Cultural heritage

“The pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela played an essential role in religious and cultural exchanges and development during the late Middle Ages, as is admirably illustrated by the carefully selected monuments along the routes followed by pilgrims in France”.

“The pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela is an exceptional testimony to the power and influence of the Christian faith in all social classes and countries of Europe in the Middle Ages.

Les Amis de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle (Friends of Santiago de Compostela) are interested not only in the paths, but also in the whole phenomenon of pilgrimage: the pilgrimage, its history, its paths and present-day pilgrims, the apostle Santiago, the shrine of Galicia, the art and literature created around the pilgrimage, the evolution of hospitality and the brotherhoods, the European and even worldwide dimension of ancient and contemporary pilgrimage, and so on. They do so within the Société Française des Amis de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle, and also within associations that form a whole at the service of pilgrims, the defense of heritage and knowledge of the pilgrimage.

Through the Société Française des Amis de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle, these associations work closely with :

• the civil and ecclesiastical authorities of Galicia, Castilla y León, and the Spanish Basque Country,
• the Pilgrim’s Office at Santiago de Compostela Cathedral,
• the Galician regional government’s Xacobeo,
• major foreign associations, from Spain, Belgium, Italy, England, Germany, etc., (see our useful links)
• the European Federation of the Pilgrims’ Way to Santiago de Compostela, which aims to “bring together the local authorities of the European continent crossed by the Pilgrims’ Way to Santiago de Compostela”,
• the Comité International des Experts du Chemin de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle and, in this capacity, with the management of the Institut des Itinéraires Culturel.
• l’Agence des Chemins de Compostelle (ACIR Compostelle, Toulouse, France) is the referent and coordinator of the network of owners/managers and players for the “ Chemins de St-Jacques de Compostelle en France ” UNESCO World Heritage Site, under agreement with the French Ministry of Culture, and an operator for local and regional authorities to promote the tourist and cultural dimensions of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. The company is a statutory member of this organization.