Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes and history

The Camino de Santiago, or the Way of St. James, is a network of pilgrimage routes leading to the cathedral in Santiago, Spain, where tradition holds the remains of the apostle James are buried. Since its inception in the 9th century, millions of pilgrims have traveled these paths.

Historically, these routes through the Pyrenees were sites of significant conflict. In 778, Charlemagne’s Frankish army suffered a major defeat at Roncevaux Pass when Basque warriors ambushed his rearguard. This military event was later immortalized in the epic poem ‘La Chanson de Roland’, which transformed the historical battle into a legendary struggle between Christian and Islamic forces.