050: The Story Behind the Camino de Santiago
Exploring the “Way of St. James” through language, legend, and history
What Does Camino de Santiago Really Mean?
You’ve heard of the Camino de Santiago. Perhaps you’ve walked it or want to walk it one day. But do you know what “Camino de Santiago” means?
Camino means “way” in Spanish. When I first moved to Spain (before I knew very much of the Spanish language), I thought every time I saw the word “Camino” it had something to do with the Camino de Santiago. I was wrong.
For example, some Spanish towns have a road called the Camino Real, which means “Royal Road.” These roads connected major towns and settlements and were protected by the Spanish crown. Would pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela have walked them? Sure. But so did tradespeople, townspeople, and the military — all for various reasons.
Santiago: St. James the Apostle
Santiago can be broken down into Sant, meaning “saint,” and Iago, meaning James. In Latin, James was Iacobus, which in older Spanish was shortened to Iago. Later, Sant Iago became Santiago.
So who was St. James? And why did this pilgrimage route towards his supposed remains spring up in the 800s?
There was a group of 12 followers of Jesus, called the Apostles. Two of them were named James. The one to which we are referring when we talk about the Camino de Santiago is St. James the Greater.
According to Catholic tradition, after the death and resurrection of Jesus, these 12 apostles were sent out to various parts of the world to share the messages of Jesus. Supposedly James the Greater went to the Iberian Peninsula—present-day Spain and Portugal.
I say “supposedly” because there is no actual evidence that James went to/preached in the Iberian peninsula. It wasn’t until the 7th century (in a work by Isador of Seville called De ortu et obitu patrum) that there was any documentation connecting him to the region.
Spain in the Early Middle Ages
In 711, the Moors started their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. In 722, the Spanish Reconquista began — the attempt to drive out the Moors and restore Christianity. It took over 700 years to accomplish this, ending in1492 when the Moors surrendered at Granada.
The Discovery of St. James’ Tomb
In 813, a hermit named Pelayo saw a star directing him to a tomb which was later declared to be that of St. James. “Declared” is a keyword here as proof that this was indeed St. James simply doesn’t exist. Faith—the belief in something that cannot be seen/proven—is a major part of Christianity. Thus, proof that it was indeed St. James’ remains wasn’t needed for the belief to spread.
In 874, King Alfonso II of Asturias walked to the tomb. He’s considered by many to, therefore, be the first pilgrim to Santiago. The route he took from Oviedo is now called the Camino Primitivo — “the original way.” Oviedo still proudly calls itself “The Origin of the Camino.”
King Alfonso II commissioned a small chapel to be built on the site of Pelayo’s discovery. Eventually a pre-Romanesque church was built there. In 997, that structure was destroyed by the Muslims and then rebuilt. In 1075 construction of a cathedral began.
Santiago de Compostela
Sometime in the 10th century we start to see Santiago de Compostela, which is the name of the city present-day pilgrims are walking towards. Scholars debate the origin of Compostela. Some believe it comes from the Latin Campus stellae meaning “the field of the star.” This refers to the star that guided Pelayo to the field where he found the supposed remains. Others believe it originates from compositum meaning “burial place.”
Two Faces of St. James
There are two images you’ll see of St. James along the Camino. One shows him as a pilgrim—a cloaked man holding a staff with an attached gourd, on his head is a hat adorned with scallop shells.
But there’s another image of him that’s a little more gruesome: he’s on a horse, a sword held high, and under the horse’s feet are the trampled bodies of the Moors.
Meet Santiago Matamoros — St. James the Moor-slayer.
St. James was beheaded in 44 AD in Jerusalem. So no, he wasn’t physically present during the 700+ year fight against the Moors. But there were more than a few miracles that occurred during the Reconquista that were attributed to him. None of them were documented at the time, so historians believe they were tales later told to increase the morale of Christian warriors as well as to provide some type of divine validation for the Reconquista. In some churches where Santiago Matamoros is displayed, flowers have been placed under the feet of the horse to hide the bodies of the trampled Moors.
The Pilgrimage Continues
By the start of the 12th century, the fighting between the Moors and the Christians has been going on for nearly 400 years. The cathedral, whose construction began in 1075, is still not finished and a few thousand pilgrims per year are walking to Santiago de Compostela.
Pilgrim numbers would increase and then take a sharp dive. But that’s a story for next time.
With love,
Rebecca
P.S. I am not a historian. I have done my research, but if I have made any errors or if you’d like to share more of this part of the story from your own knowledge, do please make a comment!
📸Scenes from the Camino— St. James
How did you first learn about Santiago/St. James/Saint Jacques?
🎥Join me for live interviews here on Substack!
I had SO much fun telling the beginning of my own Camino story last week. You can watch that here or listen to it on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Part 2 will be coming soon!
This week:
Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 3pm ET. Camino Conversations: A Journey with The Sober Creative. The Camino is often seen as a mirror for many of the journeys we take in life. This week, I’m joined by Josh Woll of The Sober Creative, as we explore his work guiding people on a very different kind of journey—and uncover the surprising parallels between that path and the Camino.
*Note the different day/time for this week’s Camino Conversations.
🥾Ready to start planning your Camino?
Rebecca Weston
Camino Planning & Preparation Guide (for People 45+)
Rebecca@TheCaminoCalls.com
Your Camino adventure should feel exciting, not stressful — here are some ways I can help you get ready:
Watch Camino Conversations for practical tips and advice from my guests who have done the Camino (or more than one!).
🗓️ Camino Planning Session (60 min): Get answers to your top questions and a notes doc created during our call.
📞 Full Camino Experience: 6 coaching calls with detailed notes to plan your trip with confidence and ease.
🥾 Walk With Rebecca: 7-day hybrid Camino walks — 3 days guided, 4 days independent, private rooms, preparation classes, and optional check-ins. Click here to be the first to be notified about my next trip.Rebecca Weston is an American who walked her first Camino in 2012.
About me: I’ve walked more than a dozen Caminos since my first in 2012. I’ve spent many days volunteering along the trail, and if I’m not walking one now, I’m planning the next—and would love nothing more than to help you plan yours, too. Originally from the US, my husband and I live in a town of 6500 people on the Camino del Norte.
Great job in documenting what is fact and myth, and all that stuff in the middle. Stage 2 of our Caminho Português scheduled for late April.
Thank you for this write up and historical context!