What do you think?
Rate this book
The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago: The Complete Cultural Handbook
The road across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela in the northwest was one of the three major Christian pilgrimage routes during the Middle Ages, leading pilgrims to the resting place of the Apostle St. James. Today, the system of trails and roads that made up the old pilgrimage route is the most popular long-distance trail in Europe, winding from the heights of the Pyrenees to the gently rolling fields and woods of Galicia. Hundreds of thousands of modern-day pilgrims, art lovers, historians, and adventurers retrace the road today, traveling through a stunningly varied landscape which contains some of the most extraordinary art and architecture in the western world. For any visitor, the Road to Santiago is a treasure trove of historical sites, rustic Spanish villages, churches and cathedrals, and religious art.
To fully appreciate the riches of this unique route, look no further than The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago , a fascinating step-by-step guide to the cultural history of the Road for pilgrims, hikers, and armchair travelers alike. Organized geographically, the book covers aspects of the terrain, places of interest, history, artistic monuments, and each town and village's historical relationship to the pilgrimage.
The authors have led five student treks along the Road, studying the art, architecture, and cultural sites of the pilgrimage road from southern France to Compostela. Their lectures, based on twenty-five years of pilgrimage scholarship and fieldwork, were the starting point for this handbook.
To fully appreciate the riches of this unique route, look no further than The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago , a fascinating step-by-step guide to the cultural history of the Road for pilgrims, hikers, and armchair travelers alike. Organized geographically, the book covers aspects of the terrain, places of interest, history, artistic monuments, and each town and village's historical relationship to the pilgrimage.
The authors have led five student treks along the Road, studying the art, architecture, and cultural sites of the pilgrimage road from southern France to Compostela. Their lectures, based on twenty-five years of pilgrimage scholarship and fieldwork, were the starting point for this handbook.
464 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2000
179 people are currently reading
282 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 27, 2018
Before setting off, I find this book hard to read, mainly because I was not there yet. There were too many places too many town and too much information to take in. Now that I am back from Camino, I had enjoyed it much more. I can remember how the hamlet look like, the the plain n the road that I had walked through. Highly recommend.
October 12, 2019
Good detail for people who want to learn everything about the Camino de Santiago from a historical perspective. Not a story but a factual book. Worthwhile read.
June 26, 2017
I think that the biggest drawback to this book is the size and weight of it. This is the most definitive guide to the Camino that I have read but, by being so thorough and complete it becomes too large to carry on the Camino, which is a shame. (I use the term "guide" here to mean an explanation of where to go, what to see, and the meaning of what is seen rather than a book that includes details on where to stay and turn-by-turn directions.)
The book's history of the saint and the pilgrimage is excellent but, in my opinion, is outweighed by the commentaries on all the sites and sights on and off the road. Knowing that such places exist is the purview of basic guidebooks but the authors of this book go out of their way to make a pilgrim want to out of their way because of the descriptions of the architecture and the history of so many locations. The authors are also not afraid to say that a place isn't worth a visit, which is nice to know as well.
The depth of information about the cathedral and several other locations in Santiago almost make the book worth its weight in a pilgrim's pack since these places are so large and intricate. I recommend one of three things if using this book on the Camino: rip out and discard portions as you walk (a la through hiker style), memorize the text, or find an electronic version for an e-reader.
The book's history of the saint and the pilgrimage is excellent but, in my opinion, is outweighed by the commentaries on all the sites and sights on and off the road. Knowing that such places exist is the purview of basic guidebooks but the authors of this book go out of their way to make a pilgrim want to out of their way because of the descriptions of the architecture and the history of so many locations. The authors are also not afraid to say that a place isn't worth a visit, which is nice to know as well.
The depth of information about the cathedral and several other locations in Santiago almost make the book worth its weight in a pilgrim's pack since these places are so large and intricate. I recommend one of three things if using this book on the Camino: rip out and discard portions as you walk (a la through hiker style), memorize the text, or find an electronic version for an e-reader.
August 26, 2022
What a beautiful book, filled with descriptions, explanations and illustrations of architecture, culture and landscapes along the Camino de Santiago.
Although glad of the books I have read about the Camino de Santiago this book has without
a doubt supplied all the illuminating information I was looking for.
Thank you David Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson, so very much appreciated :-)
Although glad of the books I have read about the Camino de Santiago this book has without
a doubt supplied all the illuminating information I was looking for.
Thank you David Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson, so very much appreciated :-)
January 16, 2021
Invaluable resource for those planning to hike the Camino de Santiago.
June 23, 2023
Would be excellent to read during the pilgrimage. It was a little overwhelming to read while sitting in my living room.
March 30, 2013
This is a review of the ELECTRONIC edition.
The genius of the Gitlitz-Davidson guide is that it in no way seeks to provide practical traveler advice to places to stay or eat, not even the practicalities of how and when to visit a particular church or historical monument. Tus, even though it was published in 2000 it will still be up-to-date long after you’ve walked your last Camino. Although its primary subject is history and art/architecture, it also covers geology, flora & fauna and provides useful reference guides to the saints, a historic timeline, and an informative “Arts of the Road” guide to architectural styles. The text is arranged step-by-step from east to west, culminating in Santiago
The great good news is that this invaluable guide is now available as an e-book for every peregrino who carries a tablet reader along on the Camino. On my first Camino I brought a spare copy and tore pages out as I went along. This is a horrible way to use an excellent guide which is truly the only one of hundreds of Camino titles to cover historical monuments and the history of places you pass in depth. On my second Camino I carried an iPad and would gladly have purchased the electronic edition had it been available. I'm delighted to see it come out as an ebook and recommend it to everyone walking the Camino who's carrying a device to read ebooks. Taken together with a hard copy of the latest Brierley guide containing maps and directions to albergues, you'll have all the guidance you’ll need.
The genius of the Gitlitz-Davidson guide is that it in no way seeks to provide practical traveler advice to places to stay or eat, not even the practicalities of how and when to visit a particular church or historical monument. Tus, even though it was published in 2000 it will still be up-to-date long after you’ve walked your last Camino. Although its primary subject is history and art/architecture, it also covers geology, flora & fauna and provides useful reference guides to the saints, a historic timeline, and an informative “Arts of the Road” guide to architectural styles. The text is arranged step-by-step from east to west, culminating in Santiago
The great good news is that this invaluable guide is now available as an e-book for every peregrino who carries a tablet reader along on the Camino. On my first Camino I brought a spare copy and tore pages out as I went along. This is a horrible way to use an excellent guide which is truly the only one of hundreds of Camino titles to cover historical monuments and the history of places you pass in depth. On my second Camino I carried an iPad and would gladly have purchased the electronic edition had it been available. I'm delighted to see it come out as an ebook and recommend it to everyone walking the Camino who's carrying a device to read ebooks. Taken together with a hard copy of the latest Brierley guide containing maps and directions to albergues, you'll have all the guidance you’ll need.
December 19, 2021
For those who are interested in the history and culture of the Camino (The Way of St James), this is the source book! <3
September 2, 2013
An excellent overview of the historical, cultural, religious, and artistic elements of the Camino de Santiago. I carried this book during my month-long pilgrimage, and it was well worth the weight.
Reading this book while on the Way of St. James is like having two immensely knowledgable tour guides at your side at virtually every noteworthy location on the trail. Both authors are professors of Hispanic studies at the University of Road Island, and their encyclopedic knowledge of Medieval northern Spain is both insightful and captivating.
The book is intended to supplement a travel guide; it does not speak of places to eat, sleep, or schedules of churches or monuments. It more than makes up for this lack of practical travel advice, however, with history, folklore, lives of saints, and cultural observations that make even the most seemingly unremarkable landscape come alive.
If you are contemplating completing the Camino, I would highly recommend this book, some spiritual reading (I read St. Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises), and an up to date guidebook that includes maps of the trail each day and recommendations on albergues, restaurants, and schedules for points of interest.
Reading this book while on the Way of St. James is like having two immensely knowledgable tour guides at your side at virtually every noteworthy location on the trail. Both authors are professors of Hispanic studies at the University of Road Island, and their encyclopedic knowledge of Medieval northern Spain is both insightful and captivating.
The book is intended to supplement a travel guide; it does not speak of places to eat, sleep, or schedules of churches or monuments. It more than makes up for this lack of practical travel advice, however, with history, folklore, lives of saints, and cultural observations that make even the most seemingly unremarkable landscape come alive.
If you are contemplating completing the Camino, I would highly recommend this book, some spiritual reading (I read St. Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises), and an up to date guidebook that includes maps of the trail each day and recommendations on albergues, restaurants, and schedules for points of interest.
January 30, 2017
I've walked the Camino de Santiago four times. Recollecting my first trek, I was blind, deaf and dumb. I received this book and devoured it because my path took me a fourth time to Spain. I thought I had known a lot, but this book taught me so much about ruins I saw, rocks, tree, flora and fauna. As the pilgrimage has changed, and so have I, this book reminds me with each page, that it has seen it all before.
October 16, 2011
This is a very detailed book on the origins, culture and architecture of the Camino. I wish I would have had my Kindle when I walked to Santiago because, although it would have added much to my experience, this book is well outside the weight of any book you would even consider taking on the Pilgrimage. My back and feet hurt just thinking about it.
November 26, 2008
This book is useless unless you are a Catholic pilgrim on the road to Santiago de Compostela. If you are, then it would be very useful.
Want to read
July 10, 2009SInce this is a trip I definitely want to walk before I'm very old, I picked out the definitive volume on the cultural and historical background of Spain's pilgrimage camino.
June 8, 2009
Excellent cultural guide to the Camino - detailed and practical.
March 12, 2010
Too religious for me. Though it is thorough, and the trail is historically a pilgrimage trail... just not what I was looking for.
January 10, 2011
More of a travel handbook than a pilgrimage guide. Great info but too heavy to carry in a backpack.
July 12, 2011
The emphasis is on art. I got lost. Forgot about beauty.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews