Sunday Stamps | St. James' Way

The Route of Santiago de Compostela is an extensive interconnected network of almost 1500-km-long pilgrimage routes in Spain whose ultimate destination is the tomb believed to be that of the Apostle James the Greater in Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia. Its discovery in the 9th century was of immense importance for the Christian world, and Compostela soon became a place of Christian pilgrimage comparable in importance to Jerusalem and Rome. 

The site includes a built heritage of historical importance created to meet the needs of pilgrims, including cathedrals, churches, hospitals, hostels and even bridges. The four Northern Routes (Primitive, Coastal, Interior of the Basque Country-La Rioja, and Liébana) are at the origin of the Jacobean pilgrimage.

Since 1937, there have been many Spanish stamps dedicated to this World Heritage Site. The stamp above is one of the most recent (2020), and belongs to a booklet dedicated to the Liébana route. The stamp below, is one of the booklet of the Primitive Route, issued in 2019. 

In 2018 the booklet of the Coastal Route was issued. The last booklet (Basque Country-La Rioja Route) is expected this year).

This is a 2016 stamp dedicated to St. James' Way in general. I have sent it many times!

One from 2012 featuring the almost 1000-years-old cathedral of Santiago, the end point of the pilgrimage:

Have you noticed that yellow symbol? It represents a scallop shell: the traditional emblem of St James the Great. Medieval Christians would collect a scallop shell while at Compostela as evidence of having made the journey. Its origin as a symbol is connected with several legends. In French the mollusc itself  is called coquille St. Jacques. In German, they are Jakobsmuscheln – literally "James' shellfish". In Dutch the shell also is named after the saint: Sint Jacob’s schelp (schelp = 'shell').

You can find it on these stamps, dedicated to two Galician provinces...

This is a post for Sunday Stamps. Today's theme is World Heritage Sites.