Credencial vs passport

[Anonymous]

Hi. What's the diff between a credencial and a passport? Best, xm 8)

 

[sillydoll]

Credenciale - Passport

None really. It is called the credential but it is the pilgrim's "passport" to staying in the refuges.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Sil. The first probably came about from the Congress at Jaca, I suppose. Wonder where the other one came from? Best, xm 8)

 

[marktqm]

Out of convenience, probably for the foreigners. The term 'passport' is easier to understand instead of 'credencial' (or credential) but of course we can't have these people thinking of showing their national passports at the albergue -- those would be filled with sellos in no time. Historically, the credencial was issued in one's own parish, as a sign to all people concerned on the route that the person carrying it is undertaking a pilgrimage.

 

[Peter Robins]

There's an image of a true pilgrim's passport - i.e. a passport issued for a Frenchman to go on pilgrimage to Santiago - from 1829 at
http://www.saint-jacques.info/rencontres_2005/1928.htm
If you can read Spanish, there's an interesting article on the precursors of the credencial and compostela, the Tarjeta and Titulo del Peregrino respectively, in the current issue of Libredon, the magazine of the Galician Amigos (pp42-44) http://www.amigosdelcamino.com/php/uplo ... don_16.pdf

 

[Anonymous]

...a true pilgrim's passport - i.e. a passport issued for a Frenchman to go on pilgrimage

Hello Peter.

Then, there's a diff between a credencial & a passport :?:

Best,

xm 8)

 

[Peter Robins]

define your terms! "Pilgrim's passport" is sometimes used as an English term for the credencial, although 'credentials' would be the straight translation. The CSJ calls their version "Pilgrim Record" specifically to distinguish it from the credencial. As marktqm says, this is a distant descendant of the credentials (= letter of introduction) carried by a medieval pilgrim as identity papers. Of course, today's credencial, whatever you call it, isn't really 'credentials' as it has no authority behind it. Incidentally, one of the first things the Société des Amis de St Jacques did when they were founded in 1950 was to issue a letter of credentials to prospective pilgrims.

Originally a passport was a permit, literally to pass through the port or entry point to a city or territory. So today's national passport, as identity papers, is descended more from the credentials than from the passport which is more like a visa.

Hope that's clear!

 

[Anonymous]

define your terms!

Ouch! :shock:

Hope that's clear!

Better be :lol: :!:

Appreciate the post, interesting history, seems it's all the same.

Best, xm