgrimage route.
Pilgrims walked the Way of St. James, often for months, to arrive at the great church in the main square of Compostela and pay homage to St. James.
The popular Spanish name for the astronomicalMilky WayisEl Camino de Santiago. According to a common medieval legend, the Milky Way was formed from the dust raised by travelling pilgrims. Compostela itself means "field of stars". Another origin for this popular name is theBook of Saint Jameswhich relates how the saint appeared in a dream toCharlemagne, urging him to liberate his tomb from theMoorsand showing him the direction to follow by the route of the Milky Way.
ACTIVITIES.
1. Verbs: write down in your notebook verbs in infinitive, past and past participle of paragraphs number 1 and 3.
2. Who was Santiago?. What happened to his body after his death?.
3. How did they find the tomb of the Apostle in 813?.
4. Describe the picture of the pilgrim.
5. True or false, change false sentences into true:
1. King Alfonso IV made Saint James the patron of his Kingdom.
2. Saint James appeared in a dream to Al Mansur, urging him to liberate his tomb from the Christians.
3. Six pilgrimage routes originated in France.
4. Majority of the pilgrims came from England.
5. The symbol of the pilgrimage is a mussel shell.