Broadview, August 2025
Last year, almost half a million pilgrims arrived in Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. Their destination: the medieval cathedral where, legend has it, the bones of St. James the Apostle are entombed. About 47 percent of those who made the journey did so for purely religious reasons, according to statistics released by the Pilgrim’s Reception Office. But why did the rest choose the Camino?
Some of these pilgrims might describe themselves as spiritual but not religious — presumably, they feel there is something about the experience of walking the Camino that they can benefit from even as non-Christians. But I’m not sure dropping religion is quite so easy. Nancy Ammerman, a sociology of religion professor at the Boston University School of Theology, believes the idea that spirituality is distinct from religiosity is essentially a successful rebranding exercise: people take the aspects of religion they like and label them “spiritual.” Religious traditions have become a spiritual salad bar where each of us fills our plate with our favourite items. We are constantly searching for the perfect combination of ingredients. Walking the Camino is like bacon bits, adding a nice salty crunch to whatever else is piled on our plate.
A spiritual seeker on the Camino won’t avoid religion. One is walking toward the tomb of an apostle — that seems pretty religious to me. But the Camino’s very existence also depends on Spain’s particular religious history. St. James’s tomb was discovered around 813 CE, during Islamic rule of the region. It provided Christian authorities with a pilgrimage destination that could help bring more Christians into the area.
