Useful information about the Camino of Saint James Pilgrimage and Santiago de Compostela
Castrojeriz is located at the western end of the province of Burgos, on the border with the province of Palencia. As for its historical importance, Castrojeriz is considered one of the main landmarks of the Camino de Santiago. It is a beautiful village of ancient origins, probably Roman or Visigoth, and every pilgrim will be familiar with its castle, clearly visible from the road, which was a witness to many battles between Moors and Christians.
The city of Pamplona is world famous for its fiestas and enclosures of San Fermín, which take place from the 6th to 14th of July. There are few who will not have heard of these celebrations, whether by films as well as novels and short stories, particularly in ‘Fiesta’ by Hemingway.
The city that the pilgrim will find offers a whole host of activities, from visiting monuments and historical landmarks to the enjoyment of the many green areas, parks and places of meeting and rest.
ESTELLA / LIZARRA was repopulated and created as a settlement around 1090, by King Sancho Ramírez de Navarra and Aragón. There, merchants, nobles and clerics settled , whose existence was based on attending to the needs and to taking care of the pilgrims who arrived from all over Europe. Its connection with the Way of Santiago is evident in Codex Calixtino, that describes the town as being : "Fertile in good bread and excellent wine, as well as meat and fish, and supplied with all types of goods".
Roncesvalles is a magical corner of northern Navarra, one of those places which once visited is never forgotten. It is located next to the French border at the foot of the Pyrenees, and owes its worldwide celebrity both to its natural beauty and to the fact that it was the place where one of the most legendary battles in the West took place: the Battle of Roncesvalles. The legendary battle occurred in 778 and went down in history for being the subject of “The Chanson de Roland”, the most famous epic poem of the Middle- Ages.
The Castle of Ponferrada is popularly known as the Templars, because before being constructed as it appears today, the Knights Templar were present at the villa. The short and checkered relationship of the Templars with the town of Ponferrada led to the building of several fortifications and these are now the only vestiges of the original castle of Ponferrada.
The architecture of the present castle was probably begun in 1340, when the Knights Templar had already been dissolved and Pope Alfonso XI donated Ponferrada to Pedro Fernandez de Castro, a member of one of the most powerful families in Galicia. Ponferrada and its castle remained in the hands of the Galician branch of Castro until 1374, when it became a possession of the Royal Family.
Foto jgaray. El Viejo Anselmo
