Arriving in Santiago: Cathedral, Pilgrim Mass Times and the Main Squares
Find the published Pilgrim Mass times and approach Santiago with context for the Cathedral, Praza do Obradoiro and its surrounding squares.
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THE ULTREYA TOURS JOURNAL
Camino History & Galician Culture
Understand the history and culture encountered on the Camino de Santiago, from medieval pilgrimage and Roman roads to Galician writers, music and popular traditions. Each article connects a documented story with places travelers can still visit along the routes.
Santo Domingo de la Calzada: Engineer, Saint and the Chicken Miracle
The road builder behind Santo Domingo de la Calzada and the history of the famous pilgrim, gallows, rooster and hen legend.
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What Does ‘Ultreya’ Mean? The Story Behind Our Name
Explore Ultreya’s relationship with the Camino, medieval textual evidence, spelling variants, uncertain etymologies, and the meaning behind Ultreya Tours.
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Alfonso X and the Cantigas de Santa María
How Alfonso X’s illustrated songs preserve medieval music, miracle stories and scenes of pilgrims travelling through thirteenth-century Iberia.
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Romanesque Sculpture on the Camino: From Frómista to Portomarín
Learn to read Romanesque portals, capitals and corbels through key Camino churches at Frómista, Carrión, León and Portomarín.
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Eunate and Torres del Río: Echoes of Jerusalem on the Camino
Why the octagonal churches of Eunate and Torres del Río recall Jerusalem’s Holy Sepulchre, and what their unusual architecture reveals.
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Birdwatching in Galicia: Looking Up Along the Way
A gentle introduction to Galicia’s birdlife and the varied habitats Camino travelers cross on their way to Santiago.
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Music for the Way: From the Codex Calixtinus to Path of Miracles
An introduction to music connected with pilgrimage, Santiago, and the continuing imaginative life of the Camino.
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The ‘Path of Janus’: Another Origin Story for the Camino?
Examine the theory of an ancient Path of Janus behind the Camino, separating evocative symbolism from documented history.
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Astorga and Asturica Augusta: The Roman City Beneath the Camino
Explore Astorga’s Roman legacy, its role as a crossroads, its archaeology, and the monuments encountered by Camino Francés pilgrims.
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