Avila's Jacobean Week will take place from 25 to 31 October, aiming to engage people of all ages with the Camino de Santiago, a historic pilgrimage route in Spain. The cultural councillor of Avila, Ángel Sánchez, and Raquel Martín, president of the Friends of the Camino de Santiago Association in Avila, unveiled the programme for the eleventh edition of this event.
This year's activities will include music performances, a lecture, a children's march, and the traditional open day. The event will specifically highlight the Levante-Southeast Route, which passes through Avila and is fully signposted at each stage in the province. Renowned Camino painter Mariano de Souza has designed the informative poster for the week.
The programme will kick off on 25 October at 19:30 in the Municipal Auditorium of San Francisco with a concert featuring Galician bagpipes and guitar by Germán Ruiz & Chuchi. Admission will be free until capacity is reached.
On 28 October at 20:00, a lecture titled 'The pilgrimages of women: Jerusalem, Rome, Santiago de Compostela in the Middle Ages' will be held at the Episcopio. The speaker, Carlos Andrés González Paz, is a researcher at the Padre Sarmiento Institute of Galician Studies (CSIC – Xunta de Galicia), focusing on the socio-economic organisation of the medieval landscape, religious history, and the social history of women in medieval Galicia, among other topics.
Activities will continue on 29 October with the traditional open day at the Las Tenerías hostel, managed by the Friends of the Camino de Santiago Association under the auspices of the Avila City Council. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore the facilities and learn about the role of hospitaleros, or hostel keepers.
The programme will conclude on 31 October with a children's march designed to introduce younger generations to the Jacobean Route. The march will commence at 11:00 from the Church of Santiago, ending at the Episcopio, where participants can engage in storytelling workshops and other activities. Entry to the workshops is free, and children must be accompanied by an adult during the march.
