RT Journal Article
T1 Spirituality and the Quest for Transcendence on the Portuguese Way of St. James
A1 Braga, José Luis
A1 Pazos Otón, Miguel
A1 Borges, Isabel
K1 Portuguese Way
K1 Motivations
K1 Mixed Methods
K1 Secondary Data Analysis
K1 Pilgrims
AB The pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela is a kind of proto tourism in a world where the number of pilgrimages has increased considerably. In the past the only motivation for such pilgrimages was religious, today we are witnessing the emergence of new motivations, such as cultural and even sporting ones. The research questions that guide this study are the following: Are faith and religion still strong enough motivations to justify pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela? Are there points of convergence between religious and secular pilgrims? Can the Camino be a means of awakening religious vocations? In short, what is the role of religion in modern pilgrimages along the Camino de Santiago? This research presents results of and applied case study based on the collection of data through semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis, focusing on the guest books of a hostel and a restaurant, both related to the Camino de Santiago. This researchers carried out a thematic analysis of the qualitative data collected. The main categories analysed in this article are three: the essence of the Way, evangelisation and, the pilgrimage process. The paper suggests that the Way of St James has given rise to a new spirituality based on values such as solidarity, cosmopolitanism, cooperation, friendship, empathy and mutual help.
PB Technological University Dublin
SN 2009-7379
YR 2025
FD 2025
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/43293
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/43293
LA eng
NO Braga, José Luís; Otón, Miguel Pazos; and Borges, Isabel (2025) "Spirituality and the Quest for Transcendence on the Portuguese Way of St. James," International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage: Vol. 13: Iss. 1, Article 7. doi:https://doi.org/10.21427/taz6-8881 Available at: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijrtp/vol13/iss1/7
DS Minerva
RD 23 abr 2026