However, a few of the routes are considered main ones. Traditionally, as with most pilgrimages, the Way of Saint James begins at one's home and ends at the pilgrimage site. Pilgrims on the Way can take one of dozens of pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. James's remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern Spain, where he was buried in what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela. The reliquary of Saint James in the Cathedral of Santiago. James, John Paul II did not use the word 'relics', and Benedict XVI said simply that the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral 'is linked to the memory of St. Additionally, when speaking of the memorial of St. For example, the word 'tomb' has disappeared from the speeches of popes since John Paul II. Since the end of the 20th century, the interpretation of the Catholic sanctuary has undergone a doctrinal evolution. The French Way (Camino FrancГ©s) and the Routes of Northern Spain are listed in the World Heritage List by UNESCO. The French Way gathers two-thirds of the walkers, but other minor routes are experiencing a growth in popularity.

Pilgrims come mainly on foot and often from nearby cities, requiring several days of walking to reach Santiago. Since 2013, the Camino de Santiago has attracted more than 200,000 pilgrims each year, with an annual growth rate of more than 10 percent. The Camino de Santiago, which corresponds to several routes in Spain and France, was declared in 1987 the first Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. But it was only after the capture of Granada in 1492, under the reign of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, that Pope Alexander VI officially declared the Camino de Santiago to be one of the 'three great pilgrimages of Christendom', along with Jerusalem and Rome. James became a major pilgrimage route of medieval Christianity from the 10th century onwards. It is also popular with hiking and cycling enthusiasts and organized tour groups.Д¬reated and established after the discovery of the relics of James of Zebedee at the beginning of the 9th century, the Way of St. As Pope Benedict XVI said, 'It is a way sown with so many demonstrations of fervour, repentance, hospitality, art and culture which speak to us eloquently of the spiritual roots of the Old Continent.' Many follow its routes as a form of spiritual path or retreat for their spiritual growth. 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. The Camino de Santiago ( Latin: Peregrinatio Compostellana, 'Pilgrimage of Compostela' Galician: O CamiГ±o de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St. Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France

Iron horse bike stage