The theme was created as the first of the Council of Europe programme in October 1987 and the route is awarded certification as a “Cultural Route of the Council of Europe” on 16 June 2004.
Ever since they were first established in the 11th century, the “Santiago routes” have played a vital role in the development of European culture. For pilgrims travelling to Rome and Jerusalem, the symbolic significance of the goal to be reached was the principal consideration.
Pilgrims really did gain an incomparable cultural experience. They could discover various new customs, languages and ways of life and return home enriched with breadth of knowledge rare at that time. Pilgrimage is an aspect of European civilizations which gave rise to a rich material heritage in the form of monasteries, abbeys and accommodation facilities, and an intellectual heritage of myths, legends and songs.
What was, for centuries, a religious phenomenon based on a system of values such as solidarity and tolerance, the Santiago Routes serve both as a symbol, reflecting over thousand years of history, and as a model of cultural co-operation as a whole.

European Institute of Cultural Routes
Information source: The Council of Europe Cultural Routes brochure, 2004
Photo: Pilgrimway close to Astorga, Spain; © MTP