North of Europe on the pilgrimage to Compostela, The

This book highlights the importance of maritime pilgrimage from the north of Europe to Santiago from the eleventh to the sixteenth centuries. These pilgrimages were initially related to the Crusades (from the eleventh to the thirteenth centuries), which generally stopped in the port of Coruña while the crusaders went on foot to the tomb of the Apostle to pray for his help in the defence of the Holy Places.

The second phase saw ships from the Hanseatic League take thousands of pilgrims to Coruña in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. In the period of greatest splendour – the fifteenth and sisteenth centuries – maritime pilgrimage from the ports in the south of England was a regular occurrence, especially in Jubilee years. These maritime pilgrimages, together with the overland route on the French Way, were fundamental for Goethe to say that “Europe was made on the pilgrimage to Santiago.”

The ultimate goal of this book is to disseminate the historical importance of the pilgrimage to Santiago from the north of Europe and to promote the project for the English Way to be acknowledged by the UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. To support the inclusion of the English Way on the World Intanible Cultural Heritage list, please visit: caminoinglespatrimoniodelahumanidad.es     ordendecaballerosdemariapita.com