SANTIAGO'S ROAD CREDENTIAL

• Son of Zebedee and Salome, he was born in Bethsaida (Galilee). While he was fishing with his brother John, the Messiah called them, and they abandoned everything and followed him. John was the beloved disciple and James one of his closest apostles. The two, along with Peter, were the only ones who prayed on the Mount of Olives with Jesus before he was captured and crucified.
• Upon the death of Jesus, Santiago departs to preach the good news of his resurrection and crossing the Mediterranean he arrives in Hispania. Once his mission is completed, he will return to Jerusalem where he will die at the hands of Herod Agrippa.

• Tradition says that his corpse traveled the seas until reaching Galician lands where he was secretly buried on Mount Libradón. He found eternal rest, and his grave an ephemeral solitude. Seven centuries later, a shepherd named Pelayo found it to make it known to all of Christianity. It was the year 813 and the peninsula was occupied by Muslims, so the discovery came in handy for those who considered the Reconquista as an act of faith. Soon pilgrimages began from all over Europe, but to avoid encounters with such a feared enemy, the first Camino was made along the coast. Little by little, and with the pace of military conquests, it deviated towards the south, until it formed the so-called French Way, the one with the greatest tradition and artistic interest of all.

• Only one miracle was missing, and it happened in the battle of Clavijo when the hosts of King Ramiro I of Asturias defeated an enemy much superior in number thanks to the intervention of the apostle Santiago who appeared on a white steed with sword in hand. From then on his fame would attract more and more pilgrims. Throughout the Middle Ages, pilgrimage was almost the only way to “see the world.” The Camino became the main route for commercial, cultural, spiritual, economic and artistic exchange in Europe, and many of the pilgrims, known generically as Franks, settled on the peninsula, importing their knowledge and culture.

OH GOD, WHO TOOK YOUR SERVANT ABRAHAM OUT OF THE CITY OF UR OF THE CHALDEANS, KEEPING HIM IN ALL HIS PILGRIMAGES, AND WHO WAS THE GUIDE OF THE HEBREW PEOPLE THROUGH THE DESERT: WE ASK YOU TO DEIGN TO KEEP THESE SERVANTS OF YOURS WHO, LOVE OF YOUR NAME, PILGRIMAGE TO COMPOSTELA. BE FOR THEM A COMPANION ON THE MARCH, A GUIDE AT THE CROSSROADS, BREATH IN THE TIREDNESS, DEFENSE IN DANGERS, SHELTER ON THE PATH, SHADOW IN THE HEAT, LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS, CONSOLATION IN THEIR DISCOURAGEMENTS AND FIRMNESS IN THEIR PURPOSES SO THAT, BY YOUR GUIDE, MAY THEY REACH THE END OF THEIR WAY UNHARMED AND, ENRICHED WITH GRACES AND VIRTUES, RETURN UNHARMED TO THEIR HOMES, FULL OF HEALTHY AND PERENNIAL JOY. FOR JESUS ​​CHRIST, OUR
MISTER.
-MAY THE LORD DIRECT YOUR STEPS WITH HIS GOOD PLACE AND MAY HE BE YOUR INSEPARABLE COMPANION ALONG THE PATH.
-AND THE BLESSING OF GOD ALMIGHTY, FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT, BE WITH YOU ALL.
-AMEN.
MARCH IN THE NAME OF CHRIST WHO IS THE WAY AND PRAY FOR
US IN COMPOSTELA.

The key to the Camino is not in its landscapes, nor in its beautiful monuments, nor in fatigue and effort... although that is also true. You will find the fundamental thing within yourself. Search, and while you do, remember René, who stepped on these same stones and crossed these same rivers. If he found it, why shouldn't you?

• It is necessary if you want to spend the night in the hostels. It is a document in the form of a triptych where the pilgrim's information is recorded and in which the stamps and the
  date of the places you pass through.
• The spirit of the Camino. The Camino, let no one doubt it, is not a comfortable walk, it is a difficult walk. It costs a lot, but like everything that costs, when it is achieved the satisfaction is greater.
• Who can apply?
  Those who make a pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago on foot, by bicycle or on horseback can apply for the credential, as long as they do so continuously and without alternating with sections made in motor vehicles. The credential is not issued to those who, on a regular basis, travel in a support car.
• What is?
  The credential, duly completed, will serve to identify you as a pilgrim and access hostels or special accommodation for pilgrims, whenever there is space. It is also used to obtain special discounts in museums, monasteries and some leisure centers. It can also serve as a kind of diary and souvenir that after the Camino will remind us of so many experiences.
• Where to get it?
  You can get your credential at one of the different Associations of Friends of the Camino de Santiago, in some parishes and hostels on the Camino and at the most traditional places where the Camino begins. You can request it at any Association of Friends of the Camino with a maximum of one month in advance. You only have to present your ID or passport and delivery will be instant. If you don't get it before starting the Camino, nothing happens, because the normal thing is that they will give it to you at the first hostel you arrive at. If you do not obtain it during the Camino either, you can use your diary or guide to have the stamp put on you each day.
• How to use it?
  At the place where you begin your journey, they will certify the day and way in which you complete the Camino de Santiago (whether on foot, by bike or on horseback). And, along the Camino, you must seal it. It is customary to give a small donation when you obtain it or when it is stamped at different points along the route. Valid credential models:
  •The official and recommended one from the Pilgrim Welcome Office, processed and printed by the Cathedral of Santiago and sent to the different Parishes, Bishoprics and Associations of Friends of the Camino de Santiago that request it.
  •The credentials provided by some Associations of Friends of the Camino de Santiago, both outside Spain and in our country, which may vary in design or type of paper.
  •The letters of introduction written and signed by the parish priests. They are an almost disappeared alternative but it is possible to ask a parish priest to draw up a sealed document with the pilgrim's information, the place of departure, the date and the type of pilgrimage chosen.
  •The Jacobean University Credential or Accreditation. With this credential, the pilgrim can also stay in the hostels along the Camino and request the traditional Compostela in Santiago. A pilgrim is considered to have completed the University Jacobean Pilgrimage when he has completed
  in its entirety the Spanish section of some of the itineraries of the Camino de Santiago. It can be requested through UNAV and is received directly at home. It can also be picked up at the Central building of the University of Navarra (Pamplona) located on the Camino de Santiago itself as it passes through the University Campus of Pamplona. You do not need to be a university or former university student to apply for the credential, but you do have to be to obtain the University Compostela. More information at Campus-Stellae.