Pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago today are likely to encounter medieval miracle stories as they pass shrines dedicated to various saints along the route. This episode explores how miracle stories attributed to St. James supported the Camino and the wealth and prominence of the shrine in Compostela. It also discusses the central role played by miracles in the rise of the cult of saints and pilgrimage to holy sites.

Pilgrims traveling on the Camino de Santiago today pass by reminders of medieval monasteries that once played an essential role in the pilgrimage. While some monastic communities operate on the lands of their medieval ancestors, others have been abandoned, and only ruins remain, shells of affluent institutions with little hint of the tremendous wealth and sprawling domains that they once controlled. This episode explores the political and spiritual landscape that contributed to the development of monasteries along the Camino. It also discusses some of the most influential monastic orders, their patrons, way of life, and the services offered to passing pilgrims.

Santiago de Compostela, home to the shrine of St James, was razed to the ground by a Muslim army at the end of the 10th century. At that time, pilgrim traffic on the Camino de Santiago was starting to grow, and church leaders, monarchs, and locals no doubt wondered whether the community would ever recover. This episode describes key events and people that shaped the rebuilding and growth of Compostela in the 11th and 12th centuries and what pilgrims to the city and shrine might have encountered at that time.