The Way of Sant James

• Today, Nava Castro and Anxo Lorenzo presented a special programme organized by Turismo de Galicia, which will kick off next Monday with an official ceremony and a concert by Amancio Prada at Santiago Cathedral
• Between then and 18 November, the Galician capital will host several seminars and conferences, reviewing the evolution of the Jacobean phenomenon and reflecting on its future
• Members of major European institutions, UNESCO, the European Travel Commission, and the World Tourism Organization will take part in the planned events
• The Way of St. James has just topped 280,000 pilgrims, the highest number in its history, with 55% belonging to 177 different nationalities
  Turismo de Galicia Director Nava Castro highlighted the ‘cultural wealth’ represented by the pilgrimage routes to Santiago and stated that all Galicians should feel ‘proud of the shared work undertaken on the Way of St. James during this time’
• The involvement of the Department of Culture with the concert by Amancio Prada at Santiago Cathedral is intended to enable citizens to participate in this incredibly significant anniversary for Galicia

Santiago de Compostela, 19 October 2017

Today, Turismo Director Nava Castro and Secretary-General for Culture Anxo Lorenzo presented the programme commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Way of St. James as the first European Cultural Route, organized by Turismo de Galicia. The celebration will kick off next Monday, exactly three decades to the day from the recognition by the Council of Europe, and will continue until 18 November.

Through this programming, the Xunta de Galicia will recognize a major date in the recent history of the Jacobean phenomenon, driven by its values and its revitalization as a key space in the creation of the European identity. Nava Castro stated that all Galicians should feel ‘proud of the shared work undertaken around the routes of the Way of St. James during this time, without which it would not be possible to conceive of our community’s progress’.

For his part, Anxo Lorenzo stressed the universal importance of the Jacobean phenomenon, ‘symbol of hospitality and fraternity which lies at the source of the construction of Europe’. The secretary-general for culture described the Camino as a ‘living space for culture and heritage which we public authorities have the obligation to oversee and preserve, promote and stimulate’.

The commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Way of St. James as the first European Cultural Route also offers a chance to review what has been achieved and lay the foundations for future challenges and opportunities at a time when the route’s values remain as relevant as ever. A number of international, European, Spanish and Galician institutions will be involved in this special programming, along with civil society, as well as the academic world and universities, which have been crucial to shaping the modern Jacobean phenomenon.
Jacobean Council Executive Committee

The opening ceremony for the commemoration will take place on Monday at San Francisco Hotel Monumento. It will be followed that same afternoon by a concert by artist Amancio Prada at Santiago Cathedral, accompanied by two children’s choirs: the church’s own Escolanía and the Niños Cantores of the Symphony Orchestra of Galicia.

The Way of St. James and Europe seminar will run from Monday, 23 October to Wednesday, 25 October. This event will be organized by the Way of St. James and Pilgrimages Department at the University of Santiago (USC), in collaboration with the Compostela Group of Universities. It will include lectures, panel discussions and hands-on labs, taking place at the Paraninfo Building on the USC campus and the Museum of Pilgrimage and St. James. Professors, lecturers and specialists from several countries will explore the reality of the pilgrimage route from a range of perspectives, including anthropology, heritage, sustainability, public policy, art and history, among others. Marcelino Oreja, who was the head of the Council of Europe in 1987, will be giving the opening lecture. The Technical Committee of the European Federation of the Way of St. James will also be meeting in the Galician capital during this same three-day period. And on Monday, there will be a meeting of the Jacobean Council Executive Committee, with the goal of moving forward on various lines of action among the communities through which the pilgrimage route runs.
2017 Camino de Santiago Awards

The following day, Tuesday, 24 October, will bring the presentation of the 2017 Camino de Santiago Awards, which recognize work done in this area by public institutions, associations, companies, schools, universities and researchers, working towards the goals set by the Council of Europe.

The commemorative programme will continue in November with three additional events. The first, taking place on 6 November, will be the European Cultural Routes Conference at the Hotel Management School of Galicia (CSHG). From Thursday, 9 November to Saturday, 11 November, it will be followed by the 10th International Congress on Jacobean Studies promoted by the International Committee of Experts on the Way of St. James. This edition of the event will be titled Iacobus Patronus. The commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Way of St. James as the first European Cultural Route will culminate with the International Seminar on Transnational Tourism Themes and Routes, organized by Turismo de Galicia, together with the European Travel Commission (ETC) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The seminar will be attended by managers from both organizations, as well as members of such important institutions as UNESCO, the European Parliament and Commission, the European Institute of Cultural Routes, the European Tourism Association (ETOA), Ibertur and the European Federation of Napoleonic Cities.

Opportunity to continue working

During the press conference, Nava Castro announced that this very week, the Way of St. James had just exceeded the total number of pilgrims for last year, achieving a historic high. Of the more than 280,000 Compostelas issued by the Pilgrim’s Office so far this year, 55% were received by pilgrims from outside Galicia, specifically, 177 nationalities. As the Turismo director noted, this constitutes an ‘enormous source of cultural wealth and an opportunity for economic and social development, of which we must take full advantage’. She also stated that ‘we must celebrate that Europe is still being built by pilgrimage’.

Before concluding, she remembered all those who have worked on behalf of the Way of St. James over the past 30 years. She also called on everyone to continue working, looking forward to the next Holy Year, Xacobeo 2021. With this goal in mind, for the past two years Turismo de Galicia has been implementing the Way of St. James Master Plan, supported by an investment of 56 million euros.