The road to Santiago de Compostela The westernmost of the four main routes passes through Blois

La Route De Saint Jacques De Compostelle Espanol 1558361662La Route De Saint Jacques De Compostelle Espanol 1558361662
©La Route De Saint Jacques De Compostelle Espanol 1558361662

One of the routes to Santiago de Compostela takes pilgrims through Blois, where there are numerous clues to its passage.

The via Turonensis, the Way of Tours, described in the stories, is also attested to by the many hospices, almshouses and brotherhoods dedicated to the apostle that dotted the route. It was called “Grand Chemin”, “Chemin dallé des pèlerins”, “grand chemin chaussé”, or by the Germans “route basse” (as opposed to the Swiss route).

From Northern Europe and Paris, the paths to Santiago de Compostela and Saint Martin in Tours became one and the same. From the 14th century onwards, the route was abandoned in favor of other routes. Illness and famine gradually took their toll on Santiago de Compostela, before the revival of personal and spiritual quests at the end of the 20th century.

As you cross the bridge into Blois, you’ll be guided by the slate bell towers of the former abbey church of Saint-Lomer (or Laumer, now Saint-Nicolas), a precocious and inventive Gothic work due to the patronage of Thibault de Champagne. The lantern-shaped dome illuminating the transept crossing is the hallmark of a pilgrimage church. From here, it’s easy to head south-west, still on a beautiful embankment of the Loire, which you leave behind at Amboise.

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