Ways towards St Jacques de Compostelle exist since more than one thousand years and it are the first cultural route European today. In November, 1998 it is the UNESCO which inscribed the ways of Saint-Jacques to the worldwide heritage of the humanity, advocating so the maintenance of heritage historical, literary, musical and artistic heritage created by pilgrimages.

The pelerinage of St Jacques de Compostelle, in France, passed essentiellement by four mainroads:

• The first, Via Tolosana (or not of Toulouse: 525 km of Arles à You), leaving Arles, Italy, you comes passe the Collar of Somport by St Gilles, Montpellier, St-Guilhem-du-désert, Friend, Toulouse, Auch, Pau and.

• The second, Via Podiensis (750 km of Puy in Ostabat), which comes from Switzerland, part of Puy-en-Velay and pass by Conches, Cahors, Moissac, St Jean Pied de Port and Ostabat.

• The third, Via Lemovicensis (or sees limousine: 820 km of Vézelay to St Jean Pied de Port), part of Vézelay and crosses St Léonard de Noblat, Périgueux, Bazas, St Seven, before arriving at Ostabat.

• The fourth is the " Big Way " (Via Turonensis: About 915 km from Paris to St Jean Pied de Port) who comes from Denmark and of Belgium; it passes by Paris, Chartres (or Orléans) and takes down towards Tours, Châtellerault, Poitiers, Lusignan, Melle, Saintonge, Blaye, Bordeaux, Gradignan, Bélin-Béliet, Labouheyre, Dax, Sorde-l'Abbaye, St Palais, Ostabat, St-Jean-Pïed-de-Port, and arive in Spain by Ronceveaux.

The 4 ways nobody there an only one in Puenta-La-Reina, in Spain: It is EL CAMINO FRANCES:

«... If these four French ways were more seen frequently than d ’ others, they will consider more a network of ways or even a seedling of places-stopovers. So, the pilgrim in the Middle Ages, as sometimes today, headed for Saint-Jacques, of shrine in shrine, and all these intermediate objectives constituted his way of creed … »

Saint Jacques said the Person over 18 is one of 12 apostles of Christ. He is the brother of saint Jean.

The pilgrimage was born of the discovery to the year 800 of the tomb of Saint Jacques, brother of Saint John the Evangelist and great martyr of Christendom. According to Church tradition and writings dating from the twelfth century, Saint Jacques have left the Middle East with a mission to preach the word of Christ in the Iberian Peninsula. Returning to Palestine, he was beheaded by order of King Herod Agrippa. His body was thrown to the dogs. Collected by his companions, his body was carried in a boat. Guided by an angel, the boat crossed the Strait of Gibraltar before running aground on the coast of Galicia.

His tomb had been found a few hundred years later, in the early ninth century by the hermit Pelayo (or Pelagius) who said he had been a revelation in his sleep. It would have been guided by a star in the sky, where one of the etymologies advanced Compostela Campus Stellae or field of the star.

Theodomir, Bishop of Ira Flavia (now Padrón), recognized this tomb as that of St. Jacques, 835 King Alfonso II of Asturias had built a church there. However, it will wait until the year 1884, that Pope Leo XIII formalizes the recognition of the tomb of Saint Jacques by the Church.

Pilgrimage of Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle
The pilgrimage of Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle is a christian pilgrimage, which leads to the city of Saint-Jacques-de- Compostelle in Galicia (Spain), where would be kept the relics of saint Jacques, apostle of Christ. In the Middle Ages, it counted among the three big pilgrimages which every good Christian had to to perform, with:

• that of Rome, by via Francigena, and the introversion on the tombs of saint Pierre and saint Paul

• that of Jerusalem, with the introversion on the Holy Sepulchre.

During the tenth and eleventh centuries, the cult of Saint Jacques closely related to the Reconquista in Spain began to spread, and the pilgrimage to St. Jacques de Compostela became one of the largest in the Middle Ages.

From the four corners of Europe, the pilgrims of Saint Jacques, which eventually nicknamed  pilgrims, left their home and traced their way to Galicia. For practical reasons, they ended up converging on specific routes and takes places in Paris, Vezelay, Le Puy-en-Velay and Arles. Four main routes are set up under the impetus of the great abbeys with a support system based on pilgrim hospices, chapels and milestones. The kings of Navarre and Leon improved on their side roads and built bridges to facilitate the travels.

Via Podiensis (or road of Puy) is one of the ways of the pilgrimage of Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle, which leaves Puy-en- Velay and persists up to the collar of Roncevaux and, from there, up to Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle.

Before Puy, from Geneva, exist via Gebennensis, which gathers the Swiss and German pilgrims and succeeds inform via Podiensis. From Geneva in Pampelune, both ways (via Gebennensis + via Podiensis) are marked out with beacons as track of big walking GR 65.

There the year 950, Godescalc, bishop du Remaining quiet remaining quiet, not is productive in pilgrimage to Saint-Jacques- de-Compostelle. He is the first not Hispanic pilgrim to perform pilgrimage in Compostelle.

It is true troops which moves. Besides the bishop and the members of the ministry accompanying it, they count troubadours, jugglers, pâges in the service of the ecclesiastics, of barons and seneschals, all these nice messieurs while by numerous people of weapon: bowmen and lancers.

Coherent course is very badly known, and however some cities not not not receipt to demand their passage.

On the contrary, this pilgrimage is authenticated by the writings of Gomesano, monk of the Spanish nunnery of saint-Martin d' Albeda (close to Logroño):« The bishop Godescalc, enlivened by one demonstrates devotion, left his country of Aquitaine, accompanied with a big procession, heading for the end of the Galicia to touch divine mercy by invoking lowly the protection of the holy apostle Jacques. »

It is also necessary to mention the pilgrimage of the count of Rouergue in 961, Raymond II, which was killed by the Saracen along the way.

Saint - Jacques hospitals on via Podiensis

In the Middle Ages, the term "hospital" meant a place for asylum and assistance rather than a care facility. It received "poor location and poor passers, that is to say, all travelers, pilgrims, poor" spiritual ", which, although rich, had voluntarily stripped off on the road and" follow poor the poor Christ. The term under which the hospital was placed is not unimportant that we think of "Saint Jacques" received mostly a clientele of pilgrims from Galicia without, of course, the door has been closed to other travelers.

In the Pilgrim's Guide, Aymeric Picaud notes in Chapter XI, hospitality to the pilgrims of Saint-Jacques: "The rich and poor pilgrims returning from Saint-Jacques or who go there must be received with love and surrounded by veneration. For anyone who has received and will gladly accommodated not only for host St. Jacques, but our Lord himself, as he said in his gospel: that receives you, receives me. "

At each passage difficult (river, mountain), asylums ensured addition of a ferry service, maintenance of a bridge or the protection of those who passed the passes. Hospices were more modest as they were numerous. They could usually accommodate only three to twenty-five persons, each pilgrim could not remain a night or two unless the poor are ill and were admitted if they had not strength beg. The staff was reduced: the "master" appointed for life or a time (usually three years) and one or two brothers, a sister or two for maintenance, meal preparation and work the land adjoining. Under the control and protection of the bishops, municipal or sovereign, they enjoyed privileges, such tax exemption. Bequests and increased their assets to income which could be added the product of quests and the profit from various rights.

So, we find it via Podiensis of hospitals Saint - Jacques in Le Puy-en-Velay, Saugues, Hospitalet (Nowadays the Chapel St - Roch Margeride), Figeac, Varaire, Cahors, Moissac Peyronel (at the entrance of Lectoure) , Lectoure Romieu, Condom (Hospital of Saint-Jacques de Teste and Saint Jacques de la Bouquerie).

Theys constituted undeniable milestones of the passage of pilgrims in the bygone thesis localities

Barcelonne-du-Gers