Two figures: Saint Francis and James the Apostle divided by centuries but united by faith and the desire to travel the world.

Saint Francis was a missionary and a pilgrim. He travelled most of Italy, went to the Holy Land, preached in Syria and in Egypt and tried to reach Morocco.
He walked along the same roads that thousands of devotees travelled on their pilgrimages, true driving forces in Europe during the Middle Ages. Like many of his contemporaries, Saint Francis reached the most sought after destination: Santiago de Compostela.

"The Little Flowers of Saint Francis" is the only reliable source narrating Saint Francis’ journey towards Galicia and Santiago de Compostela. It is easy to imagine Saint Francis’ pilgrimage on the Santiago Walk.

The Pilgrimage Towards Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela in the heart of Galicia, at the western most extremity of Spain, houses the Tomb of James the Apostle.
Since the 9th century, people from all over Europe have made the pilgrimage to Compostela and the venerated remains.

Over the course of the centuries, millions of people have travelled the Way of Saint James and it has become an extraordinary occasion for sharing and meeting. It is a religious, social and cultural phenomenon that has left profound marks in European history and has contributed greatly to the identity of our continent. For this reason the European Council has declared the Santiago Walk a European Cultural Itinerary.

The 12th century Pilgrim’s Guide reconstructs the stops along the Way. The roads of the pilgrimage wound through all of Europe and joined up in Puente la Reina, near Pamplona. From here the Spanish stretch of the Way (800 km) began and it is still travelled by millions of pilgrims today.

Pilgrim Middle Ages
Medieval society was based on the idea of pilgrimages where faith and the love of travelling and adventure converged.

It was indispensable for a man during medieval times to complete at least one pilgrimage. In order to fulfil this duty, throngs of devotees faced long journeys, often on foot, defying continuous dangers. In fact, the pilgrims often wrote their wills before setting off on the pilgrimage. In addition to Santiago, the other two destinations were Rome and Jerusalem.

Christians came to Rome to venerate the remains of martyrs and to pray upon the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul. The pilgrims travelled along Via Francigena that joined Rome to central and Western Europe. This road ran from the English Channel to Rome and included at least eight stops.

Worshippers arrived in Jerusalem to stop at the sites where Christ walked and to visit the Holy Sepulchre. Since the early centuries in Christianity, the Holy Land has been a destination for pilgrims. At the end of the 10th century, the flow had multiplied giving impetus to the Crusades, armed pilgrims that went forth to recover holy places from the Muslims. There were many different walks leading to Jerusalem: by land, passing through the Balkans or Italy, and by sea aboard ships that left from the Adriatic Coast.