Pilgrimages
The twelfth century was the heyday of pilgrimage in Europe. The main destination, apart from Rome and Jerusalem, was the tomb of St James (Saint Jacques in French) at Compostella in northern Spain. Four principal routes were used, although there were a multitude of variations:
The Way of le Puy (Via Podiensis)
The favoured route for pilgrims from Switzerland and eastern France.
The four main traditional pilgrimage routes
The Way of Vézelay (Via Lemovicensis)
Used by pilgrims coming from north-eastern France, Germany and Belgium. The Latin name refers to Limoges, one of the most important pilgrim sites along the way.
The Way of Tours (Via Turonensis)
Used by pilgrims from the Netherlands and the Paris basin. English pilgrims often joined this route via Angers.
The Way of Arles (Via Tolosana)
The main route for pilgrims coming from the south of France and Italy. The Latin name refers to Toulouse, the biggest town on the route.
In our times, these routes have been replicated as best they can be, by marked pathways called Grandes Randonnées (GRs):
The Way of le Puy is the GR65, described in the daily diary of our 31 day walk,
The Way of Vézelay is the GR654 and the daily diary of our 31 day walk will be loaded on this website in October/November 2010,
The Way of Tours is the GR655, described in the daily diary of our 14 day walk, and
The Way of Arles is the GR653, described in the daily diary of our 20 day walk.
All these walks have accompanying guide books put out by the French Walking Club, the Fédération Française de la Randonnée Pédestre, commonly known as the FFRP (see Maps and Guides).
There is also an alternative set of marked tracks, very similar to the GRs but not identical, and they are managed by the Amis de Saint Jacques, a religious organisation. To get the maps and guides for these, it is necessary to have a créanciale (also known as a credencial or a credential), a sort of religious passport, obtainable either from your local bishop or from a cathedral or Office of Tourism in France. The créanciale also entitles you to stay in pilgrim refuges along the way.