Galicia marks the Camino de Santiago from Bogotá

Bogotá, 16 Mar Bogotá has since Wednesday a new milestone on the Camino de Santiago located more than 3,000 meters high on the hill of Monserrate, a monolith that has taken the Xunta de Galicia to the Colombian capital and that recalls the 7,674 kilometers that separate it from the Cathedral of Santiago. The Economic Vice President and Minister of Economy, Business and Innovation of the Xunta, Francisco Conde, inaugurated this Wednesday with the Colombian Minister of Commerce and Tourism, María Ximena Lombana, this milestone commemorative of the Xacobea route. The new monolith is located in the iconic Colombian sanctuary, which has links to the monastery of Montserrat, in Barcelona, a stop for many pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago from the northwest of the peninsula. In addition, even the sanctuary of the Lord of Monserrate, which dates back to the birth of Bogotá, comes a pilgrimage path “for centuries ago”, therefore “that bond unites us”, Conde celebrated. During the opening ceremony, the Galician vice president explained that “this sanctuary guides the pilgrim, inspires worship and wonder to the visitor, so there is no better place to bring the Xacobeo Hito”, materialized in a milestone that “will remain in the hearts of all Colombians and Spaniards”. This monolith is a continuation of Colombian President Iván Duque's visit to Santiago de Compostela last year, where he “made an offering on behalf of all Colombians.” In this sense, it implies the “consolidation of the bonds of values, effort and joint work between Spain and Colombia,” Conde added. UNITED HISTORY “For Galicia, for Spain and for Colombians, the route to Santiago has been for years a thread of affection that connects us as peoples who solicitly come to meet others (...). The history of Galicia and Colombia can no longer be explained without the contribution of their paths,” Conde added. Precisely, the cairns “indicate the distance but also the proximity” of the different capitals where they meet Santiago de Compostela, explained the Galician vice president. This symbol in Bogotá “exalts the links that exist between Galicia and Colombia”, according to Conde, who stressed that the roads bring a message of cooperation, “more necessary than ever”. This is the fifth milestone located in Latin America, but it is “the milestone that is at the highest point, and that marks a lot of character”, according to the Galician vice president. Lombana, for its part, highlighted the “honor” of the Xunta de Galicia “choosing Bogotá” to place this landmark, a city that has an “emblematic place for religious tourism”, which now also has a “badge that points pilgrims in the right direction” to Santiago. “Starting today, pilgrims from Monserrate will encounter one of the most traditional symbols of Christianity,” Lombana said, inviting “Colombians to be part of the Camino de Santiago.” The years 2021 and 2022 have been defined as the double Holy Year, in which activities and initiatives are being promoted within the framework of the pilgrimage of the Camino de Santiago. The Holy Year is celebrated every time July 25, the date on which the feast of Santiago is commemorated, coincides on a Sunday, as happened eleven years ago, in 2010, and will happen again in 2027.