Pilgrim's Guide - Book 5 of the Codex Calixtinus

[gerardcarey]

This site contains an English translation of the Pilgrim's Guide section, book 5, of the Codex Calixtinus, the 12th Century account of pilgrim routes through France and Spain to Santiago de Compostela.
https://sites.google.com/site/caminodes ... oject/home

Don't miss chapter 7
Gerard

 

[markss]

Very interesting. And fun to read! Thank you for sharing!

 

[LTfit]

Thanks, can't wait to read it!

Just skimming and found this entry for Burgos:

Burgos
After Navarre, the Camino crosses the forest of Oca and continues through the Spanish territory of Castile and Campos towards Burgos. This country is full of royal treasure, of gold and silver, fabrics and the strongest horses, and flush with bread, wine, fish, milk and honey. It is however lacking in firewood and the people are evil and vicious.

Glad that "the people" have changed since then !

Cheers,
LT

 

[gerardcarey]

Burgos? sounds like heaven after what they'd been through.
The Basques and the Navarrese. What a terrifying lot they were!

Gerard

 

[WanderingChristian]

Good Heavens! The author has some odd and nasty things to say about the Basque and Navarrese. It sounds like he was suffering a serious case of culture shock (monks and priests being very civilized folks). After reading a few segments, I am left wondering....Where can I get a copy of the entire Codex? I'm a history nut, and would love to get my hands on a copy. Searches on Amazon and Barnes & Noble have returned without much success. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Buen Camino a todos, mi amigos,
WanderingChristian

 

[bystander]

WanderingChristian
Look here
http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&tn=Codex+Calixtinus

 

[bystander]

Gerard,
It would seem I ought to feel at home in Navarre for

"It is said that Julius Caesar brought three tribes to conquer the Spaniards who refused to pay him taxes: the Nubians, the Scots and men with tails from Cornwall"

Don't know about the Nubian bit but my mother was Scottish and my father's family come from Cornwall.
See you later - am off to check on the tail!

 

[gerardcarey]

Good Heavens! The author has some odd and nasty things to say about the Basque and Navarrese. It sounds like he was suffering a serious case of culture shock (monks and priests being very civilized folks). After reading a few segments, I am left wondering....Where can I get a copy of the entire Codex? I'm a history nut, and would love to get my hands on a copy. Searches on Amazon and Barnes & Noble have returned without much success. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Buen Camino a todos, mi amigos,
WanderingChristian

Believed to have been arranged by the French scholar Aymeric Picaud.
What little research I did directed me to the theory that he was writing this for a French aristocratic audience.
The events of Charlemagne's campaign in Spain, particularly those surrounding the battle near Ibaneta Pass, where one theory says it was the Basques and Navarrese who slaughtered his rearguard, and not the Moors, suggests that Amery Picaud used more than a little artistic licence in depicting them in such a bad light.
EDIT POST. Bystander beat me to it.
There is also some info on Amazon.com. I did a search under books for "Codex Calixtinus".
Regds
Gerard

 

[mspath]

For various available facsimile copies of the Codex see this web.

For 'recent' history of the Santiago de Compostela cathedral copy see these Forum threads reporting in 2011 the Codex stolen and, fortuitously in 2012, the Codex recovered.

Truth can be indeed stranger than fiction!

MM

 

[Rambler]

Good Heavens! The author has some odd and nasty things to say about the Basque and Navarrese. It sounds like he was suffering a serious case of culture shock (monks and priests being very civilized folks). After reading a few segments, I am left wondering....Where can I get a copy of the entire Codex? I'm a history nut, and would love to get my hands on a copy. Searches on Amazon and Barnes & Noble have returned without much success. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Buen Camino a todos, mi amigos,
WanderingChristian

Here is the book version of Book 5 translated by Melczer http://www.amazon.com/Pilgrims-Guide-Santiago-Compostela/dp/0934977259/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210092793&sr=8-1

or a download:
http://ebookily.org/doc/codex-calixtinus-in-english
Hope this helps.
Rambler

 

[gerardcarey]

That's cool everybody! Thanks very much.
Now you've got me wondering if we could get a look at the one in SDC.
Anyone know if it is on display or available to carefully peruse.
Regds
Gerard

 

[mspath]

That's cool everybody! Thanks very much.
Now you've got me wondering if we could get a look at the one in SDC.
Anyone know if it is on display or available to carefully peruse.
Regds
Gerard

Gerard,

The Codex is kept within the Archivo-Biblioteca of the cathedral which is located in the space which was once the cathedral cloister. For opening times and a general description of the varied and extensive holdings click the link.

Prior to the 'events' of 2011/2012 certain areas of the library were freely open to visitors and other sections only to bona fide researchers. In those 'good old days' the Codex as well as other invaluable medieval manuscripts were rather casually displayed on small lecterns for viewing, but NEVER touching. I do not know what is the current policy.

Margaret Meredith

 

[barber1586]

This site contains an English translation of the Pilgrim's Guide section of the Codex Calixtinus, the 12th Century account of pilgrim routes through France and Spain to Santiago de Compostela.
https://sites.google.com/site/caminodes ... oject/home

Don't miss chapter 7
Gerard

Fascinating reading, Gerard. Thanks!

 

[Michael K]

Is there an english translation of all the books of the Codex? Book 5 seems to be the only one, and it would be nice to read the full text of the others (especially the ones that give the historical background).

 

[Saint Mike II]

Is there an english translation of all the books of the Codex? Book 5 seems to be the only one, and it would be nice to read the full text of the others (especially the ones that give the historical background).

What? Not prepared to study up on your Latin?? Well I can fully understand - it drove me up the wall and down the other side - so much that I dropped it and took up something far more useful.
But to be sensible - it would be great to get the whole 5 volumes. Cheers

 

[Michael K]

I actually am learning some Latin too, maybe this will provide incentive when I have to memorize the conjugations and declensions haha.

 

[peregrina2000]

This site contains an English translation of the Pilgrim's Guide section of the Codex Calixtinus, the 12th Century account of pilgrim routes through France and Spain to Santiago de Compostela.
https://sites.google.com/site/caminodes ... oject/home

Don't miss chapter 7
Gerard

Great, thanks for this. You know, I don't mean at all to make light of flashers, but when I thought back and realized that on all but one occasion, the flashers I encountered were in Navarra, the Codex's rant about the perversity of Navarrans resonated strongly with me. buen camino, Laurie

 

[Sarah Fisher]

This thread seems to be long since dead. But if anyone knows anything about how the codex is currently housed or possibly on view, I would love to know. My fascination with the Camino stemmed from reading this text in college medieval art history classes and I focussed quite a bit on illuminated manuscripts. A month out from my Camino, I searched for this text to reread. Still haven't successfully found the other books in English translation except for book 5.

One of my nerdy side projects will be to compare what this author wrote down about the areas he traveled through and what my experience is today.