In the footsteps of medieval pilgrims… Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France

Visiting the remains of saints, or relics, is the driving force behind a pilgrimage. A saint is a familiar and figure, with whom religious believers create emotional bonds, placing themselves under the saint’s protection. The presence and the influence of the saint are tangible.

Among an endless number of saints, one of the foremost figures is James the Great. He was one of the twelve apostles of Christ and a witness to the main events on which the Christian faith is based.

The attributes of the saints are symbols that enable their identification. Saint James is depicted as an apostle: dressed in a toga, he is often carrying the Bible and holding up his finger to show that he is teaching.

Saint James is also depicted in the clothing of those who come to honour him and confide in him: the pilgrims. He can be recognised by the items he carries, including a shell, a staff, a satchel and a calabash, and by the cape or coat and the wide hat that he wears. 

Relics marked the routes of pious travellers. They were displayed in superb shrines or under a marble or stone canopy, or kept in a crypt or cabinet. 

The Codex Calixtinus is a manuscript which was written in around 1130. It asserts the existence of four routes leading to the tomb of the apostle James. Four is a symbol to signify that people came from all over the world. Quatuor Viae sunt, quae ad Sanctum Jacobum tendentes.

The Via Tolosana begins in Arles, home to the relics of the first Christian martyrs. Pilgrims admired the tombs in the Alyscamps cemetery of the church of Saint-Honorat, and magnificent representations of pilgrims can be found in the cloister of the Cathedral of Saint-Trophime. 

In order to display as many relics as possible and to manage the flow of pilgrims, the Basilica of Saint-Sernin in Toulouse was designed with an apse with an ambulatory and radiating chapels. It is one of the most elaborate examples of Romanesque architecture.

Renowned for its ancient cult of the Virgin Mary, the Via Podiensis starts in Le Puy-en-Velay. A fever stone is said to be behind the construction of the city’s cathedral: a pilgrim lay down on a dolmen slab, saw the Virgin Mary in an apparition and recovered from a fever.   

The Via Lemovicensis enshrines the sanctuary of Vézelay. The Abbot of Cluny recognized the authenticity of the relics of Mary Magdalene in 1058. As was common, a collection of her miracles was compiled to promote her pilgrimage. A sumptuous basilica is dedicated to her.

The legend of Saint Leonard dates back to around the year 1000. The hermit, said to be a godson of King Clovis, was venerated for freeing prisoners. The collegiate church was built to house his remains. Today, over 1,200 places of worship are dedicated to him throughout Europe.

The city of Périgueux developed around a modest oratory where, as early as the 7^th century, pilgrims were visiting the tomb of Saint Front. In the 12^th century, atypical Romanesque architecture raised the roof domes towards the sky in a brilliant oriental dream.    

According to the author of Book V of the Codex Calixtinus in around 1130, the Via Turonensis passes through Saint-Martin de Tours, Saint-Hilaire de Poitiers, Saint-Jean d'Angély, Saint-Eutrope de Saintes and Bordeaux. It was a natural route, marked out by sanctuaries.

The Abbey of Saint-Jean-d'Angély illustrates an unfinished ambition. Originally, a dream guided Brother Félix to Egypt to take the head of Saint John the Baptist. The relic performed so many miracles that King Pepin ordered the abbey be built at the beginning of the 9^th century.  

The Basilica of Saint-Seurin in Bordeaux perpetuates the memory of Saint Severinus. Mothers would lay their children on his sarcophagus to ‘make them stronger’. The relic of the ivory horn of Charlemagne's nephew, Roland, made it a memorial to his epic adventures.