New Certificate - Certificate of Visit

The Cathedral in Santiago is issuing a new certificate - a Certificate of Visit seen below (sorry for poor image quality but I took a picture of the copy displayed in the Cathedral which was high up and behind a sheet of glass).

This translates (according to Google) as: The council of the Holy Apostolic Metropolitan Church Cathedral Basilica of Santiago de Compostela, located in the western region of Spain, all who shall see this letter of welcome, makes it known that D / a (proper name of the person requesting) has visited the Cathedral and the tomb of Glorious Apostle Santiago. On that occasion, the council, led the duty of charity while with joy, give the greeting of the Lord, through the intercession of the Apostle asked the Father to deign to grant spiritual wealth and material goods. Santiago bless him and be blessed. Given in Compostela, the Camino de Santiago Meta (date of the visit).

The certificate costs 3Euros and can be gained from the headquarters of the Confraternity of St. James, at the praza da Quintana, by the Holy Door (see below map).

The certificate looks very like the Compostela itself and I am guessing has been produced for those who can onloy make the Pilgrimage to Santiago by car or bus due to physical condition or time and for that I am plaesed - those who cannot do the Camino but still travel to Santiago in the spirit of a Pilgrimage should be able to get something I think.

It does though loook very like the Compsotela (shown on left below)

it might have been better to produce a more obviously different certificate - what do you think?

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The Camino Primitivo

The Camino Primitivo (or the Original Way) is reportedly the very first Camino Way to Santiago in the 9 th century when most of Spain was under the control of the Moors and it runs from near the city of Ovideo in Asturias as it starts in Villavicosa (which also lies on the Camino Norte so many people follow this Way from Basque city of San Sebastian (Donosti in Basque) or in from the French border at Irun ( this route then hugs the Bay of Biscay passing through Guernica, Bilbao, Santander, Llanes before going under the Picos de Europa and then heads along the coast to Ovideo) before branching off onto the Primitivo which goes across the mountains and through the city of Lugo before joining the Frances at Melide. The route is 320km long. Image taken from https://viaalpina2013.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/camino-del-norte-camino-primitivo/

Symbols of the three main Christian Pilgrimages

The symbol of the Pilgrim to Santiago is the Scallop shell of which many can be found on the coast of Galicia and it is actually a symbol of the Pilgrimage (and has become a symbol of other Christian Pilgrimages too) partly because you could find the shell easily there and so could go back home and show it off as proof that you had done the Pilgrimage. It has also been included in carvings in some Churches.

Camino Mascot

Those who have walked the Camino will probably have seen one or more of the Camino mascots along the Way but do you know their names? http://m.elcorreogallego.es/xacobeo/ecg/xubi-jubila-pelegrin-mascota-xacobea/idEdicion-2010-06-08/idNoticia-555962/

On the Camino

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