News from Rosina

[sillydoll]

From Rosina:


Today’s newspapers show a very nice graphic of the Santiago pilgrims’ statistics pertaining to 2006 and 2007

Go to: http://www.elcorreogallego.es/index.php ... cia=255881

(While the figures are correct the accompanying article continues to invert the male/female totals.)

The work in the “casa del Dean”, that is, the building wherein the pilgrims’ office is located, will commence next May. Those of us who have been there know that the sorry state of the building, and the office, beg for restoration (the building is four hundred years old). The purpose of the work will be to establish a waiting area, with seats, for pilgrims waiting for their certificate or Compostela, as well as a multi-service information facility for pilgrims seeking a place to stay, transportation information, etc. The amount of 600,000 Euros (about 950,000 U.S. Dlls.) has been set aside for the work, and many Santiago associations and enterprises have pledged volunteered labor and materials.

The Portico de Gloria in the Cathedral and its adjacent columns have been protected by a metal barrier for some time, and a couple of Galician Banks have undertaken the cost of restoring (at an estimated cost of 1 million Euros) Maestro Mateo’s priceless work. The good news is that, for the first time ever, the sculptures on the high part of the Portico will be viewable at eye level since those on guided tours will be able to climb wooden steps, erected for the purpose, to admire them close-up while the restoration work is in progress. The work will begin in May.

 

[sillydoll]

Re: News from Rosina - Hospitalero

Anyone interested in becoming hospitaleros in the Grand Palais albergue or the pilgrims welcoming center in SJPP may contact:

Les Amis du Chemin de Saint-Jacques des Pyrenees-Atlantiques
39 rue de la citadelle
64220 Saint Jean Pied de Port
France
caminopa@hotmail.com

 

[greenshank]

Wow! Thanks, doll!
I can see that the percentage is rising for "otros caminos"! But being one of only 326 that chose that I feel a bit special!
Being a hospitalero... Sounds intriguing, but not this year (gotta work a little here at home) :mrgreen:

 

[sillydoll]

A few more stats from Rosina: Perhaps Peter would like to comment. Are these numbers of pilgrims (as Rosina quotes) or number of nights?


The number of pilgrims using the albergues sponsored by the Xacobean people continues to grow: In 2005 216,616 people registered as pilgrims in the public albergues
In 2006 228,266
in 2007 231,119

In the last Holy Year, 2004, there were 735,814!
Of these, 561,804 had used the albergues in the Camino Frances;
67,918 used those in the Portuguese Camino;
37,262 those in the Via de la Plata;
29,863 those in the Fisterre-Muxia route;
24,333 those in the Northern Way;
9,702 and
4,937 those in the Primitive Way.

 

[sillydoll]

Some old news from Rosina (which I forgot to post here!)

Two thousand one hundred and twenty three foreign priest celebrated Mass at the Santiago Cathedral in 2006:

From Europe: 1,622 (the largest numbers being 817 from Italy, 199 from Germany, 146 from Poland and 116 from France)

From America: 334 (the largest numbers being 95 from the U.S.A.), 83 from Brasil, 33 from Argentina, 32 from Mexico, 21 from Canada, 17 from Colombia and 10 from Chile).

From Asia: 93 (including 35 from India (!!!!) and 31 from the Philippines)

From Africa: 74 (including 19 from South Africa and 15 from Nigeria)

From Oceania: 7

 

[sillydoll]

The Ourense province has just allocated 5 Million Euros to the betterment of the Camino facilities in the province, including the building of six new albergues: One each in “A Mezquita”, in “Vendas de Barreira”, in “Feces” in “Cualedro”, in “Campo Becerros” and in “Alariz”.
Ruben Lois, in charge of the project, declared that the province of Ourense aims to have a public albergue every 25 kilometers, in addition to the existing albergues and those in the City of Ourense itself.
Ourense is the last leg of one of the alternate endings of the Via de la Plata. Many Via de la Plata pilgrims opt to join the Camino Frances in Astorga, bypassing Ourense. This is possibly understandable since the Ourense route adds some kilometers to the Camino; on the other hand, the albergues there are not crowded and pilgrims who go through Ourense could not be better served. The city itself is very interesting; its Cathedral contains a second “Portico de Gloria” which maintains its original colorings, and a great many Camino treasures. The actual arrival in Santiago from Ourense crossing the river Ulla is enormously moving and spiritually significant…. particularly when compared to arriving in Santiago through industry-sated Lavacolla and its airport.
Ourense was deemed a city of “witches”, perhaps because of its sulphuric hot waters that spout everywhere. Many pilgrims arriving at Ourense take hot baths and swear that they become free from tiredness and aches.
The nearby province of Pontevedra has also announced the allocation of one and a half million Euros to improve the facilities of the Camino that crosses the province. Their plans include the building of a new albergue at Castro Dazon. The above projects are expected to be completed by next year’s summer, in anticipation of the Xacobean Holy Year in 2010.

In Seville, meanwhile, there will be meetings and conferences at the end of May to discuss ways and means in which the province can improve, and promote, the Via de la Plata which, it is felt, is the oldest of the routes to Santiago, and the one more historically significant. The province of Seville fairly covers the whole of Andalucia, including Granada, Cordoba, Malaga, Cadiz (the oldest city, per se, in Europe), etc. The province is enormously influential, as is its government which sits in the provincial capital, the city of Seville. So much interest in the Via de la Plata has been evidenced there of late that I expect that their plans and contributions will be something else.
Sevillians appear to happily inhabit a universe of their own and rarely seem to take notice of other places and peoples, so the upsurge of interest in the Via is most unusual.
Even at the Macarena Confraternity meetings assistance to Via pilgrims has been mentioned, which is most surprising.

 

[MermaidLilli]

Sil, your news excites me even more.
Thank You
Lillian

 

[sillydoll]

The Galician newspapers report a 32% increase in Camino albergues from 2006 to 2007.

According to the Xacobean sources, at the end of 2007 there were 219 albergues in the environs of the French Camino, of which 43% were public, 42% were private and 15% were sponsored by religious orders. (In 2007 about 92,000 pilgrims traversed the French Camino).

Meanwhile, the head of the related Orense Council Committee, Fernando Blanco, and the Orense Bishop, Msgr. Luis Quinteiro, have announced the allocation by the Council of nearly 600,000 € for the betterment of that portion of the Via de la Plata that traverses the province (between January and April of this year there has been a 22% increase of pilgrims there).

The Bishop and the Councilman are fully committed to the establishment of a public albergue every 25 kms before 2010.

A month ago five of the Pilgrims’ Office workers, including Mari, who runs the office, went to Orense to walk the Camino from that city to Santiago, and they were quite impressed by the rivers, the bridges and the general quietude of the area, interrupted only by the murmurs of the water running down the rivers and the sounds of the cows, goats and sheep that amble on the sides of the hills.

Since the plan for the refurbishing of the Camino in the area was announced a few days ago, several protests have been voiced complaining that making the area more inviting to pilgrims will ruin its “true pilgrimage” atmosphere of peace, quiet and reflection, and will turn it into the carnival that the French Camino has become!

Speaking of which, two well known cinema and TV actors will star in a movie that will be filmed next July. The movie will be called “The End of the Camino” and will be shot in O Cebreiro, Sarria, Portomarin and Santiago. It will be a comedy depicting the experiences of two reporters who decide to walk the Camino. At present, the producers are looking for 700 “extras” to play pilgrims.

PS from Sil: Does that mean we can expect another wave of "I wanna do that too" devotees to follow in their film star's footsteps? God help the Camino!