The first casebook in English on the phenomenon that sent Europe walking in the Middle Ages on the arduous road to Santiago de Compostela, the legendary burial place of St James. Among other themes the book examines the huge literature base on the pilgrimage, the music it inspired and how the World Wide Web can now give us the virtual reality of the pilgrimage in words, sounds and images.

Nine new studies address the phenomenon of the medieval pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, the legendary burying place of St. James.

Women and Pilgrimage presents scholarly essays that address the lacunae in the literature on this topic. The content includes well-trodden domains of pilgrimage scholarship like sacred sites and holy places. In addition, the book addresses some of the less-well-known dimensions of pilgrimage, such as the performances that take place along pilgrims' paths; the ephemeral nature of identifying as a pilgrim, and the economic, social and cultural dimensions of migratory travel. Most importantly, the book's feminist lens encourages readers to consider questions of authenticity, essentialism, and even what is means to be a "woman pilgrim". The volume's six sections are entitled: Questions of Authenticity; Performances and Celebratory Reclamations; Walking Out: Women Forging Their Own Paths; Women Saints: Their Influence and Their Power; Sacred Sites: Their Lineages and Their Uses; and Different Migratory Paths. Each section will enrich readers' knowledge of the experiences of pilgrim women. Readers' understanding will be further enhanced by the book's: * interdisciplinary nature: The contributors hail from a wide range of disciplines, including Anthropology, Political Science, French, Spanish, Fine Art, and Religious Studies; * uniqueness: The text brings together previously scattered resources into one volume; * feminist perspective: Much of the subject matter utilizes feminist theories and methodologies and argues that further research will be welcome. The book will be of interest to scholars of pilgrimage studies in general as well as those interested in women, travel, tourism, and the variety of religious experiences.

"The Miracles of Saint James" offers the complete text of Book II of the Codex Calixtinus, the twenty-two miracles associated with St. James, including the famous miracle of the hanged boy, who revives when his father returns from his pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. The introduction analyzes the types, places, and recipients of the miracles and discusses the appearances of St. James himself in these stories. This volume also presents the chapter 17 of Book I, the Veneranda dies sermon. This is a contemporary description of the necessity, the ways and means, and the dangers of making the Compostela pilgrimage. The author's diatribes against the abuses common on the route give the twentieth-century reader a fascinating view of life on pilgrimage. Introduction, notes, illustrations, bibliography, index.