The Way of Sant James

• She pointed out that this organism is an example international dimension achieved by the Camino and the European interest in the pilgrimages to Compostela.
• She referred to the figures registered in recent years by the Camino de Santiago highlighting the fact that a total of 278,232 pilgrims stamped their “Compostelas” last year which entails a historical maximum.

The Director of Turismo de Galicia, Nava Castro, held a meeting in Santiago with the representatives of the International Committee of Experts on the Camino de Santiago, which, in 2017, commemorates its 25th anniversary of its first official meeting.

After highlighting its immense, incalculable value, Nava Castro assured those present that “from its origin, the Committee has brought together the most brilliant European researchers in Compostela themes throughout its history”.

The person responsible for Tourism of the Xunta stressed that this is an example of the international dimension achieved by the Camino and the European interest in the pilgrimages to Compostela. “The composition of the Committee formed by members from Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Germany, England, etc. shows perfectly the scope of the Jacobean Route”.

Moreover, Nava Castro referred to the figures registered recently in the Camino de Santiago underlining the fact that a total of 278,232 pilgrims stamped their “Compostelas” last year, thus exceeding the historical figure of pilgrims welcomed by Galicia in the 2010 Xacobeo.

She concluded that, “Undoubtedly, this would not be possible without the fundamental work of the Committee and the research carried out on the Camino de Santiago, which is widely disseminated and promoted in Europe and in other countries linked in some way to the cult of Santiago”.

The international Committee of Experts on the Camino de Santiago

The International Committee of Experts on the Camino de Santiago was set up in 1992 due to the necessity to advise the Department of Institutional a Relations in the scientific and cultural field or the 1993 Compostela Holy Year.

The fundamental criteria followed for its formation was to choose the internationally most recognised as regards Compostela themes, some of these closely linked to the Jacobean world of the Pilgrim Associations. In fact, several Presidents of national study centres or associations involved in these themes.

This Committee currently continues to carry out valuable advisory work concerning all the themes related to the Jacobean Route: itineraries, publications, study centres, congresses, exhibitions, journals, etc.

In addition, the publishing of dozens of scientific works is of extremely high value as they provide the Jacobean Route with a research and scientific dimension. This is the case of the research journal on the Camino de Santiago and the world of pilgrimages, the Journal Ad Limina, whose latest edition was presented yesterday.

Also outstanding is the work of organisation and management of international congresses and the creation of new projects and lines of research which are adapted to the new technologies, as well as the creation and maintenance of the Jacobean Study Centres abroad.