Function of the pilgrimage in history of European culture

We surely can maintain that peregrination is as old as mankind itself. Since the dawn of Christian events, pilgrimage is an universal phenomenon closely tied to European culture, mainly thanks to long-ago wanderings to Rome and Santiago de Compostela. Today, Santiago de Compostela is protected by UNESCO and the so called 'Camino Francés' is accepted as allegedly the first European pilgrimage trail. The immemorial pilgrimage trails of Saint James form the key historical and symbolical system of Spanish and Galician trails across regions and countries. They amalgamate Europeans as subjects and witnesses of their common past and present. The main source of information putting a seal upon it is the Codex Calixtinus, one of the crucial world-renowned pieces of medieval writings. The 'Way of Saint James' became most popular in the eighties, in paradox endangering Santiago de Compostela with all the downsides of mass tourism. In this perspective the year 1993 constitutes an important landmark, which marks the beginning of modern religious wandering in the region. In effect, the devotional pilgrims became tourists themselves, unwittingly growing and creating a specific travel product