Santiago Pilgrimage Vs Others

Hi everyone, its Allison again. Who will be thankful in a couple days she can reset her google account! We went to the pilgrims museum in Santiago and I had a great time discovering different pilgrimages a cross the world and lead by both christians and other religious groups. To begin, there are three main pilgrimages christians make. One to Jerusalem, another to Rome, and lastly to Santiago de Compestella. Jerusalem is the main pilgrimage for the three great monotheist religions because it is the "Holy Land" held sacred by each of them for various reasons. Rome centers around the burial sites of St. Peter and St. Paul, holding relics and a tomb that draws people to the city. Lastly, is the one we are learning about, that draws in those who wish to trek to the theorized burial site of St. James. For each of these pilgrimages, word was spread across countries and the importance of the sites and relics drew people to set off on the roads to each of these important places.

Close to where I found this information, I was lead to a map (below) that held many symbols dictating other pilgrimages that draw their roots to various religions. Both Catholic and Orthodox have their own, along with Hinduism, Judaism, and Islam. Others include, Buddhism, Taoism, and more. I found it very interesting that the most populated places for pilgrimages lied in areas where the religion stuck but also may or may not have been reached to hold relics or other important items to draw people to those areas. For example, there is a few catholic and islamic spots in Eastern Africa. After some research I found that these places do not hold relics, however, the hold miracles and experiences that those walking the path wish to experience. I related this back to two individuals who I spoke with about "their" trip to Santiago. They reflected on the people they met and the importance of the road there. It was amazing to experience the road through them and be able to discover more about other pilgrimages along the way!



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