As most of our loyal readers have been well aware over the past 30 days we have been following daily the footsteps of Andrea Guzzoletti as he walks 900 kms of the Camino de Santiago right across Spain to Santiago.
Using some pretty smart software we have set up a system so that images taken with Andrea’s iPhone are automatically sent directly to the front page of barganews.com along with a map showing his progress.
Andrea has been diligently sending these images and progress reports every single day for the last month.
The last report and last images arrived yesterday in which he told us he would be getting up at 4:30 the following morning to do the final 20 km into Santiago.
Since then we have heard absolutely nothing from Andrea so did he arrive in Santiago or not?
Let’s backtrack just a bit and see what he should have been doing if he arrived at his destination.
The Credencial, known in English as the Pilgrim’s Passport
The Credencial is a document which he needed to get stamped along the route and which is then handed in at the Pilgrim’s office in Santiago who then would issue him with a Compostela, the certificate issue to say that he had completed the Camino.
His Credencial had to be stamped on a daily basis at the Albergue or Refugio where he was staying each night.
The Compostela
So, if he did made it all the way to the steps of the Cathedral in Santiago with his completed Credential he would then make his way to the Pilgrim’s office situated on a side street to the right hand side of the Cathedral.
Once there he would hand over his Credential, he would then be asked some questions about what motivated him to do the Camino.
If he did not state that spiritual as one of his motivations he would not be given the Compostela, instead he would have given a certificate proving that he had completed the Camino.
The Compostela is always written in Latin and reads as follows:
CAPITULUM hujus Almae Apostolicae et Metropolitanae Ecclesiae Compostellanae sigilli Altaris Beati Jacobi Apostoli custos, ut omnibus Fidelibus et Perigrinis ex toto terrarum Orbe, devotionis affectu vel voti causa, ad limina Apostoli Nostri Hispaniarum Patroni ac Tutelaris SANCTI JACOBI convenientibus, authenticas visitationis litteras expediat, omnibus et singulis praesentes inspecturis, notum facit : (Latin version of name of recipient)
Hoc sacratissimum Templum pietatis causa devote visitasse. In quorum fidem praesentes litteras, sigillo ejusdem Sanctae Ecclesiae munitas, ei confero.
Datum Compostellae die (day) mensis (month) anno Dni (year)
Canonicus Deputatus pro Peregrinis
In English it says:
The Chapter of this Holy Apostolic Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint James, custodian of the seal of Saint James’ Altar, to all faithful and pilgrims who come from everywhere over the world as an act of devotion, under vow or promise to the Apostle’s Tomb, our Patron and Protector of Spain, witnesses in the sight of all who read this document, that: …………………has visited devoutly this Sacred Church in a religious sense (pietatis causa).
Witness whereof I hand this document over to him, authenticated by the seal of this Sacred Church.
Given in Santiago de Compostela on the (day)……(month)……A.D. ………
Chapter Secretary
So did Andrea actually get to Santiago ?