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General map of the main catalan ways |
Introduction |
The Catalan Way by San Juan de la Peņa |
The Catalan Way by Lleida and Zaragoza |
The Ebro Way
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 General map of the main catalan ways |
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| Introduction |
 In 1992 the Monastery of Montserrat was
considered as the departure point of the Catalan Way. This decision is
practical and realistic by several reasons. The most important one is that
it is impossible to create a network of accommodations and to promote,
signalize and maintain all the historical ways crossing Catalonia.
In addition, Montserrat is a religious and cultural reference for the catalans,
it is also geographically in the middle, and there are many ways starting from
different places in Catalonia which end in Montserrat. This allows pilgrims
who wish so to start the way from their own homes.
There are many
historical ways which begin or cross the catalan territory. Here we will
only mention three of the best known and which, in addition, are well
signalized. Although very few places through which they cross have specific
accommodation for pilgrims, sometimes the city hall or the parish gives
shelter for the night to the pilgrims with credential.
Mountain of Montserrat
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| The Catalan Way by San Juan de la Peņa |
The maintenance of the signalling
of this way, from Tārrega to Santa Cilia de Jaca, is responsibility
of our Association. Its route is the following: Monastery of Montserrat,
Igualada, Cervera, Tārrega, Balaguer, Alfarrās, Monzón, Huesca, Monastery
of San Juan de la Peņa and Santa Cilia de Jaca. In this last town,
the Catalan Way meets the Aragonese Way. From Montserrat to Santa Cilia
there are 315 km, and from Montserrat to Santiago, on this way, there
are 1.122 km.
This northern variant of the Catalan Way begins at
the RENFE station in Tārrega and it crosses the western territories and the
province of Huesca, in search a mythical site such as the spectacular
monastery of San Juan de la Peņa, which, according to the legend, the Holly
Grail was kept. We will be able to find accommodation in places such as
Linyola, Tamarite de Litera and Pertusa. The way continues among fruit-trees,
agricultural lands and green areas towards the deep forests of the pre-Pyrenees.
It also crosses landscapes full of castles once owned by templates such as the
Monzón castle or the oldest fortress in the Peninsula such as the Loarre
fortress. In the colegiata of Bolea we can admire Saint James as a pilgrim
on an imposing altarpiece. The way finishes at the Monastery of San Juan de
la Peņa, built on the rock, where we can admire one of the best Romanic
cloisters in the world. Despite the hardness of its final part and although
the way goes through small villages with few services, the Catalan Way has
the advantage of meeting another way with a very good infrastructure (the
Aragonese Way) long before than if we decide to take the variant of Lleida
and Zaragoza. It is a lonely way, but nobody will be surprised to see a
pilgrim travelling towards Compostela.
The signalling is correct and, although there are no topography guides,
our association has information with a full description of the itinerary.
Monastery of San Juan de la Peņa
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| The Catalan Way by Lleida and Zaragoza |
This it is the most direct way from
Montserrat. Its route is as follows: Monastery of Montserrat, Igualada,
Cervera, Tārrega, Lleida, Zaragoza, Tudela, Calahorra and Logroņo. In
this last town, the way meets the French Way. From Montserrat to Logroņo
there are 470 km, and from Montserrat to Santiago, on this way, there are
1.089 km.
Crossing the Monegros is the main difficulty and, at the same time,
the best challenge, because in summer the heat is intense, and in the spring
and autumn there is often a strong wind blowing. Once the Monegros are over,
the way continues without further difficulties through the southern side of
the Ebro valley towards Logroņo. Between Zaragoza and Logroņo the way goes
through (among other equally interesting villages and towns) Alagón, Tudela,
Alfaro and Calahorra, all of them of great cultural and historical interest.
In this area many villages and towns have already specific accommodation for
pilgrims.
Typical landscape of the Monegros
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| The Ebro Way |
This it is an important historical way,
also known as the Ebro Route. It begins in Tortosa and it follows the Ebro
valley up to Logroņo, where it meets the French Way. Before, in Pina de Ebro,
this path together with the Catalan Way through Lleida become a single one.
From Tortosa to Logroņo there are 378 km, and from Tortosa to Santiago there
are 997 km.
This way is correctly signalized, but there are still very few pilgrims who
decide to take it.
Gandesa. Sculpture devoted to the pilgrims by Antoni Tāpies
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© 2006 Associació d'Amics dels Pelegrins a Santiago - Barcelona
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