A medieval adventure ground?

[Kathar1na]

I am interested in but not very knowledgeable about long-distance pilgrimages in the middle ages. I know that there is a scholarly debate about the question of how many millions actually walked all the way to Santiago in the middle ages from very far away. Some obviously did, like from Antwerp, from Denmark and from German cities, there is no debate about it at all. But they certainly did not fly somewhere or travel somewhere to start their pilgrimage as the modern traveller does.

I was amused - and admittedly a bit irked - to read someone writing on this forum of often thinking of the medieval pilgrims who had very little protection against weather, thieves, illness, or starvation "but that this was all seen as part of the adventure". I think nothing could be further from the reality and the thinking of people living in the middle ages than such a statement. I do know that it was not all praying and misery all the way. In fact, I know what proper modern local pilgrimages that last a few days are like - I think they may have more in common with the medieval pilgrim than the 21st century camino walker has.

I was intrigued to read that in the 16th century the Catholic Kings of Spain established a zone of a width of 4 miles along the old Camino Francés. Any pilgrim who left this zone lost his right to claim priviledges as a pilgrim. The reason was apparently the fact that a considerable number of pilgrims were convicted criminals or similar who had been sentenced to walk to Santiago and this had become a problem. In Spain, foreign pilgrim was sometimes synonym with convicted criminal, it seems.

How do you imagine life on the St James's ways in the middle ages? Any good sources that are historically accurate but still not to difficult to read?

 

[Pelegrin]

"In Spain, foreign pilgrim was sometimes synonym with convicted criminal, it seems."
It seems that after 15th century the Camino to Santiago started to decline for diverse reasons.
Mothers in rural Galicia used to say to their children "Vas feito un pilingrín" meaning you look like a pilgrim when they were dirty and untidy.
That reveals that in post medieval centuries people in Galicia had better hygienic conditions than pilgrims and maybe some rejection to them.

 

[GAUVINS]

Interesting thread.

I've googled without much (instant) success.

I've amazoned the French site where there is serious literature available, but paper only so it won't do.

Then the .com where there is this interesting title apparently dealing with multiple layers of context rather than focusing on the medieval period. I've downloaded and will let you know if there is something of interest. (I assume. The authors are scholars as far as I can tell. And the fifth review alludes to a lecture given by one of them where she defines what a pilgrimage is. And I think she is spot on.

If you find serious sources please share.

 

[pudgypilgrim]

Well, you've only got to look at the Ghent Altarpiece (the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb) to see what a scruffy lot the Holy Pilgrims are:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...nt_Altarpiece_-_The_Holy_Pilgrims_cropped.JPG

(If unfamiliar with the entire massive composition, it helps to look at the whole thing to see the contrast between the shambling group being led in by St Christopher and everybody else.)

I believe Van Eyck is supposed to have walked the Camino, so he would have known.

 

[Icacos]

Thank you for starting this thread, @Kathar1na. Although I am not a scholar of any sort, I have long been interested in pilgrimage in the Middle Ages and have always been happy to gather up bits of information. I expect this thread will add to my already long list of Camino related books I want to read. I have recently read Water from a Deep Well: Christian Spirituality from Early Martyrs to Modern Missionaries by Gerald L. Sittser. Not specifically recommending this book for your purposes; it's just the only title I have to offer at the moment. As @Pelegrin posted, the draw of the Camino de Santiago declined during the 15th century. It was interesting to see in Off the Road, by Jack Hitt, which is one of my current reads, that Martin Luther (1483 - 1546) preached that all pilgrimage should cease. I would certainly want to read more about that.

Ah, I see there have been a couple of posts come in already.

 

[VNwalking]

An enjoyable read is A Cockleshell Pilgrim - A Medieval Journey to Compostela
It's a wonderful reconstruction of what it must have been like to travel as a medieval pilgrim...and a real reality check. Nothing we face today on the Camino comes close to the challenge of creeping through enemy territory as an Englishman during the Hundred Years' War...not to mention the various dangers and day to day difficulties. It was an definitely an 'adventure' back then, but not one taken up as we do today--and not an easy or sanitized one (literally and metaphorically)!
(edited for grammar...)

 

[GAUVINS]

The pilgrimage road to Santiago, by Gitlitz and Davidson, is available through Kindle. It doesn't directly address the issue of the medieval experience per se, but they say that there are several personal journals that were published at various points in time, and their list of references lists titles such as : The pilgrimage of Arnold Von Harff:Knight, from Cologne, Through Italy, Syra, Egypt, Arabia, Ethiopia, Nubia, Palestine, Turkey, France and Spain. which He Accomplished in the Years 1496 to 1499.(google the title. It appears to be available as print on demand)

There is also an ebook written by Diana Webb - Medieval European Pilgrimage c. 700-c.1500 that might be worth reading.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

"The Age of Pilgrimage" by Jonathan Sumption is the go-to book on medieval western pilgrimage. It's very scholarly, but an easy and fascinating read.
As for the Gallegos calling dirty children "pilgrim:" My first camino in 2001 included a ride back to Najera from San Millan de Cogolla in the cab of a farmer's tractor. His little dog sat alongside.
"What's the dog's name?" I asked him.
"Peregrino," the man said.
"Because you found him on the camino?"
"No, because he smells so bad."

 

[amorfati1]

I am interested in but not very knowledgeable about long-distance pilgrimages in the middle ages. I know that there is a scholarly debate about the question of how many millions actually walked all the way to Santiago in the middle ages from very far away. Some obviously did, like from Antwerp, from Denmark and from German cities, there is no debate about it at all. But they certainly did not fly somewhere or travel somewhere to start their pilgrimage as the modern traveller does.

I was amused - and admittedly a bit irked - to read someone writing on this forum of often thinking of the medieval pilgrims who had very little protection against weather, thieves, illness, or starvation "but that this was all seen as part of the adventure". I think nothing could be further from the reality and the thinking of people living in the middle ages than such a statement. I do know that it was not all praying and misery all the way. In fact, I know what proper modern local pilgrimages that last a few days are like - I think they may have more in common with the medieval pilgrim than the 21st century camino walker has.

I was intrigued to read that in the 16th century the Catholic Kings of Spain established a zone of a width of 4 miles along the old Camino Francés. Any pilgrim who left this zone lost his right to claim priviledges as a pilgrim. The reason was apparently the fact that a considerable number of pilgrims were convicted criminals or similar who had been sentenced to walk to Santiago and this had become a problem. In Spain, foreign pilgrim was sometimes synonym with convicted criminal, it seems.

How do you imagine life on the St James's ways in the middle ages? Any good sources that are historically accurate but still not to difficult to read?

you might get lucky reviewing further the subforum on Misc Topics - numerous books on ancient pilgrims have been mentioned/discussed.
quite interesting reads, me thinks.

 

[GAUVINS]

Fondation David Parou Saint-Jacques which are, however, in French

I speak French fluently. If I can help, let me know

 

[VNwalking]

A little off topic, but...

"What's the dog's name?" I asked him.
"Peregrino," the man said.
"Because you found him on the camino?"
"No, because he smells so bad."

Thanks Reb...I don't laugh out loud so easily, reading things, but this did it.
Well. If the shoe fits I guess we have to wear it.

 

[Pelegrin]

"In Spain, foreign pilgrim was sometimes synonym with convicted criminal, it seems."
It seems that after 15th century the Camino to Santiago started to decline for diverse reasons.
Mothers in rural Galicia used to say to their children "Vas feito un pilingrín" meaning you look like a pilgrim when they were dirty and untidy.
That reveals that in post medieval centuries people in Galicia had better hygienic conditions than pilgrims and maybe some rejection to them.

About the phrase "vas feito un pilingrin" that today is out of use (I think) because children in Galicia don´t go as dirty and untidy as 50 years ago, what it is curious is that people don´t know what a "pilingrin" is.
The word for pilgrim today in Galego is as in Spanish "peregrino". That reveals the antiquity of the phrase.

 

[madrid12]

This is also a bit off topic but we were recently in Balmaseda for a day out from Bilbao and they had two day medieval festival and it was like going back in time, all the villagers were dressed up and the stalls were selling medieval type items. There was also a man promoting the camino but the language was really difficult although I can speak a bit of Spanish.

 

[navarro]

This is also a bit off topic but we were recently in Balmaseda for a day out from Bilbao and they had two day medieval festival and it was like going back in time, all the villagers were dressed up and the stalls were selling medieval type items. There was also a man promoting the camino but the language was really difficult although I can speak a bit of Spanish.

 

[navarro]

Probably he was speaking "euskera" an ancient language of vasque country.

 

[gerardcarey]

In regard to Geoffrey Chaucer's "Prologue to the Canterbury Tales" wherein he describes his 30 or so pilgrims in some detail, I would suggest his descriptions could very well be based on actual meetings with Pilgrims, and perhaps confirmed further by his wife who is reputed to have done the pilgrimage to Santiago.
Regds
Gerard