In Christian texts, St James was documented as being one of the most prominent apostles of Jesus of Nazareth, martyred by Herod of Agrippa in Jerusalem sometime between 41 and 44 AD (Sulai Capponi 2006). During the first third of the 9th century AD, a purported revelation to a local bishop, Theodomir of Iria, led to the discovery of the sepulchre of the apostle Saint James the Great (López Alsina 2015). One of the primary centres for pan-European pilgrimages was, together with Rome and Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela (Galicia, Spain) (Fig. Into the early first millennium AD, however, pilgrim sites expanded widely across the Near East and into Europe with objects and body parts associated with Jesus of Nazareth, his disciples and various saints or martyrs acting as attractions for devotees seeking favours and redemption (Freeman 2011).īy the 9th century AD, through the influence of Charlemagne and the expansion of Christianity, much of western Europe became firmly gripped by a desire to attain and visit relics and undertake pilgrimages (Freeman 2011). These continue to be visited today by Christians en mass (Collins-Kreiner and Kliot 2000). Christian pilgrimage practices begin early, around the 4th century AD, with visits to sites in the Near East associated with the life and martyrdom of Jesus of Nazareth such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or the Mount of Olives (Freeman 2011). 2016) and have a deep history in various parts of the world. Pilgrimages can constitute an essential aspect of certain religions (Collins-Kreiner 2010) or represent an established custom which is not part of core religious tenets (Kim et al. The seasonal influx of pilgrims to particular sites can provide a major financial boost to local economies and bolster the political and cultural significance of certain key centres and nations (Collins-Kreiner 2010 Vijayanand 2012 Abuhjeeleh 2019). Pilgrimages to sites of spiritual significance remain one of the most important aspects of organised religion in the 21st century, attracting millions of people each year who often undertake journeys of thousands of kilometres (Collins-Kreiner 2010). Our research represents the potential of multidisciplinary analyses to reveal insights into the origins and impacts of the emergence of early pilgrimage centres on the diets and status of communities within Christian mediaeval Europe and beyond.
Stable isotope analysis of collagen, together with information on tomb typology and location, indicates that the inhabitants of the city experienced increasing socioeconomic diversity as it became wealthier as the hub of a wide network of pilgrimage. Isotopic analyses reveal that the foundation of the religious site attracted migrants from the wider region of the northwest corner of the Iberian Peninsula, and possibly from further afield. Together with assessment of the existing archaeological data, our radiocarbon chronology broadly confirms historical tradition regarding the first occupation of the site. Here, for the first time, we combine multi-isotope analysis (δ 13C, δ 15N, δ 18O ap, δ 13C ap and 87Sr/ 86Sr) and radiocarbon dating ( 14C) of human remains discovered at the crypt of the Cathedral of Santiago to directly study changes in diet and mobility during the first three centuries of Santiago’s emergence as an urban centre (9th–12th centuries AD). Little is known about the practical experiences of people living within the city during its rise to prominence, however. The belief that the remains of St James the Great, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, is buried there has stimulated, since their reported discovery in the 9th century AD, a significant flow of people from across the European continent and beyond.
Santiago de Compostela is, together with Rome and Jerusalem, one of the three main pilgrimage and religious centres for Catholicism.
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