What’s the significance of ‘814’ in this blog’s title?

According to some sources, 814 AD was the year that the tomb of St James was discovered in northwestern Spain.(1)  Other sources don’t get so specific and simply report that the body was discovered and identified as St James, the Greater, during the reign of Alfonso II.(2)

King of Asturias moves the center of his government to Oviedo

The king of Asturias had moved the center of his government to the town of Oviedo. And so it was from Oviedo that he journeyed to the place of the miraculous discovery near Iria Flavia (modern-day Padrón) to view the remains in 814. That being so, Alfonso II is often referred to as ‘the first pilgrim’ to make the trek to honor the relics of the saint. His route (from Oviedo to Iria Flavia, 18 kilometers/11 miles from what is now known as Santiago de Compostela) was the first Camino route. Hence the name, Camino ‘Primitivo’ or ‘original’ road.

Alfonso II of Asturias, depicted in the photo of the statue on this post (Estatua del rey Alfonso II de Asturias obra de Víctor Hevia. Situada a un lado del pórtico de la Catedral de Oviedo)  lived from 759 – 842. The photo was taken by AdelosRM and sourced at Wikimedia Commons. The statue is located at the Oviedo Cathedral.

And all of that, boys and girls, is the reason why this blog, a gathering place for cultural and historic information about the original Camino, is named CaminoPrimitivo814. Posted by Stacey Wittig from Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.

Camino Primitivo History – Footnotes

1 http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/date/2016/12/04

2 Collins, Roger, Caliphs and Kings: Spain, 796-1031, John Wiley & Sons (2012), page 115. Get the book on Amazon by clicking here.

“UNSTOPPABLE Stacey” Wittig is a Camino author and travel writer. Subscribe to this Camino Primitivo blog to get updates automatically sent to your email inbox. You can also subscribe to her travel blog at https://UnstoppableStaceyTravel.com

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