History of the Camino de Santiago: From the Middle Ages to Today

Over a Thousand Years of Pilgrimage

The Camino de Santiago is Europe's oldest pilgrimage route still in active use. More than a thousand years separate the first medieval pilgrims from the nearly 500,000 who arrive at Santiago Cathedral each year. This is its story.

The Discovery (9th Century)

Around the year 820, a hermit named Pelayo observed mysterious lights over a hillside in northwest Iberia. He alerted Bishop Teodomiro of Iria Flavia, who investigated and declared he had found the tomb of the Apostle James the Greater, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus.

The site was named Campus Stellae ("field of the star"), which evolved into Compostela. King Alfonso II of Asturias travelled from Oviedo to venerate the remains, becoming the first documented pilgrim. He ordered a church built over the tomb.

Was It Really St. James?

The question remains open. Tradition holds that James preached in Hispania and that his remains were transported by sea from Palestine after his martyrdom in 44 AD. Historians debate the authenticity, but the cultural and historical impact of the cult is beyond dispute.

The Golden Age (11th-13th Centuries)

The Rise of Pilgrimage

By the 11th century, the Camino de Santiago had become one of Christianity's three great pilgrimages, alongside Rome and Jerusalem. Pope Callixtus II established the first Jacobean Holy Year in 1122: years when July 25th (the Feast of St. James) falls on a Sunday, pilgrims can obtain plenary indulgence.

The Codex Calixtinus (c. 1140)

Around 1140, the Codex Calixtinus was compiled — considered the first travel guide in history. Book V, attributed to French monk Aymeric Picaud, describes the stages from France, the towns, customs, good and bad water sources, and the dangers of the road (including hostile Navarrese and treacherous rivers).

It's an extraordinary document revealing what travel was like in medieval Europe. Many of its descriptions of landscapes and towns remain recognisable today.

Medieval Infrastructure

To serve pilgrims, a network of hospitals (hostels), bridges, fountains and churches was built along the entire route. Religious orders like the Knights of Santiago, the Templars and the Hospitallers protected the roads. A complete pilgrim economy developed: lodging, food, guides, relics and souvenirs.

Medieval Numbers

In the 12th-13th centuries, an estimated 200,000 to 500,000 pilgrims walked the Camino each year — figures comparable to today, but in a Europe with a fraction of the population.

Santiago Cathedral

The current cathedral was begun in 1075, during the reign of Alfonso VI, over the ruins of earlier churches. The masterpiece is the Pórtico de la Gloria (Portico of Glory), sculpted by Master Mateo between 1168 and 1188: 200 stone figures depicting the vision of the Apocalypse.

The baroque Obradoiro facade, the Camino's most iconic image, was added between 1738 and 1750. The Botafumeiro, the famous 80 kg giant censer that swings through the nave, has been in use since the 14th century — originally to mask the smell of the pilgrims.

The Decline (16th-19th Centuries)

From the 16th century, pilgrimage gradually declined for several reasons:

• The Protestant Reformation: eliminated the pilgrimage tradition in much of northern Europe
• Wars of religion: made the roads unsafe
• The Enlightenment: questioned relics and indulgences
• 19th-century secularisations: destroyed many Camino hospitals and monasteries
• The Napoleonic Wars: devastated infrastructure

The Lowest Point

In 1867, the Apostle's remains were rediscovered (hidden for centuries from fear of Sir Francis Drake's pirates). Pope Leo XIII authenticated them in 1884. But pilgrimage was at historical lows: in the 1970s, barely 70 pilgrims per year collected the Compostela.

The Modern Renaissance (1980-Present)

The Key Figures

The Camino's rebirth has names:

• Don Elías Valiña: (1929-1989): parish priest of O Cebreiro (Lugo), he devoted his life to restoring and signposting the Camino Francés. He invented the yellow arrows that guide pilgrims today, personally painting hundreds of them along the route.

• Paulo Coelho: his novel *The Pilgrimage* (1987) popularised the Camino among millions of readers worldwide.

• The Council of Europe: in 1987 declared the Camino de Santiago the First European Cultural Itinerary, giving it institutional visibility.

• UNESCO: in 1993 inscribed the Camino Francés as a World Heritage Site. In 2015, protection was extended to the Northern Routes.

Explosive Growth

From 70 pilgrims in 1970 to nearly 500,000 in 2024. A 7,000x increase in half a century.

The Camino Today

The Camino has transcended its religious origins. Today it's a spiritual, athletic, cultural and social experience that attracts people of all faiths (and none). 63% of current pilgrims declare motivations that are not exclusively religious.

For more data, see our Camino statistics article.

Key Dates

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Transport on the Camino

We've been transporting pilgrims along these same routes since 2015. Airport transfers, inter-stage transport and luggage service.

Book your transfer: call us at **+34 659 99 31 39** or [contact via WhatsApp](https://wa.me/34659993139).