The Mysteries of the Camino de Santiago: Legends, miracles and history of the Jacobean route
The Mysteries of the Camino de Santiago
How were the remains of the Saint James the Greater discovered? Why did the pilgrim Charles du Ble never return? Do you know the miracle of O Cebreiro? And the connection between Charlemagne and the Way of the Stars? Discover the story of the Portuguese sailor who converted, the knights of the Order of Santiago, the harlots of the Camino, the false peregrinos, the magical companions and love spells. All these fantastic legends and precise history intertwine along this wonderful route that leads to Santiago de Compostela.
The story of the Apostol Santiago and the creation of the Jacobean cult are wrapped in the mysterious mist of legend. The chronicles that have come down to us are full of fabulous tales and epic stories. This book recounts many of the legends that grew up along the different routes leading to Compostela, from the Milky Way that tradition says guided Charlemagne to Santiago.
The book recounts unusual events that happened to pilgrims across different eras: stories of conversions and apparitions, love spells and the exploits of the knights who guarded the Camino, as well as some of the miracles attributed to the Apostol Santiago. Finally, it explores the rise of the cult of Santiago before his tomb was discovered in the 9th century, when Beatus of Liebana referred to the friend of Jesus and “son of thunder” as the “golden, gleaming head of Spain”.
Stemming from this devotion of Christian peoples to the protection of Santiago, Claudio Sanchez-Albornoz defined it masterfully:
“The Camino de Santiago is the route of faith, the way of pilgrims, the path of art, the trail of history, the course of love. It is the road of all men and women who seek their destiny on earth and in heaven.”
«The people of the peninsula believed, and Christendom believed, and the wind of faith filled the sails of the little ship of the West, and the true miracle came to pass.»
