Inland Camino Vasco

The Inland Camino Vasco, also known as the Ruta Jacobea Vasca or Vía de Bayona, is a route of the Camion de Santiago that connects Irún with the Camino Francés. This route has two main paths: passing the Santo Domingo de la Calzada, if you decide to make your pilgrimage through Haro, or through Burgos, following the Miranda del Ebro route. This choice is completely up to you!

History

This route came about as an alternative for medieval European pilgrims who had to choose between the Camino del Norte or this inland Camino Interior. Its origins date back to approximately the 10th Century, becoming in this period, until the 12th Century, the most important route within the Camino de Santiago.

The reason it became so important in that period, is because the Camino del Norte was besieged by Norman Viking attacks and, at the same time to the south, the Camino Francés was under Arabic dominion, as they occupied the Iberian Peninsula during the Centuries VIII and XV. This is why this Basque Jacobean Route became the safest way for Christian pilgrims to carry out their pilgrimage to the Galician capital, Santiago de Compostela.

This route of the Camino de Santiago became more well-known, when King Alfonso VII turned it into the Camino Real. However, with the Hispanic advance under Sancho III el Mayor, King of Navarra, against the Muslim empire, the Camino de Bayona lost its favour among pilgrims, who instead chose the Camino Francés.

Stages Inland Camino Vasco