The Way of St. James and the story of St. Cristina
Yesterday was a rest day, and I really rested. Only 6,700 steps the whole day - fabulous!
Here’s how it went. A lazy morning, then taxi to our next hotel, then some time writing and contemplating in the church next door, then coffee and a pastry in gorgeous little cafe, FaceTime with Mum, then watched some episodes of the new Netflix show, The Residence - quirky and enjoyable! Then fruitless attempts to buy dinner at any restaurant at 5pm (we are in Spain, I should know better 🤣). So back to the bakery for a scrumptious tortilla/ baguette sandwich. Early to bed. A much needed relaxing day.
We set off for today‘s walk at about 9:30am and walked 8.1 miles before getting a taxi back to our hotel. The walk was beautiful, the beaches, coastline and scenery stunning. You can follow along our route and the photos here - https://www.relive.com/view/v4OG8RY1E56.
The main thing I’ve been pondering today is whether to share about the saint that the church next to our hotel is dedicated to.
While I was sitting in the sanctuary yesterday I was struck by the statue at the front of the church. What appeared to be a young woman with two arrows, one in her body and one in her arm. Then, outside the church there is another statue of her and one of the arrows is actually metal (the rest of the statue is stone). It felt like there was probably an awful story attached to these likenesses of her.
I did some research, and sure enough the story is awful. Her name is Saint Cristina from Bolsena, Italy. A twelve year old girl who lived in the fourth century C.E. She was martyred in a particularly gruesome way and her martyrdom is enacted each year in her home town. You can read all about it here - http://www.allthesaintsyoushouldknow.com/the-mysteries-of-saint-cristina.
The reason I was not sure whether to write about Saint Cristina is because I am not sure what I feel about the saints and martyrs. Their stories feel so far removed from my experience of the Christian faith. To be honest, it feels bad to even write that.
I’m going to finish here. But this encounter with Saint Cristina has stirred some curiosity in me that I plan to continue contemplating as I walk. Not forgetting that this walk, this Camino, the Way of St. James, finishes at the cathedral where the body of St. James is supposed to be buried. St. James is the apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in Acts 12, the first death of one of the apostles. It feels like this topic is a pertinent one for this pilgrimage, and is leading me towards some core questions.
