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July 27, 2016

The Way of St. James

A little town in the southern Philippines, Dapitan, held its own version of the popular "Camino de Santiago" or "Way of St. James" in honor of the apostle whose feast day falls on July 25.

The "Way of St. James" was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during the Middle Ages, together with those to Rome and Jerusalem.

Legend holds that St. James' remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern Spain, where he was buried in what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela.

During the Middle Ages, the route was highly travelled. In 1987, the route in Spain was declared the first European Cultural Route and was named one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.

The Filipino version of the pilgrimage is an 11-kilometer walk around the historic town of Dapitan in Mindanao where Jesuits missionaries started to evangelize in 1598.

(ucanews.com photos and text by Joe Torres)

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