Casa de Tepa Astorga ****

The history of the Camino de Santiago

The history of the Camino de Santiago dates back to around 813, eight years after the death of St. James. It is in this year when, according to legend, a hermit named Pelayo saw some lights in the forest. This is what the people told the bishop Teodomiro, who went into the forest and found the mausoleum and identified as the tomb of St. James.

Alfonso II, King of Asturias, traveled with the court to that place, thus becoming the first pilgrim in history. The news spread rapidly in Santiago and so began the history of the Camino de Santiago.

The number of pilgrims increased remarkably from the tenth century, when the European population began a series of contacts and exchanges in the religious field. That way the pilgrimage became the most widespread form of devotion.

Throughout the centuries have been creating in Spain numerous pilgrimage routes. The best known is the one that passes through Astorga, and is known as el Camino Francés.

The Camino Francés

Of all the routes that form the Camino de Santiago, the most famous is the Camino Francés, which passes through Astorga where is Casa de Tepa. This is the most used route since the Middle Ages, and during almost every month of the year we can find pilgrims in it.

The Camino Francés, which is commonly known as Camino de Santiago, comes from Somport and Roncesvalle. Is a 750 km route linking northern Europe with Spain and reaches Santiago de Compostela. This way was born a few years after the appearance of the body of the Apostle and became the tenth century on the basis of the consolidation of the rule of Alfonso VI and Alfonso VII, which allowed the normalization of worship.

Thanks to this great trade route were founded and grew cities like Jaca, Pamplona, ​​Logroño, Burgos, Carrión de los Condes, Leon or Astorga, the city of Casa de Tepa. And above all is the great spiritual journey that brought millions of pilgrims during the Middle Ages.