We did not invent the Camino 🙂

By Blaise Jirak

Read Camino de Santiago stories, reflections, and practical pilgrimage advice from Varsity Caminos.

We Did Not Invent the Camino 🙂

I recently had a conversation with someone who thought it was awesome that we came up with the idea of organizing a Catholic walking pilgrimage in Spain dedicated to St. James.

I chuckled a little and had the opportunity to tell them about the real history of the Camino.

To be fair, not many people, especially in the United States, know much about the history of the Camino. So this is a good opportunity to provide some background.

It All Starts With St. James

<img src="/objects/uploads/peterpaulrubensstjamestheapostlewga201921784314303296.jpg" alt="" style="display:block;width:60%;margin:1rem auto;borderradius:12px" /

St. James was one of the Twelve Apostles and was part of Jesus’ inner circle, along with Peter and John.

After Pentecost, the apostles went out to preach the Gospel to the nations.St. James was the apostle who traveled to Spain.

He preached the Gospel to the people of the Iberian Peninsula with moderate success.

Our Lady of the Pillar

<img src="/objects/uploads/812ccc11784314412466.webp" alt="" style="display:block;width:60%;margin:1rem auto;borderradius:12px" /

After some time, St. James had a vision of Mary appearing on a pillar in Zaragoza and telling him to return to Jerusalem.

This is where we get the devotion to Our Lady of the Pillar.

Upon returning to the Holy Land, St. James was beheaded by King Herod Agrippa and became the first apostle to be martyred for the faith.

<img src="/objects/uploads/e102c3194e2248db93eaa28348decfd61784314354136.jpg" alt="" style="display:block;width:60%;margin:1rem auto;borderradius:12px" /

How Did St. James Get to Spain?

So how did St. James end up in northwestern Spain?

According to tradition, two of his disciples, St. Athanasius and St. Theodore, brought his body back to Spain, where he had carried out his missionary work.

In doing so, they continued the mission of bringing the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

The First Camino Pilgrimage

<img src="/objects/uploads/images11784314531300.jpeg" alt="" style="display:block;width:60%;margin:1rem auto;borderradius:12px" /

Centuries later, King Alfonso II of Asturias made a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. James.

He became one of the first people to popularize walking this path.

After the king made the journey, people from all across Europe began walking the Camino as a pilgrimage.

The Camino Spreads Across Europe

The Camino became one of the most important pilgrimage routes in the medieval Christian world.

As more pilgrims made the journey, towns gradually developed along the route to:

Provide food and water
Shelter pilgrims
Protect travelers
Offer churches and places to pray
Care for sick or injured pilgrims

Santiago de Compostela eventually became one of the most important religious destinations in medieval Europe.

<img src="/objects/uploads/pilgrimscanterbury1784314575416.jpg" alt="" style="display:block;width:60%;margin:1rem auto;borderradius:12px" /

More Than 1,000 Years of Catholic History

Today, we have this amazing route shaped by more than 1,000 years of Catholic history and tradition.

We did not create the Camino.

We simply get the privilege of stepping into it.

Apply for a Pilgrimage