The World’s Most Famous Pilgrimage: History, Change and Personal Experience

The Camino de Santiago is one of, if not the most well-known pilgrimages of the modern day. Established in the 9th century, the Camino de Santiago or “Way of St. James”, guided pilgrims through a religious walk starting in Spain, France or Portugal and ending at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Many people walk the shorter route of 100km and join those who started in St-Jean in France, Lisbon in Portugal and Irun, Oviedo or Seville in Spain, ranging from 100km to 1000km. Walking for days, weeks or months, pilgrims crossed countries, rivers and mountains to complete one of the great pilgrimages of medieval Christendom. 

Today it is widely known on a global scale and invites pilgrims from all nationalities to walk the road more travelled on. Whether you have watched The Way (2010) starring Martin Sheen, or simply heard about it through a friend, it is undeniable that the Camino de Santiago has seen an increasing growth in the number of pilgrims. Now the pilgrimage is less a walk and more a journey, one where the destination comes second to the people you meet along the way, the old stone villages and the different paths that have felt millions of feet. It is a constant in a world changing so fast, and a piece of history that holds immeasurable power from every footprint of those who have walked that cannot be seen but felt by every walker to come. 

These towns, villages and cities pilgrims passed through have been shaped by medieval pilgrim routes. The city of Leon is a central hub for passing pilgrims with a rich religious history that has flourished from the Camino de Santiago. Smaller towns like Triacastela, Villafranca and O Cebreiro remain frozen in time, their cobblestone alleyways, thatched roofs and archaic chapels untouched by the evolution of generations of wanderers. O Cebreiro in particular has a thick dusting of age and stands as one of the oldest mountain villages on the Camino Francés route. 

This specific mountain village (where its surrounding terrain is higher than any mountain in the UK at 1,410m/4,626 feet) is the first stop in Galicia on the Camino Francés route. Despite the small population of up to 30 residents, O Cebreiro is not lacking in history, culture and character. It holds one of the oldest churches on the Camino, pre-dating the Romans. Towards the end of the village is Hospital de la Condesa; only fragments of its original structure stand, but its purpose remains the same. Sheltering pilgrims from the harsh mountainous climate and offering food and water, this hospital turned albergue has been a roof over hundreds and thousands, if not millions, of tired travelling bodies. Though I believe modern-day pilgrims are feeling more rested than their predecessors with the invention of earplugs to block out loud snorers. A few traditional structures named Pallozas are preserved within the village, which feature circular stone walls and a slanted thatched roof. These structures have been home to not only villagers but also their livestock as protection from some of the harshest weather in the Galicia region. 

O Cebreiro, with its Celtic roots and 360 views of Os Ancares National Park, is incentive enough to walk the Camino. But there are other contributing factors to choose this path, ones that are not breathtaking sunrises, coffee and tortilla or testing your mental and physical ability. My personal experience left me with more hope in humanity, hope, that before was tainted by what I would constantly see on the news or on social media. The sense of community and coalition that I shared with strangers is something that will never leave me. Daily, I witnessed strangers helping each other, going the extra mile (literally and figuratively) to provide service to those in pain or unease. I, myself, experienced a huge dose of help from those I had met just once, in a rather gruesome ordeal of blister draining that needs no further explanation. That feeling of togetherness and unconditional support is something I believe could alleviate many wrongdoings in a society that feels so disconnected. Realising that there really is more good than bad, that the majority of people really do want to help others, is hope. This part of my journey was not something I ever thought I would find, and honestly, I did not believe the Camino would hold as much meaning to me as it did, and I am thankful for that. If there is any part of you that wants to walk or cycle the Camino, do it; who knows what you might see and whom you might meet.