Camino De Santiago Portraits

Galicia is celebrating the 2021 Xacobeo. Pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela can gain the jubilee from the catholic church during this holy year. The Way of Santiago is a trek of about 800 kilometers long, running from the Pyrinees to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. It became popular with European catholics during the Middle Ages when the remains of Saint James were found in Santiago. Nowadays more than 300.000 people a year travel the oldest pilgrimage route in Europe on foot, bicycle or horseback. The way of Saint James was declared a World Heritage Site due to the rich cultural, artistic and natural values it embraces. I took the pilgrims portraits during the years 2008/09 after they completed the trek of the day. The motivations for walking the Camino are diverse; some do it for religious reasons, others want to prove the limits of their physical strength amidst a natural environment, many take it as an opportunity for personal growth. It is a long journey where one has the chance to meet people from all over the world and learn about the culture, the history and the artistic monuments along the way.