To read, see and listen to

To see and hear…

Jean-Claude Benazet and his CD marketed since 2020

Texts in French and Spanish

To listen

Chants pour pèlerins/ Cantos para peregrinos

Jean-Claude Benazet

This CD album contains 10 pilgrim songs, including the famous “Tous les matins…”.

On sale at our office for €12

Musical score available on request

The film “Retrouver le chemin” is showing at the St André des Arts cinema.

Documentary film
Director: Laurent Granier

What if we all had a good reason to go walking
on the Camino de Compostela

May 11, 2020 – Le Puy-En-Velay – End of the first containment period linked to the COVID-19 epidemic.
As for many people, containment turned Laurent’s life upside down. His marriage did not survive. He lost his job. He caught Covid. He decided to set off again alone on the Camino de Compostela, after having done so two years earlier with his wife and children. With no clear goal in mind, and only the trust he has placed in him, Laurent entrusts himself to the path.

As part of the Cycle Découvertes program at the Saint André des Arts cinema in Paris’s 6th arrondissement, the film will be shown every day at 1 pm except Tuesday, followed by a meeting with the director, accompanied by pilgrims from the Société Française des Amis de Saint Jacques.

Session dates: May 10/11/12/13/14/15/17/18/19/20/21/22/23 and 30 at 1:00 p.m.

Information: 01 43 54 83 57 / 01 43 26 48 18

The guide can be ordered from the association’s website

A ssociation des pèlerins de St Jacques de Compostelle Paris – Sens – Vézelay

The Paris-Sens-Vezelay route

The rehabilitation of the Paris to Vezelay route by the Paris-Sens-Vezelay Pilgrims’ Association serves the 10 million “Parisians” and foreign pilgrims arriving in Paris.

Go “green” in just a few minutes and stay in nature, avoiding tar wherever possible.

It passes through the traditional sites of Paris Notre-Dame, Tour Saint-Jacques, Barbizon, Fontainebleau, Moret-sur-Loing, Sens, Joigny, Auxerre and Vézelay in just 252 km and almost as many accommodations.

Read more …

Guide Vert Michelin Chemin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle

Take up your pilgrim’s staff and discover exceptional landscapes and sites along the 750 km Via Podiensis, which crosses eight départements. Our authors in the field have selected: 10 must-see images of the destination; 32 stages, with all sites classified by stars; 230 addresses to suit all budgets; 38 Michelin maps with our addresses positioned and 32 elevation profiles; our suggestions for 5- or 6-day stages.

There’s no need to introduce the Michelin Green Guide, the indestructible travel companion handed down from father to son like a pilgrim’s staff. And now, after a classic geographical breakdown by country or region, the Green Guide has decided to go cross-thematic and take to the roads, and not just any roads, since a “Way of St. James of Compostela” has just been published… There are a thousand and one ways of doing the “Way of St. James”, with its four major routes starting respectively from Paris (Via Turonensis), Vézelay (Via Lemovicensis), Le Puy-en-Velay (Via Podiensis) and Arles (Via Domitia), the first three meeting at St-Jean Pied de Port, and the last one at Obanos, not far from Puente la Reina (Spain), where the route to Spain is via the Col du Somport…

With the Guide Vert, we chose the Via Podiensis, which crosses 750 kms over eight départements, and is undoubtedly the most popular route. Broken down stage by stage, from Le Puy-en Velay to Saint-Jean-Pied-De-Port, the book combines itineraries, maps and practical addresses. An introductory section gives an insight into the more symbolic part of the route, its history and, of course, the organization of the journey.

Ideally, the Le Puy-en-Velay route should be taken between April and mid-October, when you’re most likely to find open accommodation and gîtes d’étape. There’s a wide range of options on site, from campsites and refuges to monasteries and abbeys offering room and board for a fee. However, it’s important to respect the rules of the place, most often silence or meditation, another quest, and other paths, that always uplift the soul.

On the move, a little itinerant rhetoric

Patrick TUDORET

In a book that closely blends pedestrian peregrinations, philosophical and literary wanderings, personal memories and questions about the meaning of existence, Patrick Tudoret, an inveterate walker, invites the reader to follow him, to question himself about what it means to walk.In his beloved Vendôme region, on the roads to Compostela, in the forests of Sologne or the streets of Paris, but also in the four corners of the world and its metropolises, Patrick Tudoret reflects on the meaning of this itinerant quest – so important to him, and which is the very essence of man. For walking is not just a utilitarian activity, but is part of the whole of human life, from discovery of the world to nocturnal strolling, from hand-to-hand contact with nature to philosophical reflection, contemplation and spirituality, never more alive than when man puts one foot in front of the other.

In this companionship with the author, readers will find the joy of encounters full of surprises, and the pleasure of discovering themselves as they chart their own course.

Editions Tallandier – Release date: 03-2023

Price: €19.90

Walking towards your essence

Pauline Wald

A BOOK THAT WILL TAKE YOU ON A JOURNEY!

On the eve of her 30th birthday, Pauline left her Parisian life and her job as a banking executive. She set off alone, backpack on her back, from her native Alsace, in the direction of Santiago de Compostela, with the desire to slow down, to connect more with nature, with others and with herself.

In this travel diary, Pauline shares her inner journey with us: how she copes with fatigue, loneliness, the never-ending stream of anxieties about her future and questions about the meaning of this walk, but also how she gradually finds her way back to her heart and her joy.

During her four-month walk across France and Spain – some 2,000 km on foot – she met many pilgrims, from different countries, ages and backgrounds. She asks them what led them to embark on this journey and what this adventure brings them: the need to reconnect with oneself, the desire for a challenge, for encounters or even a spiritual quest, each path is unique.

Editions Eyrolles – Publication date: 03-2022

Price: €16.90

The call of the road

Yves Semeteys

By inviting us to follow him along three major Jacobean routes, Yves Séméteys delivers in L’Appel du Chemin the vibrant testimony of a wounded soul who sets out on the roads of solitude before being turned upside down by the encounter with the Other and with Life.

A travel diary of joyful adventures, surprising encounters and unexpected discoveries, this tale, carried by the omnipresence of Love, is a polyphonic work in which each path reveals its own light, that of the places, people and encounters of Life.

https://www.thebookedition.com – Reference ISBN no.: 9791069936058

Price: 17 euros

The Pilgrim’s Way to Santiago de Compostela: 101 sites & monuments in the Southwest of France

***magazine* *Le festin – Special issue***

Travelling through the landscapes and major towns of the South-West, this special edition offers eleven itineraries, from north to south, featuring a selection of 101 buildings for curious locals and visiting pilgrims alike.

Bordering on Spain, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region is criss-crossed by the five main routes (Tours, Vézelay, Puy-en-Velay, Arles and Piedmont) identified by Unesco, as well as numerous alternative itineraries, which converge into a single route on arrival in the Basque Country. The region alone accounts for a third of the monuments inscribed by Unesco on its list (26 monuments and one section of trail).

Through a selection of remarkable sites in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, this new special issue of Le Festin highlights the rich heritage, architecture and art of the areas crossed by the Pilgrim’s Way to Santiago de Compostela, enriched by the movement of pilgrims from all over Europe.

March 2022 / 144 pages / 22 x 28 cm / 9782360622917

Price: €15

In praise of pilgrimage

Gaële DE LA BROSSE

a new book for gifts and for yourself!

Dear friends of the road,
I’m delighted to announce the publication of this book, which is very close to my heart. I believe that pilgrimage is a great opportunity for our century in search of landmarks. I wanted to praise it.
In the first part, I offer a few keys to understanding this universal and timeless phenomenon, following the pilgrim’s itinerary: before, during and after his journey, with particular emphasis on the privileged moment of arrival.
Then I recount some twenty pilgrimages I’ve made over the past forty years, in France and neighboring countries: the Camins de Saint-Jacques, the Tro Breiz and other Breton pilgrimages, Chartres, Mont-Saint-Michel, Le Puy-en-Velay, Rocamadour, Tours, Lalouvesc, Lourdes, Nevers, La Sainte-Baume, Vézelay; and, abroad, Fatima, Assisi, Rome, Czestochowa. These pilgrimages, which I have experienced in very different ways, are among the most beautiful moments of my life. In describing them, I wanted to show that everyone can choose the path that suits them, because there are a thousand and one ways of pilgrimage.

This book claims to be“an indispensable companion for pilgrims” before and during their journey, as well as on their return, to keep the flame of this adventure alive and continue their journey.

Editions SAVATOR – Release date: 10-2021

Price: €18

Seven graces on the road to Compostela

Marie-Eve HUMERY

Preface by Luc Adrian,
“Chemins partagés” by Bertrand Vergely, Annick de Souzenelle and Brother Benoît Billot

On the Camino de Santiago, the extraordinary can happen at any moment. Walking with her 20-year-old godson on the road to Vézelay, Marie-Ève Humery experiences these moments intensely: Jean-Marie, who gives them a crédenciale, the precious sesame of the backpacker; Pierre, with whom they discover the special energy of the abbey church of Saint-Ferme; Maria, the welcoming gypsy with a heart of fire… Each of these unlikely encounters gradually shapes the path of the two pilgrims. They could see in them signs, an astonishing synchronicity: instead, they read the gifts of Providence, the writing of a subtle divine pedagogy. A lively, enthusiastic and moving account, imbued with spirituality but also full of humor, for all those seeking to give meaning to their journey… and to their lives!

Editions du Salvator – Chemins d’étoiles – Release date: 10-2020

Price: €15

Compostelle, on the way to yourself

Jean-Christophe RUFIN

Journalist: Denis Lafay
Illustrator: Pascal Lemaître

Summary
On the Pilgrim’s Way to Santiago de Compostela, pilgrims are on the move towards the world. The Mystery. To himself. To do so, he must reach the Essential, and it is to this Essential that Jean-Christophe Rufin invites us.

Jean-Christophe Rufin is a French doctor, writer, diplomat, member of the Académie française and winner of the Prix Goncourt.
Denis Lafay is a journalist with La Tribune.
Pascal Lemaître is an illustrator for the publishing industry and the international press.

Editions de l’Aube – Release date: 03-10-2019

Price: €18.40

Spiritual guide to the Le Puy-en-Velay route

Edited by Gaële de La Brosse.

With the collaboration of Brigitte Alésinas, Dominique Bourgin, Marie-Virginie Cambriels and Pauline Dobon, as well as SFASJC.

Of the four major Jacobean routes that cross France, the one from Le Puy-en-Velay to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques (GR65) is the oldest and most popular, with 25,000 people taking it every year. In addition to practical books, those involved in this route wanted to offer a guide open to all religious and spiritual sensibilities.

This book claims to be“an indispensable companion for pilgrims” before and during their journey, as well as on their return, to keep the flame of this adventure alive and continue their journey.

Contributors include Luc Crepy, Pierre Bonnet, Michel Fraïssé, Martin de Framond, Pierre Gauer, Patrick Huchet, François Legrand, Irène de la Morinière, Jean-Loïc Ollu, as well as Humbert Jacomet and Anne-Marie Podesta from SFASJC. Illustrations are by Marie-Noëlle Lapouge and Sophie Latappy.

Editions SAVATOR – Release date: 07-2021

Price: €12

The melody of the road

Slow and steady, like a march, this travelogue will take you on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. A skilful blend of spirituality and erudition , Robert Hénaff invites us to contemplate and learn more about the landscapes and products that shape the region from Puy-en- Velay to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. The author leads you to experience nature, people and their activities all along the Way.

Faced with this hymn to walking and the beauty of our terroirs, it’s hard to resist putting on your hiking boots!

Travel report

Texts : Robert Hénaff in collaboration with René Mansard, Christian Sérager and Monique Roque-Marmeys
Format: 15×21 cm – 300 pages

35 maps and 252 illustrations
Price: 29€TTC

www.editionsdelaflandonniere.com

70 cards for self-discovery by Céline Anaya Gautier

Listen to you…Just you…And every step you take

GUY TRÉDANIEL ÉDITEUR – Publication date: March 2021

Every step, moment of life, landscape and shared moment captured by Céline Anaya Gautier on the Camino de Compostela retraces the physical and spiritual journey of thousands of pilgrims and walkers in search of meaning and self. A path that can be tortuous and difficult, but so wonderful.

The 70 cards in this set, with their mes-sages inspired by the author’s nine pilgrimages, will accompany you on your own inner journey of initiation. Powerful introspection to help you walk within yourself and for yourself, to dare to be fully who you are.

A deeply spiritual experience.

This box contains:
-A 48-page guide book.
-70 beautiful, emblematic stage maps.
-A sturdy bag to carry your maps.

Immortelle randonnée by Jean-Christophe Rufin

Compostelle malgré moi

Photographs by Marc Vachon
Albums hors série, Gallimard Loisirs Publication date: 31-10-2013

“When we decided to publish an illustrated edition ofImmortelle randonnée, it became clear to me that we had to preserve the realistic character of the book, born of an unprejudiced eye. To respond to the text, I needed a perspective as fresh and as distant as mine had been during those weeks of walking. At the same time, the photographer’s eye also needed to be close. Close to the path, to the pilgrims, to the landscapes…
I asked my friend Marc Vachon, one of the most remarkable witnesses to the contemporary world, to be my partner in this adventure. Together, we set off again. To give those who don’t have the strength, the time or the opportunity to walk it a clear idea of what the Way is all about. To invite others to set off on their own. To Santiago and beyond.”
Jean-Christophe Rufin.

A month on the Camino del Norte, from Bayonne to Santiago…

To prepare for his departure on the roads to Santiago de Compostela, Jean-Christophe Rufin dropped in at 8 rue des Canettes at the Amis de St Jacques reception….

The journey to Compostela by Adeline Rucquoi

Published by Robert Laffont, this book is co-authored by Adeline Rucquoi, Françoise Michaud-Fréjaville and Philippe Picone.

The originality of this volume lies in the fact that it brings to life the mythical journey to Compostela through the direct testimonies of pilgrims.

This volume brings together nearly seventy accounts and itineraries written between the 10th and 20th centuries by pilgrims from all over Europe, with a preference for travelers from France in the 19th and 20th centuries. They are presented in chronological order, allowing us to appreciate the changes that occurred in the way pilgrims traveled, in their motivations, in the context and perception they had of it, and in the place they gave to the visit to the shrine, the goal of the journey, over the centuries. Reading the accounts left by pilgrims of yesteryear highlights the diversity of motives that led them to make the journey to Compostela. They provide original accounts of the towns, landscapes and people they encountered in southern France, the Basque Country, Galicia and Castile.

Françoise Michaud-Fréjaville is Professor Emeritus of Medieval History at the University of Orléans, Philippe Picone is Doctor of Musicology, author of a thesis on “Musiques et culte de Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur dans l’Europe baroque”, Adeline Rucquoi is Director of Research Emeritus at the CNRS, member of the Comité International des Experts du Chemin de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle, and President of the Société Française des Amis de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle until 2016. Adeline Rucquoi and Philippe Picone are members of the Centre d’Etudes Compostelannes, an offshoot of the Société Française Amis de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle.

To read, see and listen to

To see and hear…

Chants pour pèlerins/ Cantos para peregrinos

This CD album contains 10 pilgrim songs, including the famous “Tous les matins…”.

The film “Retrouver le chemin” is showing at the St André des Arts cinema.