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Presentation

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 hishistorical, literary, musical and artistic heritage created by pilgrimages.

The pélerinage of St Jacques de Compostelle, in France, passed esentiellement by four main ways:

• 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 … »

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History

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

Pilgrimage is born in discovery at about year 800 of the sepulchre of saint Jacques, brother of saint Jean the Evangelist and big martyr of Christendom. According to the tradition of the Church and writings going back up to XIIth century,Saint Jacques would have left the Near East with for mission to preach the word of Christ in the Iberian Peninsula. Taken in in Palestine, it was decapitated on order of the king Hérode Agrippa. His body was delivered in feed to the dogs.Gathered by his companions, his skin was carried in a craft. Guided by an angel, the craft crosses the Straits of Gibraltar before running aground on the coasts of Galicia.

His tomb would therefore have been found some hundred of years later, at the beginning of the IXth century, by the hermit Pelayo (or Pelagius) who declared to have had a revelation in its sleep. It would have been guided by a star in the sky, where from one of the étymoligies moved forward for Compostelle: Campus Stellae or field of the star.

Théodomire, bishop of Ira-Flavia (today Padrón), acknowledged this tomb as being that of saint Jacques in 835 and the king Alphonse II of the Asturies made build a church there. It will nevertheless be necessary to wait on year 1884 so that the pope Léon XIII makes official 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.

In the course of Xth and XIth century, the worship of saint Jacques closely linked in Spain to Reconquista began spreading and the pilgrimage of Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle became one of the most important medieval.

Four corners of Europe, the pèlerins of saint Jacques, that on finit to nickname "backgammon", left their foyer and drew their route towards the Galicia. For practical reasons, they ended up converging on definite ways and places of gathering built up in Paris, Vézelay, Puy-en-Velay and Arles. Four main ways are reflected in place at the instigation of the big abbeys with a system of help to the pilgrims resting on almshouses, chapels and stages. The kings of Navarre and Léon ameliorated roads of their side and constructed bridges to make easier peregrinations.

Pilgrimage remained not less seeded with traps there and it was not rare that pilgrims perish before reaching the destination. Bad weather succeeded brigands nicknamed coquillards, very happy to use the godsend which represented these nice people by robbing them during imaginary tolls, when it was not simply to leave them for deaths.

The pilgrims had as usage to bring back then to see himself delaying as evidence of their trip of the shells of pectens, which they fixed to the topcoat or to the hat, where from the name of scallops was later given in these molluscs. The shell saint Jacques was sign at the end of trip that it was a new man who came back to the country. It will become one of the recognizable attributes of the pilgrim, with the bumblebee, the besace and the hat with broad edges.

The Way of Saint-Jacques undoubtedly gave birth to the first network of mutual aid in Europe, with notably the building of religious centres, the opening of numerous hotel businesses, the improvement of road facilities, etc.

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The Way of Puy or VIA PODENSIS

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, term "hospital" indicated a place of assistance and asylum rather than an establishment of care.They accepted the « poor people of the place and poor passers-by there », that is to say all passengers, among whom the pilgrims, "spiritual" poor people, whom, even rich, had divested themselves deliberately to set off and « to follow poor people poor Christ. » The term under which the hospital was put is not unimportant: they think that that of « saint Jacques » accepted customers of pilgrims principally from Galicia without, of course, that the door is closed to other passengers.

In the guide du pilgrim, Aimery Picaud notes to the Chapitre XI, of reception at address to the pilgrims of Saint-Jacques: « The poor or rich pilgrims who come back from Saint-Jacques or who go must be accepted with charity and milking there treat veneration. Because whoever will have accepted them and accommodated eagerly will have as guest not only saint Jacques, but Our Lord himself, as well as he said it in his Gospel: which accepts you, accepts me. »

Every difficult passage (river, mountain), asylums assured moreover the service of a receptacle, the maintenance of a bridge or the protection of those who crossed collars. Almshouses were all the more modest as they were numerous. They could accommodate habitually from three to twenty-five persons only; every pilgrim could stay only at one or two nights there unless being sick and the poor people were accepted there only if they had no force to beg. The personnel was reduced: the lifelong "master " called or for time (often three years) and one or two brothers, one or two sisters for maintenance, preparation of meals and job of the annexed lands. Under control and protection of the bishops, from municipalities or the sovereigns, they enjoyed privileges, such the release of levies. Inheritance and donations augmented their heritage in the incomes of which could be added the product of search and the drawn benefit of different rights.

So, we find on via Podiensis of hospitals Saint - Jacques in Puy-en-Velay, Saugues, Hospitalet (nowadays the Chapel saint - Roch de la Margeride), Figeac, Varaire, Cahors, Moissac, Peyronelle (at the entrance of Lectoure), Lectoure, Romieu, Condom (hospitals of saint-Jacques de Teste et de Saint-Jacques de la Bouquerie).

They constitute incontestable milestones of the passage of the bygone pilgrims in these localities.

The actual way in Gers:

• Saint-Antoine-sur-l’Arrats.
• Flamarens son château.
• Miradoux, ancienne bastide.
• Lectoure, la cathédrale Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais.
• La Romieu et sa collégiale Saint-Pierre.
• Condom et son église abbatiale.
• Larressingle.
• Beaumont sur l'Osse et son Pont d'Artigues.
• Montréal-du-Gers.
• Lauraët.
• Lagraulet-du-Gers.
• Eauze.
• Manciet.
• Nogaro
• Barcelonne-du-Gers

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The way of Rocamadour (GR 652)

Of Figeac, the pilgrims earned Rocamadour in order to reccueillir in the shrine quercinois of Notre-Dame of Rocamadour, even if it means making a small hook northward.

Once reached Rocamadour, the pilgrim often made the choice to head for Agen, where he could benefit from 4 hopitaux or hopitaux priories.

Low we go let us find GR 652 Agen and Moirax goes of Rocamadour à owner Romieu, passing by Quill of Agenais. It course 250 km of track which were nouvellement found. GR 652 joins GR 65 à Romieu.

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