Camino de Santiago: the routes in the region of Viseu

Abstract

The Camino de Santiago is a network of routes visited by people of different ages and conditions, be they pilgrims, tourists or merely in search of a different kind of holiday or adventure. The routes then mean all kinds of different things to different people. These various users sometimes find difficulties in identifying the original route used in each region by the pilgrims. The present study looks at the literature on the routes with special emphasis on the route within the region of Viseu. First we did data.mining of all the webs on the Web of Science (all databases) for "Camino de Santiago"and after explored the literature relating to the routes in the region of Viseu. To improve the initial literature review and to support the organisation of the study, we carried out a bibliometric analysis where we underlined the importance of considering multidisciplinary approaches in the review of the many different dimensions of the Camino de Santiago. Most specifically, the route in the region of Viseu, that is, the Camino de Santiago starting from Coimbra and ending in Chaves passing through Viseu, was one of the main routes used by pilgrims in Portugal. The first references of the route date back to the XIIth century. In the XVIth and XVIIIth centuries, pilgrims from diverse parts of the world walked the Camino to the tomb of the Apostles. They all had different motivations, some seeking spiritual enlightenment and others doing penance, but all dressed in the guise of pilgrims. These routs are not always easy to trace in our modern times but then as now the people who walk the Camino de Santiago prefer the traditional paths, dating back to the times of the Romans.