Created and established after the discovery of the relics of Saint James the Great at the beginning of the 9th century, the Camino de Santiago, or Way of St. James, became a major pilgrimage route of medieval Christianity from the 10th century onwards.

In 1987, the Camino, which encompasses several routes in Spain, France, and Portugal, was declared the first Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. Since 2013, the Camino has attracted more than 200,000 pilgrims each year, with an annual growth rate of more than 10 percent. Pilgrims come mainly on foot and often from nearby cities, requiring several days of walking to reach Santiago.

The French Way (the way Jane & Lori are travelling) gathers two-thirds of the walkers, but other minor routes are experiencing a growth in popularity. The French Way and the Northern routes in Spain were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, followed by the routes in France in 1998, because of their historical significance for Christianity as a major pilgrimage route and their testimony to the exchange of ideas and cultures across the routes. (Credit Wikipedia)

For more detailed info go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camino_de_Santiago — and for more info as a World Heritage Site, go to https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/669

And if you are curious enough to watch a few movies & documentaries about the Camino, here’s a list via the Google Machine.

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