In the tenth and eleventh centuries the pilgrimage
to Santiago rose in importance as the Spanish and French kingdoms had formed
greater alliances and the French kings were keen to promote the pilgrimage
through their lands which meant that the route was a lot safer than it had been
– the abbey at Cluny was one that established a lot of monasteries along the
Camino and promoted pilgrimage heavily. Many aristocratic families followed
this example by setting up infrastructure (including hospitals and Churches)
for pilgrims and began to take responsibility for the Camino’s upkeep believing
that these actions would assist in the salvation of their souls.
In the eleventh century travel became a lot
safer as the invasions by Vikings and other groups lessened in number whilst
the publication in the twelfth century of the Liber Sancti Jacobi (which
contains what many consider to be the world’s first ‘tourist guide’ – a description
of the Camino route). There were by now four main Camino routes through France
which utilised Roman roads and these combined at Puenta la Reina.
Comments
Post a Comment