The Road to Santiago: Pilgrims of St. James

Mudejar ornamentation in plaster, I went in search of the little rectangular chapel of St. James which stands by itself in the garden in the shadow of the church. It is one of the finest chapels in the convent and Moorish in style. The entrance to this holy of holies of the Patron of Spain is a horseshoe arch which, according to Miss King, was influenced by the Byzantines of the sixth and seventh century.
    In this chapel stands the statue of Santiago of the thirteenth century with polichromed tunic and movable arms which gave the accolade to St. Ferdinand, John I and other Kings of Castile and León, thus consecrating them to his apostolic crusade with its war-cry of ‘Santiago y cierra España’.
    Before leaving Las Huelgas I went to the chapter-house to see the noble relic which the founder left to the convent—the royal standard which was captured from the Moors at the celebrated battle of Las Navas de Tolosa on July 6, 1212. According to tradition, the Moorish King Miramamolin ordered it to be hoisted over the entrance of his tent which was surrounded by three thousand negroes in chains, who were to witness the historic battle. And it was the valiant Sancho of Navarre who broke through and captured it.
    After a walk under the trees of El Parral I came to the Hospital del Rey, which the charitable Alfonso VIII founded for poor and sick pilgrims who were on their way to Santiago de Compostela, and, in order to carry out the intentions he and his wife had in creating the monastery and hospital, he placed the latter under the direct administration of the Abbess of Las Huelgas.
    The two great contemporary chroniclers, Archbishop Jimenez de Rada known as El Toledano and Don Lucas of Tuy known as El Tudense, are loud in their praises of the richly-endowed building. Poor pilgrims were welcomed at any hour of the day, but they had to show documents justifying their pilgrimage and when on their return they called at the hospital they were asked to produce the Compostellan certificate proving that they had made the pilgrimage. Pilgrims were allowed to rest only two days in the hospital and during that time they were given bed and full rations, including bread and wine. After the two days the pilgrim continued his journey. The ordinary ration consisted of twenty ounces of bread, twelve of meat with bone or ten without, and sixteen of red wine. For breakfast they were given two ounces of bread or soup. For lunch nine ounces of bread, six of meat, one and a half of chick-peas, half of bacon and eight of red wine. For supper, nine ounces of bread, six of meat or four of stew with potatoes and eight of red wine. *
    Alfonso VIII appointed thirteen knights of the Cistercian Order from the Monastery of Calatrava to supervise and attend in the hospital. They were given the title of Freires, but they were not necessarily nobles nor were they in Holy Orders, but they made vows of obedience and chastity to the Abbess of Las Huelgas, which they renewed every three years. The women pilgrims were looked after by the nuns who were Comendadoras of Calatrava and wore a white habit with the Cross of Calatrava, ample veil and a long train which they gathered up, but allowed to trail after them on solemn occasions.
    The principal entrance to the Hospital del Rey is called the ‘Pilgrim Gate’, which was reconstructed in the reign of Charles V and is one of the finest examples of plateresque style in Burgos. Over the gate under a huge scallop shell we see St. James seated, holding in his left hand a book which he is reading. Above the vaulted niche in which the Saint is seated and over an impost decorated with nine scallop shells rises the triangular tympanum in which is the bust of King Alfonso VIII grasping in his right hand the sceptre and with the inscription underneath: Buen Rey Don Alfonso VIII, Fundador Desta Casa. It is sad to visit this great building, which was full to overflowing in the ancient days when foreign pilgrims went to Compostella. It has a forlorn and neglected air in comparison with Las Huelgas, which has soared into the public eye owing to the opening of the tombs of the kings and queens. Their mummies have shed their gorgeous regal robes and crowns to enrich the glass cases and have been clothed uniformly in the austere white habit of the Cistercian.

SANTOYO AND THE HARVESTERS

    The journey from Burgos to Castrojeriz is dull and not much has been written about it by the pilgrims of ancient times, with the exception