Way of Saint James: a pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela

El Way of Saint James is a pilgrimage route that leads from various places in Europe to Santiago de Compostela, where the remains of the apostle Saint James, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus who preached throughout the Iberian Peninsula, are said to lie. According to the story, Saint James was beheaded in Jerusalem in the year 44 and his remains were taken to the end of the world, which at that time, when it was believed that the Earth was flat, was thought to be Fisterra (Galícia). The story continues when in the year 814 a shepherd saw a star that indicated where the saint’s tomb was, and Bishop Teodomir established that the remains there corresponded to those of Saint James. From that moment on, the place attracted people from all over who went to Santiago de Compostela on pilgrimage, which was the birth of a large number of routes to get there.

In la Selva we can find El Way of Saint James in the three territorial realities of the region: the mountain, the plain and the coast. The entrance of these paths to the region takes place at two points in the northern area from the city of Girona, and these paths lead towards the neighboring regions of Garrotxa and Osona in the north, towards Vallès Oriental in the central area, and towards Maresme along the coast.

As you can see, there is no single route, but rather many access routes to the path. El Way of Saint James in Catalunya are joined by different branches, which lead to Zaragoza and the old French road, towards Jaca or Logroño. You can do any of the sections of El Way of Saint James that pass through la Selva, on the way to Santiago de Compostela. Making this pilgrimage not only represents a spiritual journey and personal introspection, but also means the privilege of being able to enjoy all the natural, scenic and cultural wealth that this “way of ways” offers.