middle ages pilgrim numbers--urban legend?

[Watson, John]

Barry
No doubt the figures are legendary. There is no REAL PROOF that Francis of
Assissi really walked to Compostela (I believe he did), we certainly don't
know the year he walked, and all figures of the Middle Ages are rubbery.
Just look at the reports of dead in major battles.
What we have to realise is that there were (and are) many pilgrim routes to
Compostela. There is a Spanish map I have (at home and I'm now at work - the
kids are doing their maths test) which shows a cobweb of routes all over.
 From the tenth to the twelfth centuries, I have read, somewhere between 100
000 and 250 000 pilgrims annually arrived at Compostela, large numbers
walking from Corunna.
Refugios in the old days such as at Villafranca del Bierzo were built to
accommodate 300. No doubt they were often full to overflowing, with crowds
sleeping in churches and monasteries. Would Villafranca have sheltered 1000
a night? For 200 nights, that would be 200 000 pilgrims, but many of those
would be on their return journey.
We can never arrive at a true number, big numbers are possible, but a
million? Gee, I dunno ...
John

-----Original Message-----
From: Barry Evans [mailto:barryevans9aYAHOO.COM]
Sent: Tuesday, 20 November 2001 7:40 AM
To: GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU
Subject: middle ages pilgrim numbers--urban legend?


"Camino Pilgrim Net (an online resource for Camino pilgrims) reports
that in the year when Saint Francis made his pilgrimage from Assissi,
on foot, he was one of about a  million people who did so."

I'd heard this too, but I wonder if this is a bit of an urban legend?
this would have been when the total population of Europe was around
80 million, hard to believe that 1 in 80 could take off from their
non-stop work (no paid vacations then!) and trek not just to Santiago
but home again.
I'd be fascinated to know if there's any independent documentation of
middle ages numbers.
(trying to imagine a few thousand tired peregrinos arriving every
night at El Cebreiro!)
Barry Evans

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