ABSTRACT
The pilgrimage was an important focus of religious life during the Middle Ages. Christians began to make journeys to holy places as early as the second and third centuries. The church of St. Sernin was located along a pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, and it was the model for the Romanesque cathedral begun in Santiago de Compostela at the end of the eleventh century. The chapter presents three selections from the The Pilgrim's Guide to Santiago de Compostela. The first, "Pilgrimage Roads", describes the major routes to Santiago de Compostela. The second, "Pilgrimage Experiences", describes the Basque people who were encountered en route in northeastern Spain and who were despised by the French. The third, "Pilgrimage Attractions", describes the reasons to visit the church of St. Gilles at Aries, which, like St. Sernin at Toulouse, was located along one route to Compostela.
