El horizonte del sol poniente. Una reflexión histórico-crítica sobre el Camino de Santiago / The Horizon of the Setting Sun. A historical-Critical Reflection on the St. James' Way

Abstract

One of the most remarkable features of the St. James’ Way in its heyday (12th to 15th centuries) was, no doubt, the consideration of St. James’ grave as the border of the Christian boundaries and cosmos. Compostela was the shrine at the end of the world; it marked the Western limit of the Christendom, i.e., Rome’s domains towards the setting sun. This constituted its strategic privilege and was the main source of its meaning: A way towards the end but with the willingness to start afresh. The Jacobean pilgrim did not look for any miraculous healing, but he longed for a renewed comeback to his ordinary life after he had put his life at risk and made that unique effort of experiencing the boundaries of the earth and the last skyline.