CJ Williams
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Via Turonense (1995)
Camino Francés (1996; 1999; 2001; 2005; 2008; 2011)
Camino Aragonés (2000)
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The little village of Viloria de Rioja is in danger of losing the stretch of the Camino that has run along it streets for a thousand years as a result of the latest phase of the expansion of the A-12 Motorway, called the "Motorway of the Camino" in Spanish. The Ministry of Development intends to exclude the small town where, in 1019, Santo Domingo de la Calzada was born. The residents of the village have started a petition to Señora Ana Pastor, Minister of Public Works, to prevent this. There is a link to the petition they have created on the change.org site below. Let's all pitch in to try and stop yet another aggression against the Camino, and to help the residents of Viloria safeguard their village, its history and the memory of Santo Domingo!
Mantener Viloria de Rioja en el Camino Francés/Keep Viloria de Rioja on the French Way
The N-120 is no longer sufficient. The construction of the A-12 will serve as an economic motor for the region, linking Logroño, Burgos, León etc. via a high-speed motorway. It is a done deal, and the next phase is underway. No one disputes the need for it, nor the benefits of having it. The concern here is altering as little as possible the traditional pilgrim's route and preserving the villages associated with the life of St. Dominic.I cannot find anything to support construction of A-12 in the vicinity. N-120 is the main carrier of trucks, and the current routing of the Camino avoids it as much as possible. Is it really likely that the foot path would become more involved with the highway? That would certainly reverse the trend.
What is the route? Most of the available land appears to be to the north of N-120, quite some distance from Viloria de Rioja.the next phase is underway.
I am happy to sign - just want to know what I am signing!!! Blessings
Tio Tel
What? Let's not mix apples and oranges. It is not the responsibility of the Archbishop, or the Chapter of the cathedral, to provide access to Viloria via footbridges or any other means; it is the responsibility of the regional governments through which the Camino passes (in this case, Castile and Leon) to guarantee the integrity of and preservation of the monuments which exist within their territoty.Of all the vilages to sacrifice. How sad and ironic. Not to mention the loss of Acacio & Orietta's welcoming albergue.
So, how much money does the Cathedral make with us walking to it? How about it covers the cost of a couple of footbridges?
Thank you, Kinky One!Signed. And the link sent to some Caminoists over here.
Thank you, Tio Tel!Done!
Tio Tel
Thank you for signing, Tia Valeria! As to your question about the petition being amended, I don't know. Perhaps I can find a way to contact the authors and suggest it. In any case, I am certain that the Mayor of Viloria must have proposed something similar. I will try to find out more information.We have always been impressed by the underpasses and footbridges which Spain has, in our experience, provided under or over new road construction. This would seem to be needed here, justified by the World Heritage status of the Camino and this section in particular. Can the petition be made to reflect this? or is it too late to amend it?
Petition signed.
Hi Laurie, thanks for signing the petition! I doubt that the residents of the village are asking that the path of the motorway be altered. I'm sure that such a proposal would be met with deafening silence given the costs involved, but I'm equally certain that the Mayor of Viloria must have proposed something like a footbridge, or tunnel, or something else to that effect. I am in the process of trying to gather more information about the situation and will let you all know what I am able to find out. God bless!Hi, Navarricano,
I have signed the petition -- any move to take the Camino away from its wanderings through little villages and put it at the side of the N-120 is in my opinion a change in the wrong direction.
But what I didn't see in the description of the opposition was any mention is whether the opponents have a reasonable alternative to the government's plan. Or are you saying that the Camino can just stay exactly where it is and the A-12 can easily go around it? Having a solution makes it harder for the government to stick with its unwise plan, IMO. Buen camino, Laurie
Of all the vilages to sacrifice. How sad and ironic. Not to mention the loss of Acacio & Orietta's welcoming albergue.
So, how much money does the Cathedral make with us walking to it? How about it covers the cost of a couple of footbridges?
Thank you, Wayfarer!Done.
Thanks so much, Al!Signed. I love Viloria, it's so peacful. I noticed while there this year that there is a new donativo albergue there now.
Well, I keep reading on this forum that the whole "100km to get your credencial" and refusal to change the rule to perhaps return to the Camino back to a "purer pilgrimage" (for lack of a better word, could also say in my onw lingo "curb the circus") rather than a fun week of fun in Spain to get a certificate is due to the Church wanting money and power from the Camino. Money and power ... So maybe money and power is not why the Church won't change the rule, but if it is why doens't it use its power and money to keep the historical relevance of this route, especially as it honors one of its Saints.What? Let's not mix apples and oranges. It is not the responsibility of the Archbishop, or the Chapter of the cathedral, to provide access to Viloria via footbridges or any other means; it is the responsibility of the regional governments through which the Camino passes (in this case, Castile and Leon) to guarantee the integrity of and preservation of the monuments which exist within their territoty.
Ditto. Same for us in 2013. We shared one of our most memorable evening meals around the little table at the Refugio Acacio y Orietta.Done. One of my best days on the Camino in 2014, at Acacio and Orrieta's albergue.
I live near that site and I am surprised by that news. I have pass this evening, I have a look about the trace of the motorway and I have found that:It may be my misunderstanding of the language but is the Camino through the village going to be cut off by the autopista? It reads as though the petition wants the road to run through the village. I am happy to sign - just want to know what I am signing!!!
Blessings
Tio Tel
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