Culture & History

Anonymous (ed. Emma Falque Rey) (1995) Historia compostelana. Akal ediciones. 2001. (Available only in Spanish.) ISBN: 978-84460-0417-2. La obra es fundamentalmente el relato de los hechos del gran prelado compostelano Diego Gelmírez, una de las figuras más importantes de la Edad Media de Galicia. Los acontecimientos narrados en la Historia compostelana abarcan principalmente desde 1100 a 1139, es decir, los años en que Gelmírez fue primero obispo (1100-1120) y después arzobispo de Compostela hasta su muerte (1120-1140).
Ashley, Kathleen & Marilyn Deegan (2009) Being a Pilgrim: Art and Ritual on the Medieval Routes to Santiago. Lund Humphries Publishers. ISBN-13: 978-08533-1989-4. Kathleen Ashley, author, and Marilyn Deegan, photographer, explore the experience of the medieval pilgrim through an examination of art, historical and social contexts as well as themes related to pilgrimage such as music, legend and ritual. The book is copiously illustrated, showcasing the visual legacy of the medieval pilgrimage experience in sculpture, painting and architecture. Interwoven in the narrative text are original sources which bring to us the voices of these men and women who set out on what was then an epic journey.
Bahrami, Beebe (2009) The Spiritual Traveler: Spain - A Guide to Sacred Sites and Pilgrim Routes. HiddenSpring Books/Paulist Press. ISBN-13: 978-15876-8047-2. Cultural anthropologist and writer Beebe Bahrami explores the truly sacred and spiritual places, traditions, people, and roads of Spain. This is a non-denominational and deeply anthropological and folkloric travel book on Spain's prehistoric, pagan, Jewish, Christian and Muslim past. It is also a spiritual exploration of the country's diverse present, such as in emerging communities dedicated to Buddhism, Hinduism, animistic Earth-based spiritualities, as well as current revivals of the land's connection to the three Abrahamic faiths. Each chapter explores a region, a thematic route and the most vibrant spiritual life of that area.
Born, Anne (2021) If You Stand Here: A Pilgrim's Tour of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Independently published. ISBN-13: 979-8689227627 (paperback). ASIN: B08W8QQMTZ (Kindle). This book doesn't focus on the exact size of the building or all the dates of all the various building programs. But it will place you on the very spot in the Cathedral where something marvelous happened in the history of this extraordinary space. It will invite you to imagine the new archbishop saying Mass for the first time, the music director playing new music at the organ, or a local poet who stops in one late afternoon to say some prayers. If you stand here, you will be standing… •where the Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon watched the Botafumeiro swing in 1499, •where the Italian prince, Cosimo de Medici III entered the Cathedral in 1669, •where the poet Federico García Lorca visited with his classmates from the University of Granada in 1916, •where American writer Edith Wharton gazed at the Pórtico de la Gloria sculpture at sunset in 1925, or where the archbishop ran for his life when an angry mob set fire to the Cathedral roof in 1117.
Brabbs, Derry (2008) The Roads to Santiago: The Medieval Pilgrim Routes Through France and Spain to Santiago De Compostela. Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd. ISBN-13: 978-07112-2706-4. Although there are numerous guidebooks and personal accounts of the Camino de Santiago, there is no fully illustrated book covering the magnificent architectural and stunning landscape highlights to be found en route. This book covers all the major routes on both sides of the Pyrenees and it covers the various alternatives within Spain itself. The historical context is explained, and the notable monuments and landscapes are illustrated with photographs by one of Britain's leading landscape and architectural photographers.
Coffey, Thomas F. & Maryjane Dunn (2018) The Miracles and Translatio of Saint James, Books Two and Three of the Liber Sancti Jacobi: A Translation, with Introduction, Commentaries and Notes. Italica Press. Hardcover ISBN 978-1-59910-323-5; Paperback ISBN 978-1-59910-324-2; E-book ISBN 978-1-59910-325-9. The pilgrimage route to Compostela has an exceptional witness from its early days: the Liber Sancti Jacobi or Book of Saint James. The text provides an encyclopedia on Saint James the Greater and on the pilgrimage to Santiago. Of the five books included in the manuscript, Books II and III, published here in English translation, deal directly with the cult surrounding Saint James. Book II recounts 25 of the miracles attributed to the saint between the years 1100 and 1135. Book III describes the transfer of James’s body to Santiago from the Holy Land, where legend says he was beheaded by Herod. Together these two books of the Liber Sancti Jacobi provide a comprehensive description of the power and importance of the saint, reflecting his significance and the significance of Santiago de Compostela as one of the three major Christian pilgrimage sites during the Middle Ages.
Coffey, Thomas F., Maryjane Dunn & Linda Kay Davidson (1983) The Miracles of St. James: Translations from the Liber Sancti Jacobi. Italica Press. ISBN-13: 9780934977388. This book offers the complete text of Book II of the Codex Calixtinus, the twenty-two miracles associated with St. James. The introduction analyzes the types, places and recipients of the miracles and discusses the appearances of St. James himself in these stories. This is a contemporary description of the necessity, the ways and means, and the dangers engendered in making the Compostela pilgrimage. The original author's diatribes against the abuses common on the route give the twentieth-century reader a fascinating view of life on a medieval pilgrimage.
Collis, Louise (1983) Memoirs Of A Medieval Woman: The Life And Times Of Margery Kempe. Harper Perennial. Paperback ISBN-13: 978-00609-0992-5. This unusual biography tells the story of an extraordinary fifteenth-century woman who journeyed all over Europe from England to the Holy Land to Santiago de Compostela. Kempe was married and had fourteen children when she deserted her family to make her extended pilgrimage to expiate a 'secret sin' in her early life. Along the way she meets many famous prelates and dignitaries, gets into all sorts of scrapes, and survives a feverish voyage in the stinking galleys of a Venetian boat. Includes bibliographical references and index.
Davidson, Linda Kay & Maryjane Dunn-Wood (1993) Pilgrimage in the Middle Ages: A Research Guide. Garland Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-0824072216.
Dunn, Maryjane & Linda Kay Davidson, eds. (2000 paperback) The Pilgrimage to Compostela in the Middle Ages: A Book of Essays. Routledge. ISBN-13: 978-04159-2895-3. Nine studies address the phenomenon of the medieval pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. This volume was the first U.S.-published essay collection devoted to the subject, drawing on multiple disciplines - including music, history, art and religious history - to shed new light on the Santiago pilgrimage and its manifestations throughout Europe.
Dunn, Maryjane & Linda Kay Davidson (1994) The Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela: A Comprehensive Annotated Bibliography. Garland Publishing. ISBN 13: 9780824072209.
Frey, Nancy Louise (1998) Pilgrim Stories: On and Off the Road to Santiago, Journeys Along an Ancient Way in Modern Spain. University of California Press. ISBN-13: 978-0520217515.

Gitlitz, David & Linda K. Davidson (2000) The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago: The Complete Cultural Handbook. St. Martin's Press. ISBN-13: 978-0312254162 paperback; ASIN: B0091I0YOE Kindle. To fully appreciate the riches of the Camino, look no further than The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago, a fascinating step-by-step guide to the cultural history of the Road for pilgrims, hikers and armchair travelers alike. Organized geographically along the francés, the book covers aspects of the terrain, places of interest, history, artistic monuments and each town and village's historical relationship to the pilgrimage.The authors have led multiple student treks along the Road, studying the art, architecture, and cultural sites of the pilgrimage road from southern France to Compostela. Their lectures, based on twenty-five years of pilgrimage scholarship and fieldwork, were the starting point for this handbook. Be advised, this is s cultural handbook, not a guidebook for walking!

Gitlitz, David & Linda K. Davidson (2002) Pilgrimage: From the Ganges to Graceland. ABC-CLIO, Inc. ISBN-10: 1576070042. This encyclopedic two-volume set is a delight to read and pleasing to view. The authors begin with an introduction warranting a special note: in less than 10 pages, the reader receives a comprehensive overview of the history, nature and purpose of pilgrimage, cutting across cultures and faith traditions. Pilgrimage is defined here as "a journey to a special place, in which both the journey and the destination have spiritual significance for the journeyer." The book's subtitle is an indication of the breadth of the work.
Heaton, Tim (2013) The Long Road to Heaven: A Lent Course Based on the Film "The Way". Circle Books. ISBN-13: 978-1782792741. This second Lent resource from the author of The Naturalist and the Christ explores Christian understandings of “salvation” in a five-part study course based on the film The Way. Starring Martin Sheen as a bereaved father, this soulful and uplifting film observes a group of pilgrims walking the Way of St James to Santiago. As it follows their journey of inner transformation, the course examines biblical accounts and images of salvation – past, present and future – and addresses the questions: What are we saved from? What are we saved for? Who can be saved? What do we have to do to be saved? How are we saved?
Hodum, Robert (2012) Pilgrims' Steps: A Search for Spain's Santiago and an Examination of his Way. iUniverse. ISBN-13: 978-1475940121 Softcover; ISBN-13: 978-1475940138 Hardcover; ISBN-13: 978-1475940145 Ebook. Referencing biblical and ancient historical accounts, oral histories, contemporary analysis and current popular reflections, Pilgrims’ Steps examines the saint’s life and times and his connection to the religious and political movements of the 1st century. This work includes an in-depth overview of the origins and history of this region’s ancient cultures and their belief in sacred landscape. Pilgrim's Steps depicts the complex persona of St. James the Greater and examines the pre-Christian religions of Galicia as well as the evolution of the medieval Christian pilgrimage tradition along the Camino. Author Robert Hodum maintains that contemporary pilgrimage tradition along the Way incorporates the ancient sacred routes of Galicia, linking prehistoric populations, Bronze Age peoples and early Christian pilgrims with today's pilgrims.
Jacobs, M. (2003, 3rd edition) The Road to Santiago. Pallas Athene. ISBN-13: 978-1873429426. This is an informative, fully illustrated guide to the architecture along the main pilgrim route to Santiago. The work covers the churches, monasteries, cathedrals, hostels and hospitals associated with the pilgrimage as well as examples of Romanesque, Mozarabic, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and traditional folk architecture.
King, Georgiana Goddard (1917, reissued 2008) The Way of Saint James, Volumes I, II and III. Pilgrims' Process, Inc. ISBN-13: 978-0979090929, 978-0979090936, 978-0979090943 paperback. This is a reissue of Georgiana Goddard King's seminal study, The Way of Saint James. Completed in 1917, this three-volume set is a wide-ranging exploration of the history, literature, legends and architecture of the Camino de Santiago. It is based on Professor King's wanderings on foot and by cart, mule and other conveyance on the Spanish pilgrimage road, and on extensive academic research with particular emphasis on medieval art and architecture. Professor King was both a well-respected scholar and a keen observer of her surroundings. Thoroughly documented, with extensive notes and appendices, this is a must-have reference book not only for art historians but also for any true aficionado of the Camino.The University of Toronto has scanned a copy of the original edition and has placed it in several formats on the Internet Archive site. Access volume 1, volume 2 or volume 3.
Melczer, William (1993) The Pilgrim’s Guide to Santiago de Compostela. Italica Press. ISBN-10: 0-934977259. The Pilgrim’s Guide presents the first complete English translation of Book Five of the Liber Sancti Jacobi or Codex Calixtinus, the twelfth-century guidebook that traces the medieval camino from southern France to Santiago de Compostela. As important and interesting as the translation of this central book of the Codex is, the most fascinating part of the book is Melczer's extensive introduction about all facets of the cultural and historical position that the cult of Santiago held in the Middle Ages and his extensive notes on the text of the Codex.
Mitchell-Lanham, Jean (2015) The Lore of the Camino de Santiago: A Literary Pilgrimage. Two Harbors Press (paperback) and Publish Green Publishing (Kindle). Paperback ISBN-13: 978-1634133333. Kindle ASIN: B00UZNL3S0. Author Jean Mitchell-Lanham went for all the usual reasons — religious, midlife crisis, a need for adventure or a miracle, to visit Hemingway's 1920s hangouts, to pay homage to Saint James. Then her academic and literary interests set her off on a secondary journey to dig deeper into the mysteries and the draw of the pilgrimage. The result is this book: a review with academic, regional, cultural, historical and religious facts. All intertwined with the author's own journey.
Mullen, Robert and Rebekah Scott (2018) San Antón - A Little History. Peaceable Projects Publishing. Illustrations by Melissa West. Monasterio San Antón de Castrojeriz was founded 900 years ago as a fortress for warrior monks reconquering Spain and protecting pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago trail. Its story includes a half-mad saint, a gruesome disease, a jeweled arm with healing powers and fund-raising pigs. This illustrated history booklet is limited to an edition of 500. See peaceableprojects.org/peaceable-publishing to order.
Murphy, Denis (2011) Book Five of The Codex Calixtinus: The Pilgrim's Guide. This is an online English translation of book five of the Codex, the pilgrims' guide. sites.google.com/site/caminodesantiagoproject
Myers, Joan, Marc Simmons & Donna Pierce (1991) Santiago: Saint of Two Worlds. University of New Mexico Press. ISBN-13: 978-0826312730. A documentary project on Saint James or Santiago which traces the history of ancient pilgrimage route and shows depictions of Santiago in the New World. 73 pages plus 84 single-sided, full-page, duo-toned black and white plates and a two-page map.

Pazos, Antón M., ed (2013) Pilgrims and Pilgrimages as Peacemakers in Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Ashgate Publishing Company. ISBN-13: 978-1409468264. Anton M. Pazos is Vice-director and Senior Research Scientist at the Instituto de Estudios Gallegos and President of the Commission Internationale d'Histoire et d'Etudes du Christianisme. With a set of contributions from leading experts in the field, this book explores the concept of pilgrimage in Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Specific examples of pilgrimages that helped to strengthen links between different religions or civilizations are explored, ranging from Europe to Asia and from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. While the book in its entirety is not specifically about the Camino de Santiago there are two chapters have some aspect of the Camino as their topic.

Pool, Kevin R., ed. and trans (2014) The Chronicle of Pseudo-Turpin: Book IV of the Liber Sancti Jacobi (Codex Calixtinus). Italica Press, Inc. Hardcover, ISBN 978-1599102894. Paperback, ISBN 978-1599102900, Kindle Edition, ASIN: B00OZPWFB8. The twelfth-century Chronicle of Pseudo-Turpin, also known as the History of Charlemagne and Roland, offers an “eye-witness” account of events during the late eighth century. Charlemagne’s compatriot, Archbishop Turpin of Rheims, describes the miraculous appearance of Saint James to Charlemagne and the battles against the Muslims that he and Roland fought as a result of this vision. The chronicle is one of the fundamental texts in the literary legend surrounding Charlemagne, Roland, Compostela and St. James. In his introduction to this first modern English translation of the chronicle, Kevin Poole investigates the issues of fiction, legend and authorship and the relationship between the false chronicle and its wider literary tradition. He also highlights the possible connections between the work and its contemporary political and religious environment. 178 pages with 10 illustrations. 
Reader, Ian (2013) Pilgrimage and the Marketplace (Routledge Studies in Religion, Travel, and Tourism). Routledge. Hardcover ISBN-13: 978-0415709194; Kindle edition ASIN: B00F47542I. The study of pilgrimage usually concerns itself with (mostly ancient) miracles and (mostly modern) social activity. While some of these may play an important role in the success of pilgrimage sites, this book demonstrates that the marketplace, including marketing and promotional activities by religious entities, secular interest groups and governmental agencies, create the consumerist markets through which pilgrimages become established and successful – and through which the ‘sacred’ as a category can be sustained. The author discusses how pilgrimages may be invented, shaped and promoted by various interest groups. In so doing he draws attention to the competitive nature of the pilgrimage market, revealing that there are rivalries, borrowed ideas and alliances with commercial and civil agencies to promote pilgrimages. While these forces have been and are certainly in play on the Camino, the author considers other routes including in Japan, India, China, Vietnam, Europe and the Muslim world.
Sampedro, Elias Valina (1992) Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino de Santiago. Editorial Galaxia. ISBN-10: 8471547945. First comprehensive guide in English prepared by the parish priest at O Cebreiro, the person most responsible for re-blazing the route and making the present day pilgrimage possible. We are considering this as a historical book because as a guide book the material is very outdated. As a history it has a special place in the lore of the Camino.
Shaver-Crandell, Annie, Paula Lieber Gerson, Alison Stones (1995) The Pilgrim's Guide to Santiago de Compostela: A Gazetteer. Harvey Miller Publishing. ISBN-10: 1872501931. This massive reference book, weighing in at almost 3 pounds, will be extremely useful to historians of religion, architecture, sculpture and travel. Not a guide to the Road but to the monuments along the way, including references to those that are ruins or no longer there.
Sumption, Jonathan (2003) The Age of Pilgrimage: The Medieval Journey to God. Paulist Press. ISBN-13: 978-1587680250. Author Jonathan Sumption examines the traditions of pilgrimage prevalent in Europe from the beginning of Christianity to the end of the fifteenth century. He discusses such major destinations as Jerusalem, Rome, Santiago de Compostela and Canterbury and he examines both major figures—popes, kings, queens, scholars, villains—and the common people of their day. He explains the appeal of pilgrimage to medieval people and the religion on which it was based. And he asserts that modern tourism has its roots in the Middle Ages, including "package tours," phrase books and postcards.
Tennant, Susan (2010) The 1918 Shikoku Pilgrimage of Takamure Itsue: An English translation of Musume Junreiki. CreateSpace. ISBN-13: 978-1450540759. In 1918 a young woman of 24 set off to walk the 1,400 km pilgrimage route around the island of Shikoku (The 88 temples). This book is her account of her extraordinary experiences during the five month journey. The 105 newspaper articles that she wrote while making her pilgrimage made her a celebrity in Japan. In later years the woman, Takamure Itsue, became well known in Japan as a poet, intellectual, scholar, historian, feminist and anarchist. This is an English translation of the newspaper articles.
Ure, John (2006) Pilgrimages: The Great Adventure of the Middle Ages. Carroll & Graf. ISBN-13: 978-0786717804. Using contemporary accounts, former British Ambassador Sir John Ure relates the stories of medieval Christian pilgrimage during the years 1066 to 1536. Through the often forgotten records of Erasmus, John of Gaunt and Margery Kempe among others, the author brings to life a colorful cast of characters.
Back to Books

Rev 02/09/21