Cathedral De Compastela: Critical Issues

1. Domenico Laffi was a clergyman who traveled the pilgrim roads in the seventeenth century. He saw and experienced many things in his travels which he later wrote about in Viaggio in Ponente. He discusses these experiences, which include different types of religious ceremonies, scientific wonders and road conditions with his fellow pilgrims and to the general populace by means of his journal. Was Laffi a carrier of information or was he, himself actual information?

• Over and over again the idea of pilgrims as information, not just the carriers of information, has come up. What does this mean? How does someone become information and what kind of information do they become? In our 21st Century society of computers, telephones and fax machines can people still be information or is this something unique to a mostly preliterate society with an oral tradition?

2. The fact that Santiago de Compostela became such a focal point for pilgrimage in Europe is very much due to the Cult of Saint James. Considering that this cult became as widespread with such deeply devoted followers because of an apparition of Saint James I pose the following questions:

• Did this apparition of Saint James actually happen or was a medieval publicity stunt meant to reconfirm people's faith, and to increase tourism throughout Europe?
• And secondly, if an apparition of this maginitude were to happen today, what would be the public's response?

3. The Codex Calixtinus was very useful to the pilgrims that were on the road to Santiago de Compostela. This work was composed of five books. The books were mainly propaganda that promoted the pilgrimage. The Codex Calixtinus was a very important tool of information that also served as a guide for the pilgrimage. It listed the day to day activities that went on the road to Santiago and the benefits that one would receive i making the journey:

• If the Codex Calixtinus had never existed would the pilgrimage made to Santiago de Compostela have been the same? How might have it been different or been affected? Was the Codex Calixtinus really an essential piece of information? Would the actual trip on the road to the Cathedral meant anything less without the five books?
• The actual pilgrims were seen as information themselves; they generated ideas and thoughts that caused people to think. Is there information more important than the information in the Codex Calixtinus?