Information

The Way of St. James, also known as the Camino de Santiago, is one of the main historical pilgrimage routes in Europe, leading to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. This route is associated with Christian traditions and the belief that the remains of the Apostle James are buried there.
The Camino has been popular for centuries and has become a significant religious and cultural experience for many travelers. Its origins date back to the 9th century, when, according to tradition, the forgotten tomb of the Apostle James the Greater was discovered in Galicia, Spain, and the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral was built over it.
By the 11th century, pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela spanned a wide network of roads across Europe, stretching tens of thousands of kilometers. As a result, both tangible heritage (bridges, churches and other prayer sites, hospitals, accommodations) and intangible heritage (songs, myths, legends) developed along the route.
Since the Middle Ages, the Way of St. James has symbolized the history of cultural interaction and exchange between various European traditions. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people embark on the Camino, which has led to the development of numerous route variations. It is often said that the pilgrimage begins at home. Starting in the mid-1960s, interest in the Camino de Santiago began to rise rapidly, with recent years seeing around 450,000 pilgrims annually from various countries and continents receiving official certification for completing the journey. In reality, the number of those undertaking parts of the route is even greater, as many people cover only certain sections of the path due to time, financial, or health constraints, often continuing the journey the following year or later.
Every year, several hundred pilgrims from Latvia also travel along different sections of this route.
The Camino offers many routes originating from various parts of Europe, but the most popular and well-known is the French Way (Camino Francés), which begins in France and spans approximately 780 kilometers.
In 1987, the historical Camino de Santiago was the first route included in the Council of Europe’s Cultural Routes program.
In 1993, the Camino was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Travelers who complete the pilgrimage are awarded a Compostela – a certificate attesting that they have completed the journey to Santiago de Compostela. Many consider this a significant and spiritual achievement.
The symbol of the Camino is the scallop shell. In the past, it was depicted on pilgrims’ clothing, but now the entire route is marked with this symbol, serving as waymarkers. The route is also sometimes referred to as the Milky Way, as the French Way (which starts in the French town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port) aligns with the direction of the Milky Way, which medieval pilgrims used for navigation.
In the 14th century, approximately one million pilgrims traveled this route each year.

S.A. DE XESTIÓN DO PLAN XACOBEO PRESIDENCIA DA XUNTA DE GALICIA https://www.caminodesantiago.gal/
La Federación Española de Asociaciones de Amigos del Camino de Santiago. In 1950, the first Santiago Friends Association was founded in Paris, and ten years later, the first one in Spain (Estella, 1962). During the 1980s and 1990s, the phenomenon of associations spread throughout Europe and across five continents. These organizations have played a crucial role in researching and marking the St. James Way routes, as well as in establishing and managing hostels for pilgrims. https://www.caminosantiago.org/cpperegrino/comun/portal.asp
Camino Europa Compostela  http://www.caminoeuropacompostela.eu

These organizations unite the routes and communities of the St. James Way (Camino de Santiago) worldwide, supporting and promoting its preservation, development, and recognition as a pilgrimage route and cultural heritage site. International federations and associations of the St. James Way carry out various activities to maintain the route, provide essential support for travelers, and organize events and activities related to pilgrimage and the significance of the Camino.

The Latvian St. James Way Association is a non-governmental, volunteer-based, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, developing, and maintaining the St. James Way (Camino de Santiago) in Latvia. It oversees the pilgrimage route in Latvia, which is part of the larger European network of St. James pilgrimage routes leading to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

The Latvian St. James Way Association was founded on January 8, 2019, and brings together people of various professions and ages who have once walked the Camino in Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, Germany, or other countries.
The Association’s Main Goals:
*Develop the St. James Way in Latvia – In cooperation with local municipalities and tourism information centers, establish a network of St. James routes using the unified marking system of the Camino de Santiago. Create routes that connect Latvia with the rest of the European St. James routes.
*Promote pilgrimage traditions – Provide information and organize events to educate people about the history and significance of the Camino de Santiago, encouraging local interest in Europe’s Christian roots, religion, culture, architecture, and traditions. Increase the visibility and recognition of historical sites related to national and Church history.
*Support pilgrims – Provide resources such as route maps, accommodation information, and pilgrimage recommendations.
*Encourage cultural and religious tourism – Help foster connections between people, cultures, and traditions.
Association Activities:
*Establishing and marking routes in Latvia.
*Maintaining, restoring, and improving the path.
*Organizing pilgrimages and storytelling evenings.
*Providing information and practical assistance to those wishing to walk the Camino.
*Organizing and promoting St. James’ celebrations and cultural events.

For up-to-date information on Camino Latvia, visit their Facebook pages: https://caminolatvia.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/groups/caminolatviatalks
Or follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caminolatvia/
Also use the mobile application – CaminoLatvia

*S.A. DE XESTIÓN DO PLAN XACOBEO PRESIDENCIA DA XUNTA DE GALICIA

*The Spanish Federation of Associations of Friends of the Camino de Santiago

*Embassy of Spain in Latvia – we have been assigned our own Spanish NIP number.

*Roman Catholic Curia of the Riga Metropolitan Archdiocese
“Dear pilgrims of the St. James Way! I wish you God’s blessing and the intercession of St. James in all your needs! May your participation in the St. James Way serve as a fulfilling active retreat and bring abundant spiritual fruits to your life!”
/Zbigņevs Stankevičs, Archbishop Metropolitan of Riga/

*Support from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia and Archbishop of Riga, Jānis Vanags
“You are not alone on this journey! Every step you take is noticed by God! Trust in Him, so that your heart may feel that following Christ is not as difficult as it seems. Hold on firmly to Hope, so that the joy you seek may rise like the morning light. The road ahead is still long, but know that at the end, a crown woven from Christ’s Grace awaits you.”
/Krists Kalniņš, Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia/

*The Union of Latvian Baptist Churches

*Churches and congregations in Valka, Strenči, Valmiera, Cēsis, Sigulda, Carnikava, Riga, Tīreļi, Bērze, Dobele, Tērvete, Augstkalne, Salaspils, Ogre, Ķegums, Vecumnieki, Brukna, Bārbele, Skaistkalne.

*Tourism Information Centers in Valka, Valmiera, Cēsis, Sigulda, Carnikava, Riga, Mārupe, Dobele, Salaspils, Ogre, Vecumnieki.

The Friends of the Way of St. James Association of Estonia was founded on February 1, 2015.
The goal of the association is to develop, mark, and promote the Estonian Camino, provide advice to pilgrims in Estonia, and foster international cooperation with various pilgrimage organizations.
Currently, the Estonian Camino route is mapped and marked. The pilgrimage route begins from the Tallinn Cathedral and leads through Pärnu to the Iklas and Valga border points with Latvia. A database has been created that includes information about the route, churches along the way, accommodations, dining options, and other infrastructure and attractions.

For more detailed information, visit the Friends of the Way of St. James Association of Estonia’s website: https://caminoestonia.com/language/en/homepage/ and their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jaakobitee.camino

The Camino Lituano community began its activities at the end of 2016. The Way of St. James Association (Camino Lituano) was established in early 2017 and brought together a group of Camino enthusiasts, pilgrims, and travelers. Their goal is to promote Camino Lituano in Lithuania and beyond, to make it a pilgrimage, tourist, and educational route that everyone will recognize and love. The official opening of Camino Lituano took place in Pune in 2017, on July 21-22.

For more detailed information about the stages of the Camino de Santiago in Lithuania (Camino Lituano), you can visit their website: https://caminolituano.com/ .
Up-to-date information about Camino Lituano can also be found on their Facebook pages: https://www.facebook.com/Camino.lt and Camino Lituano Network  https://www.facebook.com/groups/387715041834868

St. James way in Spain, Portugal –https://www.gronze.com/.
App https://camino.ninja/ .
I-phone app https://apps.apple.com/us/app/buen-camino-de-santiago-app/id858222947
St. James Way in Poland https://camino.net.pl/.
St. James Way in Germany  https://www.jakobsweg.de/.
St. James Way in France https://walkinginfrance.info/pilgrimages/ .
England, France, Switzerland, Italy https://www.viefrancigene.org/en/.

European Association Romea Strata (AERS Romea Strata) https://www.romeastrata.org/
Since 5 May 2021, The Association of the Way of St James in Latvia is a member of the European Association Romea Strata (AERS).
AERS was founded in 2018 by 30 founding members from Poland, Czech Republic, Austria and Italy with the aim of rediscovering and valorizing the spiritual and cultural heritage of Romea Strata, the ancient pilgrimage route which crossed the regions from the Baltic Sea to Rome and today includes seven countries – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria and Italy.
The logo of the Romea Strata carries double meaning:
– the yellow arrow symbolizes the roads from the north-east to south-west toward Rome and Jerusalem, as well as the route pointing north-west to Santiago de Compostela
– a modern interpretation of the Aquileia cross, the city from where the Christianization of Central Europe started.
In course of history this route has promoted trade, spread of traditions and innovations. The many churches, monasteries and universities built on it have fascilitated exchange of religious, spiritual and intellectual ideas. It has intersected and incorporated other pilgrimage routes and connected otherwise distant places. All this has resulted in a multi-layered heritage which calls to be explored by the 21st century pilgrims in order to celebrate the common European spiritual and cultural identity, appreciate the rich diversity of local contexts and the beauty of the natural landscape of the itinerary.
In Baltic countries and in part of Poland (up to Torun) Romea Strata follows the same route as the Way of St James.
In Latvia, Romea Strata covers 429 kilometres. It follows the itinerary of one of the two branches of Camino Latvia. It is divided into 18 stages: 12 stages (280 km) – from the border with Estonia at the town Valka/Valga to Riga, 6 stages (149 km) – from Riga to the border of Lithuania at Skaistkalne. It offers rich historical and spiritual heritage, scenic diversity, gpx and KLM tracks worked out by Camino Latvia, and pilgrim accommodation

Pilgrim’s Prayer (Traditional Camino de Santiago Prayer)
God, bless this journey of mine.
Give me strength to carry my burdens,
Patience to accept the hardships of the path,
And joy to savor each moment.
Help me find peace on the way,
Open my heart to other pilgrims
And see Your presence
In each day, in every step.
Protect my loved ones who remain at home,
And guide me safely on my return journey.
Amen.

Prayer Before Starting the Journey
Lord, help me to be brave on this journey.
Grant me the strength to embrace the unknown,
Not to fear loneliness,
And to open my heart to new possibilities.
Let this path be more than just physical –
Let it be a path of soul renewal,
Love, and forgiveness.
Amen.