Another Reason to Like Shells

I love shells, and I've always liked having them around the house. They symbolize baptism and in classic European art, a scallop shell often symbolizes the devotion to a holy place which has in the past revivaled that of Rome and the Holy Land. The holy place is the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela  in Northwest Spain which is believed to house the bones of Saint James.

History of the Way of St. James

The legend that St James found his way to the Iberian peninsula, and had preached there is one of a number of early traditions concerning the missionary activities and final resting places of the apostles of Jesus. Although the 1884 Bull of Pope Leo XIII Omnipotens Deus accepted the authenticity of the relics at Compostela, the Vatican remains uncommitted as to whether the relics are those of Saint James the Great, while continuing to promote the more general benefits of pilgrimage to the site.

The 1000 year old pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is known in English as the Way of St. James and in Spanish as the Camino de Santiago. Over 100,000 pilgrims travel to the city each year from points all over Europe, and other parts of the world. ~ Wikipedia

 Information about The Way of Saint James

Webcam of pilgrims at the cathedral.

Pilgrimage To The Stars, two sisters walk The Way of Saint James.

HT to VersaillesDailyPhoto. Photo from the inner palace gate at Versailles.