We are continuing to go through the books that make up the Codex Calixtinus… Book II occupies 16 folios (f. 139v – 155v) of the codex, being the second smallest of those that compose it. After the extensive book I, dedicated to the liturgy and festivities of Santiago,...
In 1934 the manuscript of the biographical stories of Margery Kempe (1373-1438) was discovered - a very long text from the early fifteenth century of which until then only seven pages were known. It is one of the oldest pilgrimage itineraries, a very different...
During the pandemic, the confinement and the difficulties in travelling from other countries or in moving around Spanish territory made the Camino inaccessible, but, in addition, the restrictions made many of the main traditions and rituals of the pilgrimage to...
One of the main problems of traveling in the Middle- Ages was river-crossing. The Way of St. James, one of the most widely used routes of the time, was not free from this difficulty. It was crossed by many rivers, some of which were very wide and difficult to be...
Through the testimony of pilgrims from other centuries we can reconstruct the town of Sarria as it was throughout its history. Thanks to their stories we know the central importance of its fortress, its convent and the bridge that allowed pilgrims to pass through to...
As we announced in a first introductory text (https://www.fundacionjacobea.org/en/santiago-of-compostela/the-book-of-santiago-introduction-to-the-codex-calixtinus/), we wish to devote our attention to studying the Calixtinus Codex (Liber Sancti Jacobi) in depth,...
Domenico Laffi was an Italian clergyman originally from the 17th century city of Bologna, a pilgrim to Compostela on several occasions and the author of an extraordinary account of his pilgrimages published and republished numerous times over the centuries. Through...
The shell, as an emblem of pilgrimage, "signum peregrinorum", has been in use since at least the twelfth century, but despite other pagan and Christian uses throughout the centuries, it began to develop enormously in the medieval period as a heraldic element, a...
The Calixtino Codex (Codex Calixtinus) is an extraordinary compilation made up of documents, scores and miniatures of great value, a compendium of Jacobean culture, the history of the Apostle Santiago, his worship and pilgrimage. In the words of Klaus Herbers, it...
Egeria, also called Eteria, Ætheria or Etheria, was a Galician pilgrim, traveller and writer from the 4th century. The importance of this historical figure is enormous, since she is the first pilgrim and traveller that we know of, as well as being the first known...
The first text referring to the fact that the apostle James had been buried in Spain is the "Breviary of the Apostles." The text also refers to the "Arca Marmórica", one of the essential elements of the legend of Santiago, that is to say, the fact that his body had...
On July 25th the celebration of the Apostle Santiago is celebrated, it is the day of Santiago el Mayor and many celebrate it ... but few know why! During the Middle Ages, the feast of Saint James meant a special day insofar as it recalled the Saint in the religious...