Day 50 – Paying our respects to Saint James the Greater, Saint Iago
Today we prowled throughout Cathedral de Santiago. All its side chapels, art, and treasury of precious metal chalices, monstrances, and jeweled pieces. We learned the history of the Cathedral and of Saint James clear back to 44 A.D. Very sobering. The outpouring of faith over so many centuries and the hardships endured by the millions who dared the trails that lead here.
The labor to build, and rebuild after wars and decay over an immense period of time. The effort required to provide a magnificent structure to welcome pilgrims, to house Saint James remains and make them available to every pilgrim. These things affect you deeply here and every pilgrim seems to take the time to learn these stories.
Not all who walk the Way are pilgrims. For many it’s just another trail to hike. They miss so much that we feel sorry for them in a way. Lots of tourists come here just to see what all the fuss is about. The narrow maze of streets opening onto wide plazas are filled with shops catering to both the pilgrim and tourist much the way old Jerusalem is. They come to the Mass and wander about taking pictures during this powerful catholic celebration of the Eucharist. They miss so much. The streets are full of beggars and modern minstrels playing for coins. Probably that hasn’t changed since the beginning and when you learn the stories you wonder, if you scrape the modern veneer off of what you see, if anything is really any different for us than it was for pilgrims so long ago.
We’ve spent a lot of time wandering through the Cathedral but have yet to kneel before his remains. This is because of the crowds that make this difficult. One tradition is for pilgrims to hug the life size statue of Saint James that stands above his crypt. The line for that is a block long. But we are figuring out the crowd timing to avoid that and get some real time with the Saint. Early morning or at lunch when the tourists get hungry. So in the morning we will be back at the Cathedral. Then perhaps off to Finisterre on a 10 AM tour bus.