The Way of Sant James

• An academic initiative promoted by the Department of Culture and Tourism, the University of Santiago de Compostela and the Cathedral takes stock of its activities
• This year a researcher at the Universitá degli Studi G. D'Annunzio  received the first prize awarded to outreach projects concerning the Jacobean phenomenon
• For this quarter it is working on organising an international congress to celebrate the Year of European Cultural Heritage  and the Camino de Santiago [Way of Saint James].

Santiago de Compostela, 17 October 2018

 The Chair of the Camino de Santiago and Pilgrimages, supported by the Department of Culture and Tourism alongside the University of Santiago de Compostela and the Cathedral is supporting two new research projects under the first edition of its call for scholarship applications. Speaking this morning during a press conference reviewing their activities were Xacobeo managing director, Rafael Sánchez, accompanied by director of the Chair, Domingo Lopo, and Dean of the Basilica of Compostela, Según Pérez.

Specifically, the works supported  are a study on the demarcation of the Portuguese Camino, by the researcher Carlos Dócil and another on Camino de Santiago hospitals, by Estefania López. These projects will delve into the historical identity of the Jacobean route, and are also in line with the objectives of the Chair. This was in addition to the launch of its web page and the prize awarded this year for the first time to a project by the Italian researcher Antonella Palumbo of the Universitá degli Studi G. D'Annunzio.

This Chair is the most important academic initiative under the Camino de Santiago Master Plan. Given the enormous vitality of the Jacobean pilgrimage  today and its importance in our society, with an ever growing international and diversified interest, such a tool was considered very necessary to gain further insight into its roots on a scientific basis.

The objective, which is part of the strategic line eight of the Camino de Santiago Master Plan - dedicated to research, communication and dissemination - is to promote and disseminate knowledge about the Camino de Santiago, facilitating reflection and cultural debate, as well as boosting its presence at the university level. For this, there are conferences and seminars, as well as bibliographic and documentary publications.

In this respect, during the last year the Chair has collaborated with International Courses at the University of Santiago, organising the Second International Seminar:diverse views of worship and devotion to the Camino de Santiago in Europe, and participated in various international forums. For this last quarter of the year, alongside the Compostela Group of Universities  it is organising the International Congress "The year of European cultural heritage and the Camino de Santiago", which will be held in Santiago De Compostela between 23 and 25 October.