First traveled in the early ninth century after the remains of the apostle James were allegedly found in the far northwestern corner of the Iberian Peninsula known as Galiza, the "Camino de Santiago", or the "Way of St. James", soon became an important spiritual journey for European and Middle Eastern Christians devoted to James the Elder.

As legend would have it, sometime between 813 and 815 A.D. a local hermit named Pelayo reputedly had an intense vision in which, much like the celestial light that had illuminated a humble stable in Bethlehem approximately eight centuries before, a blazing star shone over a certain portion of the dense Galizan forest on a clear winter's night. During the ensuing investigation conducted by the local bishop, an ancient stone crypt dating back to Roman times was found that supposedly contained the bones of St. James.

After a small church was later erected by local stonemasons on the sacred ground that was said to hold James' remains, the holy site immediately became forever known throughout the region as Santiago de Compostela, which translated from the vulgar Latin of the time to "St. James of the Field of the Star", or, more prosaically, to “St. James of the Burial Ground”.

At Mediterránia, we sometimes refer to the Camino de Santiago as "La Ruta del Mueble" ("The Furniture Route") due to the plethora of fine 16th to 18th C. walnut, chestnut, oak, cherry and pine furniture pieces that have survived for hundreds of years along The Way ... and can still be found by those with the determination, knowledge and experience to get off the beaten track to hunt for them, and then have them lovingly restored.

Be sure to follow all the highlights from our Spring 2023 buying trip on Instagram!