2016 FRH Biennial Conference

1. KEYNOTE
PILAR G. BAHAMONDE
Pilgrimage and Community
FRH Conference in Vicenza
10th Nov. 2016

2. The Camino Lebaniego of
Santo Toribio
Cantabria, Pilgrimage and comunity
Año Jubilar Lebaniego 2017/
Liébana Jubilee Year 2017
Pilar G. Bahamonde @Bahamonde
Centro de Estudios Lebaniegos/ Liébana Centre for
Studies (SRECD)

3. 3
The North Ways
to
Santiago/Camino
s del Norte are
the perfect frame
to transmit
History: Regional
(in every
community they
cross over),
National and
European. They
represent the first
steps of the
Pilgrimage to
Santiago de
Compostela.

4. 4
Cantabria is presented as a crossroad of Caminos. It is the only region with
two Caminos of Jubilee, the one to Santiago and its own to the Monastery
of Santo Toribio de Liébana, where the biggest piece of the Cross of Jesus
(63cm x 33cm) is custodied from ancient times. Tested by the International
Forest Institute as a Palestinian variety of Cupresus Sempervivens, and
dated more than 2.000 years old, the wood of this formidable relic was
used by the Church to test the authenticity of the other existing relics in the
world.

5. Monastery of S anto Toribio de
Liébana,
Holy Place of Jubilee
5

6. 6
-Camino de Santiago-Camino Lebaniego
Therefore, we find on one side the Camino de la Costa a Santiago de
Compostela/Coast Way to Santiago, and on the other side the Camino
Lebaniego of Santo Toribio leading the pilgrim´s feet into the mountains of
the Picos of Europe to visit the Relic of the Cross. Once they obtain their
certificate at the monastery, they can continue their way through the
mountains into the French Way/Camino Francés to Santiago
(mapa de Cantabria dos Caminos)

7. 7
Thousands of pilgrims pass through villages of Cantabria on the
Northern route to Santiago, yearly; while only a bit more than 500 take
the challenge to go into the mountains on the Camino de Santo Toribio.

8.  Cantabrian population that lives all along the 187km on the
coast experience a different reality than the population who
lives all along the 55,32kms of the Camino Lebaniego de
Santo Toribio near to the mountains.
 There is much to be done in Cantabria to promote the
millenary pilgrimage of Santo Toribio, ratified by the Pope
Julius the 2nd in 1512 and listed World Heritage by UNESCO
in 2015 as one of the North Ways of Pilgrimage.
8

9. Cantabria
9

10. 10
 Camino Lebaniego of
Santo Toribio/the way
to Santo Toribio:
From Midle Ages
Santo Toribio de
Liébana
is one of the 4 holy
places of Jubilee in
perpetuum (perpetual),
of Christianity, along
with Jerusalem, Rome
and
Santiago de
Compostela

11. 11

12. 12
Recently,
at the end of
20th century, Urda,
Caravaca and last
year Valencia
benefit from the
same condition

13. 13
 It has its own credential and also a certificate of the
pilgrimage to be obtained once you get to Santo
Toribio. Its name is Lebaniega (meaning “from
Liébana”, the valley where the monastery is located)
 The pilgrims that do the Camino de Santo Toribio are
known as “CRUCENOS” or “Pilgrims of the Cross”
 Last Jubilee Year in Santo Toribio, in 2006, brought
1.250.000 visitors. The population of mountaneous
region of Liébana in Cantabria? We don’t reach 6.000
inhabitants
 Next one?, in 2017

14. 14

15. Door of
Forgivne
ss/Puerta
del
Perdón,
to be
open in
Jubilee
Year
2017
15

16. 16
 With the proximity of the Lebaniego Jubilee Year, that
will start in April 2017, and will end in April 2018, the
Government of Cantabria is planning a marketing
strategy for raising awareness, improving knowledge,
giving value and developing its touristic side as a
product.

17. Liébana & Picos de Europa
17

18. Pilgrims in Camino Lebaniego de
Santo Toribio 2007-2016
18
565
232
287
239
105
283
336
434
501
587
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

19. Shelters in figures
19
0
5000
10000
15000
Potes
Güemes
Liendo
501
9097
2237
587
10034
2479
PEREGRINOS 2015
PEREGRINOS 2016

20. Motivation/reason
20
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Espiritual
deportiva
religiosa
cultural
Motivación

21. Pilgrims gender
21
MEN: 376 75%
WOMEN: 125 25%
Género del peregrino
hombres
mujeres

22. Arrival
22
BIKING: 30; 6%
WALKING : 471; 94%
Way of arrival

23. 23
As a main pillar of this rich intangible religious heritage, we propose in
Liébana the rescue of a historic personage, Beato de Liébana, who
caused and help drawing the actual map of Christianity in Europe.
An abbot, in the 8th century who lived and wrote the hymn of Saint James
Apostle declaring him as patron saint of Hispania in the same monastery
that custodies the Lignum Crucis. He is considered the first Cantabrian and
Hispanic author and was in his time the most relevant person of the
Hispanic and European Church together with Alcuin of York, his closest
friend.
He defended the orthodoxy of Christianity against the heresy of the
almighty Church of Toledo with its archbishop Elipando as a visible head
influenced by the Islam.
And in his Comments on the Book of Revelation he reinforced the
presence of Santiago Apostle as well by placing him in a mapamundi with
the rest of the disciples.

24. 24

25.  It is known that around 15 years later of that hymn, the tomb of
Santiago was found by Teodomiro, bishop of Iria Flavia, who sent
to call the King to visit the tomb of the Apostle in Compostela. It
would be the King, Alfonso the 2nd, the very first pilgrim,
ordering after that, a sanctuary to be raised in that place, to
honor him.
 Unfortunately the book of Beato has not been preserved,
instead, as result of 5 centuries copying his book in different
monasteries of Spain and Europe, 25 of those several
manuscript illuminated copies, named “beatos”, are now
included in the Memory of the World Register by UNESCO
and zealously preserved in Libraries and Museums of the world.
 Thus, Paris, Londres, Berlin, Ginebra, Madrid, Manchester,
Gerona, Turin, Lisboa, New York, México… Pity none in
Cantabria, with the consequences of having fallen into oblivion in
the local population.
25

26. Exhibition of 22 Beatos facsimiles
26

27. Miniatures of the Book of Beato/Miniaturas contenidas en
los beatos
27

28. El Armagedón
28

29. El Alfa y Cruz de la Victoria/The Alpha and Cross of Victory
29

30. Los
cuatro
jinetes del
Apocalipsi
s/The four
knights of
Apocalyp
s
30

31. All this formidable
religious cultural
heritage comes to
a context in
Liébana, 2,5km
away from the
Monastery of
Santo Toribio,
in the museum
Torre del
Infantado, with a
permanent
exhibition of 22
facsimiles of those
beatos.
Museum Torre
del Infantado
31

32. Potes
32

33. 33

34. Dentro del libro de Beato/Inside the Book of
Beato
34

35.  The museum together with the Centro de Estudios
Lebaniegos/Centre for Studies of Liébana and
Cantabrian Pilgrim´s Office, located in the same building
(the reused 14th century parish church monument) belongs
to the same paradigm, promoting the religious heritage
from a cultural and identity perspective.
 Today, with all this Tangible and Intangible heritage, with
the services and tools we have in our hands, Cantabria
Government is developing a holistic program, in which
Pilgrimage itself can make citizens, locals, get involved in
contextualizing the cultural living history that lays
underneath their traditions, their religiosity, making them be
more conscious about the preservation of their heritage.
Apart from that and at the same time showing them the
possibilities of the pilgrimage as a source of sustainability.
35

36. 36

37. Old church of Potes. Pilgrims Office
Liébana Centre for Studies
37

38. Today receiving
pilgrims…
38

39. Organising
groups of
pilgrims for youth
39

40. Workshop for children
40

41. 41
We count on a net of pilgrim´s shelters and a Pilgrimage Office all along the 277
kms of both ways with 27 shelters + 5 more in the other 3 routes, adding 83 kms
to the principal one., such as: Camino Lebaniego-Castellano, Camino lebaniego-
Leonés and Camino Lebaniego-Vadiniense.
These days 2 more shelters will be added in tthe coast, to reinforce the Camino.

42.  With the Project “Camino Lebaniego en Red” promoted by the Regional Governement,
with a public/private investment of 400.000€, there is free wifi in the Camino Lebaniego,
with connectivity all along the way with technology to enable pilgrims to share and interact
with others. The project´s been designed by the Cantabrian company Zwit Project, with
contents adapted to handicapped people.
 Volunteers in different municipalities are surveying signs, posible deficiencies, arrows,
cleaning, etc that might confuse the pilgrims.
 Improve the Camino!/Mejora el Camino
http://caminolebaniegoenred.com/mejora-el-camino-lebaniego/
 We are of course conscious that even if we check the caminos monthly or every
forthnight, a pilgrim is prone to have some difficulties on his/her way to Santo Toribio. Due
to that The Government of Cantabria developed an application for smartphones called
“Mejora el Camino” /Improve the Way”. With it the pilgrim, in situ can notify what he
considers of utility to the others following his/her steps.
 The website www.caminolebaniego.com is fully working and being in constant updating.
42

43. 43

44.  We are finishing with the installation of new signs and panels with information as well as
the arrows in both Caminos: the yellow ones for the Way to Santiago, and the red one
for the Way to Santo Toribio
,,,,, La flecha amarilla propia del Camino de Santiago
&
,,,,,, La flecha roja del Camino Lebaniego de Santo Toribio
 Mejora el camino
http://caminolebaniegoenred.com/mejora-el-camino-lebaniego/
44

45. 45

46. 46

47. 47

48.  The Camino is fully protected in Cantabria territory
with the maximum level of protection, awarded
BIC/dated 11 September 2013
 The Region is member of Future for Religious
Heritage (FRH) since 2012.
 The award of UNESCO listing both Caminos as World
Heritage is being a great support and caused
Cantabrian scepticle citizens to give recognition to the
relevance of their heritage.
 We´ve also participated in the Leonardo Education
project, ALTERheritage ”The other Heritage”,
together with other partners Belgium, Germany, UK,
Holland and Sweden.
48

49. FRH & ALTERheritage project in Cantabria
49

50.  Nowadays the Region is participating in its second
educational Project, the Erasmus+ “EUROPETOUR”,
with partners from Germany, Poland, Romania,
Bulgary, Belgium, Austria and Italy, in the network
strategies for managers and stakeholders of the
religious-cultural rural heritage, as a source of
sustainability for the territories.
50

51. AND LET ME TELL YOU THIS
 We are experiencing changes in the population, in our
community.
 Precisely 2 weeks ago, an old lady whose family tree
belongs completely to the region of Liébana in the
Picos of Europe from XII century,
 she came to the Centre for Studies of Liébana to tell us
very humbly and shyly the tradition she inherited from
her ancestors..
51

52. 52
By oral tradition it is said there is a forest with a hidden fountain and the stones of a
former chapel where there was once a monastery.
According to the oral tradition of that valley, Beato de Liébana was found dead by
the fountain and would be buried in that little chapel

53.  She would never dare to speak these words if she
wouldn’t have been inspired by the discovery of our
membership in Future for Religious Heritage, the
ALTERheritage family of delegates in Potes, and finally
UNESCO listing the Camino Lebaniego of Santo Toribio.
 Last week we visited the place, and her testimony is
been recorded and written as well as some others that
hold the ancient spirit of this community
53

54.  An event like this one, today, to whose organizers once more I express
my gratitude and Greetings, it places our heritage in the map, all
together, this is our contribution, because Europe is made of many
small heritages, their differences and their commonalities.
 We are helping citizens to be aware of the importance of Pilgrimage as
the ultimate exponent of a most valuable intangible heritage. We
cannot understand Europe without the Pilgrimage, this is the thread
that connects our tangible religious heritage. It gives sense to all the
religious buildings incardinated all along it, to be understood by the
new generations to come. Those are the markers of the Camino, they
are a part of the Europe we can touch. In symbiosis, they support the
Caminos. One day they could just simply not be there anymore if we
don’t commit ourselves to preserve them. If nobody would care
anymore.
 Awarness…
Facing now the celebration of Liébana Jubilee Year of Santo Toribio
2017, European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, Europe Horizon 2020,
and Jubilee Year in Santiago de Compostela in 2021, here and now, we
are rescuing and safeguarding the intangible heritage of a period which
explains why we are today what we are, as community, and not something
different; who we are and not somebody else.
54

55. 55
A commitment with a time in Europe when:
Charlemagne was Emperor
Alcuin of York in Saint Martin de Tours was hosting monks bringing him letters from
his good friend Beato de Liébana, while he was consulted in Canterbury for the
ceremony of Aethelbert as archbishop.
A time when Beato de Liébana, was assessing Alcuin about the interpretation of the
Gospels, since no one but him would domain the subject. The time when he finally
wrote the Hymn of Santiago Apostle, as Patron Saint of Hispania,“Tutorque nobis
et patronus vernulus”, seeding the need of a patron who would reinforce
Christianity: Santiago the eldest, the Son of the Thunder. The reason why we keep
doing the Camino in perpetuum to Santiago de Compostela.
When the bishop of Iria Flavia (La Coruña) sent to call the King so that he could
check by the tomb of the Apostle.
And as simple as we can think of this is the very beginning of the Camino de
Santiago, the Camino Primitivo, in the North of the Peninsula for the whole
Europe.
When in Iona, or Lindisfarne the Columba monks were lavishly producing the beauty
of the Book of Kells.
And when the Albelda Chronicle, not that far from here nither was writing for the
first time in Europe too the first Arabic numbers such as we know them today, 1, 2,
3, 4…

56. 56
“Alles van waarde is weerloos”
“Everything of value is
defenceless”
(Lucebert)
North Ways to Santiago Heritage,
Camino Lebaniego of Santo Toribio,
Camino Primitivo,
Camino Interior Vasco-Riojano,
Camino de la Costa

57. To all of you
Thank you,
Grazie,
Gracias
Good way, buen
camino!
pilar.bahamonde@srecd.es
@BahamondePG
@CELebaniegos
57