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The Camino de Santiago made Europe
The Camino de Santiago de Compostela was one of the main manifestations of European culture in the Middle Ages which was founded on Catholic/Christian traditions from the earliest times when most of Western, Central and Eastern Europe had been Christianised towards the end of Roman power and domination circa. 4th Century Common Era.
Saint James Way or now more commonly known as the Camino de Santiago had a major influence on the form of art and civilization in the various countries of Western Europe.
France during the Middle Ages developed four main pilgrimage routes and once over the Pyrenees (the natural, geographical barrier between France and Spain) converged into one route and called the French Route and now universally called el Camino Francés. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) through its vehicle the World Heritage Committee with their World Heritage Listing identified a massive number of built structures directly attributed to the Pilgrimage route from the Pyrenees all the way to Santiago de Compostela. The report stated that there are one thousand eight hundred (1,800) buildings along the route both religious and secular which have been identified as being associated with the Camino and pilgrimage.
This built environment is so culturally rich for modern day pilgrims that one could view the pilgrimage as simply the longest and most continuous museum crawl on earth!
The Camino de Santiago represents the birth and manifestation of Romanesque art and architecture. From the second half of the 12th century, came the Gothic cathedrals. There developed different chains of monasteries and castles. The Knights Templar castle in Ponferrada is an awe inspiring sight to behold. The expansion of existing cities, towns and villages whilst establishing newly built environments for just one purpose: supporting and assisting the pilgrim on his way to and from Santiago de Compostela. And not forgetting public works initiated by the various northern Spanish kingdoms and other entities created expressly for the Camino such as bridges, inns, hospitals and chapels.
The World Heritage Committee when it listed the Camino de Santiago (el Camino Francés) openly acknowledged that it is little changed from the Middle Ages. The report stated:
“The actual Route itself is well established and much of it survives the 20th century. About 10% of the original Route has been destroyed, and a further 10% lies beneath modern roads, but in many cases the modern road runs parallel to the ancient route.”
Quintessentially and most importantly, the Camino is a living pilgrimage route used by modern day pilgrims.
In a report/evaluation from the Advisory Body to the World Heritage Committee in 1993 it stated that: "The Route of Saint James is a unique example of its type which had a significant, even fundamental, influence on the consolidation of Western Europe.”
