Camino De Santiago

The exercise of unquestionable authority by the Catholic Church shaped the lives of men and women of Middle Ages. For centuries, many followed its statutes with an expectation of reward and salvation following their lives on earth. Thus, the support by the Church of the Camino de Santiago popularized the pilgrimage and galvanized many Christians to take part. Although it is attributed to St. James, the patron saint of Spain, the Camino features pilgrims from all across western Europe, deriving from a wide array of socioeconomic positions. The dominance of religion and the church weave the accounts of many explorers of the Camino de Compostela together.
Western European society deems martyrdom as among the most honorable deeds one could commit

Those who questioned the tenants of the church or expressed their different options were labeled as heretics and potentially faced “the grave sentence of excommunication by apostolic authority” as stated by William Wey. (217). The power of the church deterred many from denying its authority. Hence, the ideas of non-Catholics, or pagans, remained unwelcome in western European society and even inspired warfare and conflict between communities. Additionally, this warfare was validated by Catholicism. In El Voto De Santiago, St. James tells King Ramiro I in a dream “do not be afraid to attack the squadrons of the Saracens, calling upon both my name and the name of God, and knowing for certain that your enemies will fall at the edge of the sword.” (2). The division between Christian and pagan communities is clearly highlighted through the glorification of violence in the name of religion. Such an account exists in The Song of Roland when Roland attacks a Saracen in retribution for attempting to steal his treasure. When awoken by the Arab he exclaims, “You are not one of our men, it seems to me”. (2289). Then using the Oliphant, “He shatters the steel, his skull and his bones;/He put both of his eyes out of his sockets” (2289-2290). In most societies, Roland appears psychotic, mutilating a man he identified as a pagan. However, in medieval society, such actions seem warranted since the “wretched pagan” grabbed him “without thought for right or wrong” (2291-2292). Later in the text, the schism between communities appears even more evident when Roland vows “I should rather die than leave it in pagan hand” when attempting to destroy his honorable sword. (2336). Near the closing of the poem, Roland receives holy veneration as “God sent down his angel Cherubin” along with two other revered Christian figured who together brought “the count’s soul to paradise” (2393-2396). Roland