Churches on the Camino

[aname4me]

Bien Camino
My question is.....
Does anyone know of a book, or webpage that lists the Churches along to Camino?
No matter how small, every town on the route has a Church (even Churches without a town).
Every Church (Cathedral) has a built date, by who, religious orders, why, architectural design/style, who-did-what, is it actually open to view, what to look for.

The millennia of pilgrim flow along the Camino has provided a fertile zone for “grand” Churches.

What I am hoping to find is a guide (summary) as to what to see.

Something small enough to carry, but detailed enough to read the night-before (on the trail).

 

[mspath]

Scan either the paperback or ebook version available on Amazon of The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago: The Complete Cultural Handbook by David M. Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson. It is a useful introduction to art and architectural history along the camino.

Another basic scholarly source for religious/architectural iconography in general is
How to Read a Church,
Richard Taylor, 2003.

Happy research and Buen camino!

 

[Helen1]

Many of the tourist info places have guides to the local area. The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago is a great book. I picked up a leaflet in Leon that had the opening hours of all the churches in the region. If you go to https://www.turismocastillayleon.com/en/art-culture-heritage you can download some of the publications which will give you some info and tell you when the festivals are on. The Cathedrals all have audio guides or other info.

 

[nycwalking]

Also, once you've settled in for the day: walked, washed, napped, et cetera, go in search of local churches. Many will have literature available and some have a tour guides. Ask, hospies they can be a font of info.

 

[scruffy1]

Don't forget those churches and church museums just off-Camino! Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas on the left 250 meters off-Camino as you leave Burgos, Fromista San Martin de Tours for the Romanesque statuary - on-Camino, Vilar de Donas 2 1/2k off-Camino from Portos; SdC and possibly my favorite church, Parroquia de Santa María de Sar up the hill on Rua San Pedro from downtown - a living example for the need of flying buttresses!.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Also, once you've settled in for the day: walked, washed, napped, et cetera, go in search of local churches. Many will have literature available and some have a tour guides. Ask, hospies they can be a font of info.

And, when passing through a town, you can ask locals if they know who has a key to the church. It might be opened up for you to view.

 

[Felipe]

Yes, in my experience most village (and even cities) churches are closed. They open only for Masses, when visiting is not a proper thing to do. And if you arrive just after Mass, after a short while you are politely invited to leave.
I suppose there is a risk associated with old sculptures and paintings, and they don't have the resources to sustain a permanent keeper.
Sometimes, if you linger for a while, somebody arrives to open the doors and make a bit of a guided visit -in those cases, please remember to let a good contribution in the alms box.

 

[sillydoll]

Bien Camino
My question is.....
Does anyone know of a book, or webpage that lists the Churches along to Camino?
No matter how small, every town on the route has a Church (even Churches without a town).
Every Church (Cathedral) has a built date, by who, religious orders, why, architectural design/style, who-did-what, is it actually open to view, what to look for.

The millennia of pilgrim flow along the Camino has provided a fertile zone for “grand” Churches.

What I am hoping to find is a guide (summary) as to what to see.

Something small enough to carry, but detailed enough to read the night-before (on the trail).

This website gives the mass times along the Camino:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewe...re&msa=0&mid=1Ri9eQL2rE26aoP3mQkZYbHWzBC4&z=5