On the morning of this Wednesday, March 16, at the Monserrate Sanctuary in Bogotá, the Xacobeo Landmark was inaugurated and blessed, a religious symbol that represents the famous pilgrimage path of Santiago de Compostela in the Spanish region of Galicia.
The symbol, which was donated by the Government of Galicia (Spain) to Colombia, was announced during a ceremony that was attended by the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, María Ximena Lombana; the second vice president of Galicia for Business and Innovation, Francisco Conde López; the Colombian Ambassador to Spain, Luis Guillermo Silver; the delegate of the Spanish Embassy in Colombia, Alex Garau; the director of the District Tourism Institute, Karol Fajardo Mariño, and a group of Galician and Colombian businessmen.
As explained by the Ministry of Commerce, this new badge on the hill of Monserrate is a recognized symbol that points Christian pilgrims the route they must follow to reach the tomb of the Apostle Santiago el Mayor, which rests in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, located in the center of the province of La Coruña, in Galicia.
For its part, the Xunta de Galicia announced that the location of the Xacobeo symbol next to the iconic Bogota sanctuary was directly related to its link with the Monserrat monastery, located in Barcelona, one of the stops of the “many pilgrims who walked the Camino de Santiago from the northwest of the peninsula”.
“And because even the sanctuary of the Lord of Monserrate in Bogotá has been a pilgrimage path for centuries. This symbol of the Xacobea route enhances the links that exist between Galicia and Colombia,” said the Galician government office.
The Xunta also highlighted that the symbol, which is 7,674 kilometers away from the Cathedral of Santiago, was located in Bogotá at 3,172 meters above sea level, making it the only commemorative landmark of the Xacobea route that has been installed at such a high geographical point to date.
At the moment, according to the Galician government office, there are 15 milestones, in addition to the one in Bogotá, that have been installed in the world to mark the road to Santiago de Compostela. Among them are: in Spain, the Xacobeo landmark is located in Galicia at kilometer 100 of the French, English and Primitive roads; in Madrid; Liébana (Cantabria); Astorga (Castile-Leon) and Santi Ponce (Seville), while, outside Spain, the symbol is in Wakayama (Japan), Brussels (Belgium), Glasgow (Scotland), Cracob (Scotland) Via ( Poland), Lorient (France), Pistoia (Italy) and Porto (Portugal).
In Latin America, this' milestone 'becomes the fifth to be installed, after Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Argentina, Uruguay and Chile.
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