Camino Portuguese
Lisbon to Santiago de Compostela
Our Route Through
Portugal and Spain
Our route takes us up the west coast of the Iberian Peninsular. We start in Lisbon and cross into Spain at Tui. (Map from Brierley, John. (2022/23).
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About the Portuguese Camino
The Camino Portuguese starts in Lisbon and ends in Santiago de Compostela in Spain - 621kms. There are a couple of variations to the route, which can add to the distance.
We will walk along Roman roads and cross over ancient bridges. The route goes through villages, farmlands, vineyards, forests, including cork forests. We will visit Roman ruins in Conimbriga, and stay in Portugal's oldest village, Ponte de Lima,
Portugal is a major supplier of wine bottle corks. If we detour onto the coastal route we will walk alongside the Atlantic Ocean.
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We plan to spend two nights in the historical towns of Tomar and Coimbra. In Porto we might do a Douro River cruise and I will definitely sample some of the region's port wine.
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In Santiago de Compostela we visit the tomb of St James and hopefully get to see the swinging of the world's largest incense holder - a botafumeiro or thurible.
Who was St James?
St James was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of John. He was a fisherman, who along with John and Peter was called by Jesus to be one of his disciples. (Mark 5:1-11)
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James is thought to have left Jerusalem to preach in the Iberian Peninsula. When he returned to the Holy Land he was killed by Herod Agrippa in CE44.
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His body was returned to Spain by boat arriving near Padron and buried on Mt Libredon. Around 813-820, a hermit named Pelayo discovered the tomb after following stars shining down on a field. Pelayo reported his find to King Alfonso II, who ordered a church to be built on top of the tomb.
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The reliquary holding the remains of St James
https://www.pinterest.nz/pin/342906959099943710/
The church was rebuilt in 1075 and the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as it is now known, was consecrated in 1211. It is a place of pilgrimage along with Jerusalem and Rome.
