For centuries, millions of pilgrims braved bandits, wolves and disease to trek to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, where the alleged bones of Saint James are entombed in a silver casket in the cathedral.
Today's pilgrimages are made in easier conditions, but one of the most important pilgrimage routes in the Christian world retains its magnetism.
The region of Galicia expects no less than 6 million visitors this year, the first Holy Year of the millennium. Spain celebrates a Xacobeo or Holy Year as July 25, the day of Saint James -- the country's patron saint -- falls on a Sunday.
Eager to brush up its image after the oil disaster caused by the tanker Prestige made worldwide headlines at the end of 2002, Galicia is investing millions of dollars in promoting the Holy Year.
The Catholic Church estimates that about 200,000 pilgrims will go to see the alleged tomb of Saint James in the 11th to 12th century Romanesque cathedral.
When today's pilgrims pick up a wooden staff and set off on a 800km hike, they do not usually seek the salvation of their souls, but a break from their daily routines and to see some of Europe's most beautiful art and architecture.
The evidence of Saint James having preached in Spain is flimsy, and there is even less proof that his disciples brought his body to Spain after his martyrdom in Jerusalem AD 44.
But the discovery of the apostle's alleged tomb in 814 came at a perfect time for Christian conquerors attempting to drive out the Moslem Moors who controlled large parts of Spain.
James is believed to have appeared to Christian troops in the 844 Battle of Clavijo, brandishing his sword and helping to defeat the Emir of Cordoba's army.
"James the Moor-Slayer" became the patron saint of the Reconquista, the Christian reconquest. The tomb soon began attracting pilgrims and adventurers to the city on the edge of the known world.
Santiago de Compostela became the most important medieval site of Christian pilgrimage after Jerusalem and Rome. Commerce and art flourished along the pilgrim's route, which helped to unite Europe by bringing together people from different regions.
The route later fell into oblivion and was rediscovered during the last two decades, with nearly 70,000 people making the pilgrimage in 2002.
The Camino de Santiago (road to Santiago) passes from Roncesvalles or Somport on the French border via Burgos or Leon to the holy city.
Many pilgrims travel by car or bus, but a pilgrim's certificate is only issued to those who have covered at least 100km on foot, horseback, or 200km by bicycle.
The tourism infrastructure is being improved in the region. More than 3,000 exhibitions, plays, dance spectacles, conferences and other events, including concerts by Bob Dylan and David Bowie, will be staged there in the Holy Year.
The Galician tourism sector is expecting a record turnover of nearly four billion euros (US$5 billion), and hotels are hiking prices by up to 40 percent.
The Vatican has expressed concern that the Holy Year could even become too much of a worldly success, with Pope John Paul II warning that the commercial aspect should not "disfigure the [Christian] identity" of the pilgrim's route.
Even if modern pilgrims no longer need to negotiate hazardous mountain paths and may even find themselves braving motorway traffic, the route still passes through oak forests, cornfields and granite villages as in the days of old.
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