Camino Catalan
The Camino Catalán or Ruta Catalana is the name of the Camino de Santiago through Catalonia . It is a historically documented route of the St. James pilgrims and runs largely along the old Roman roads Via Augusta and Via Domitia .
course
The path begins in Perpignan as the junction of Via Tolosana and crosses at the Coll de Perthus , the lowest pass in the Pyrenees . Via La Jonquera , the path leads at some distance from the coast to Barcelona or Tarragona .
The detour via the Monastery of Montserrat was a detour from the main route for pilgrims in the Middle Ages. Today, however, the monastery with its Black Madonna " Our Lady of Montserrat " - the patron saint of Catalonia - is one of the most important sights in the region. This is where the marked section of the trail starts towards Logroño .
From the monastery of Montserrat the path leads to Lleida . In the further course the Camino Catalán connects with the Ruta de Ebro and leads via Saragossa to Logroño, where the Ruta Catalana joins the main route Camino Francés .
The Camino Catalán has numerous variants of historical importance, but they are less well developed.
Marking status and infrastructure
The route between Perpignan and Barcelona is only sporadically marked. Pilgrim hostels are not available. From the monastery of Montserrat, the main path is looked after by the James Society of Sabadell and is marked continuously as far as Logroño. It deviates slightly from the historical route in some sections. In its course there are currently six pilgrim hostels (as of 2008).
literature
- Carlos Mencos: Guía práctica del Camino Jacobeo del Ebro y Camino Catalán . Ediciones Desnivel, ISBN 84-934512-3-1 . (Practical pilgrim guide Ebroroute and Camino Catalán, Spanish)
- Santiago en los caminos históricos de la Península Ibérica 1: 1,000,000. Instituto Geográfico Nacionál 2005
- El Camí de Sant Jaume de Galícia, de Montserrat and Santiago de Compostela . Associació d'amics del camí de Sant Jaume de Sabadell, 1993, depósito legal B-25859-93 (Official Guide of the Jacobean Society of Sabadell, Catalan, available on the Association's website)