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| Thelma On The Camino De SantiagoA short history. James, the son of Zebedee and brother of John the Evangelist, spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. He was beheaded by Herod Agrippa in 44AD. The tomb of the Apostle James was discovered in the 9th century by a hermit who notified his bishop, Teodomiro. King Alfonso II of Spain later had a small church built and cared for by Benedictine monks. By the end of the 9th century Alfonso III commissioned the construction of a basilica for pilgrimages. The construction of the Romanesque cathedral, containing the tomb of St. James, began in 1078. At the same time, pilgrimages to Jerusalem had been interrupted by Turkish invasions. So pilgrims flocked to Compostela, Spain. The pilgrimage became a major religious and cultural phenomenon of the Middle Ages. Over time roads, shelters, churches, and monasteries developed to take care of the travelers. In the 12th and 13th centuries over 250,000 pilgrims would travel to Compostela each year. To this day hundreds of thousands of pilgrims travel the routes, including John Paul II who visited Santiago de Compostela in 1982. The pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela has been designated a World Heritage route. Click for more fascinating history. There are various pilgrimage routes, and Thelma took the long French route (over 40 days of walking).
Link to Thelma's online travel journal and Google map to follow her posts! The Beginning: Raleigh, NC I have asked all my friends at St. Raphael's church to keep me constantly in their prayers. Yesterday, Friday March 26th, Fr. Wiesenbaugh blessed me at the 7am mass. I felt very happy. I'll not be able to send photos to this journal because I did not buy a phone with the camera. But I'll be able to send text messages through my phone on a regular basis. But remember I'm from the older generation so my texting (which I never do) will be pretty bad ( just one line or so). Also I'll not have access to a computer to read all your comments. So bear with me. I just love to give you the opportunity to locate me during my long 6 weeks journey across the Basque country of Northern Spain. Love you all and will think of you on my journey. Thelma The Ending: Santiago de Compostela, Spain I am finally in Santiago. Walked from Pedroaza for 20 kms to the city of Santiago. Wanted to make it to the 12pm pilgrim mass. Reached the city at 10:40am and had to leave my backpack at the Seminario Menor because of tight security since the terrorist attack awhile back. Anyway the day was bright and sunny and met my dear Irish couple (the only pilgrims besides me on the first day at Val Carlos town) just 20 minutes into town. They stayed near the airport and had only 10 kms to walk into the city. But Des had a sure feeling they would see me in Santiago on the first day. St. James has a way of connecting some of us pilgrims in the most wonderful way. I lost touch with this couple since the last two weeks and have wondered where they were on the Camino. Anyway we all checked in to our various hostels and came to the Cathedral. The place was packed as expected because of the 4 day festival. Managed to enter the Cathedral to celebrate the Ascension of Our Lord at the 12pm pilgrim mass. Since it is the Jubilee year, the incense is swung at the end of the 12pm mass every day. The most famous entrance of the cathedral is in the west side wing and you enter from the east side wing of the cathedral. My feet were so painful standing for mass on this day after 20 km climbing up and down for 4 hours to get to the city. I was not concentrating on the mass as it was in Spanish all the way. Felt sad and tired. Never mind though, I have other goods left at Santiago. Already made plans to stay in the city for 5 days since I was 6 days early arriving at Santiago. Met so many familiar faces of pilgrims on this day. All of us pilgrims just hug each other because we were just happy to see that all of us made it to Santiago. Some of us cried seeing each other, others just a pat on the shoulder. All of us seem to feel relief for the other not so much for themselves. There is this joy your fellow pilgrim is okay and all is well. A very caring feeling among us pilgrims. So looks like the first day is more for the pilgrims than for St. James and the precious Ascension of our Lord. I am sure they both understand us pilgrims. This first day is just joy among us fellow pilgrims. I had to reserve another day for St. James. For more posts link to Thelma's online travel journal and Google map click here! |
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