Miracles along the Route

Religious pilgrimages are always connected with miracles. The Route to Santiago is not an exception. There are many legends about fantastic events that happened to pilgrims along the holy route. The most renowned miracle -there is evidence that it was known in Central Europe- took place in Santo Domingo, around the 15th century. A young married couple from Santis, near Wesel and Res, in the Archbishopric of Colonia, decided to make the pilgrimage to Santiago in order to fulfil a promise. They were acompanied by their son Hugonell, a young man aged 18.

Having heard about the miracles of its holy sepulchre, they halted in Santo Domingo and visited the Church, where they prayed devoutly. Tired after the journey, they found an inn and stayed there for two days. The landlord´s daughter fell madly in love with the young pilgrim, declared her love to him and was rejected. Then her love turned into revenge: she took a silver cup and put it in the young pilgrim´s bag while he was sleeping. 

While the pilgrims were en route again, the theft was reported to the judge. When the authorities found the cup the young man was condemned to be hanged.

Then his parents left for Compostela to pray to Santiago. On their way back, they found their son hanged, but still alive thanks to the Apostle.

They could hear him say that Santo Domingo had saved him from death. When they went to the judge to tell him about the miracle, they found him sitting at a table, eating a cock and a hen. When he had listened to the story he answered incredulously: "your son is as alive as the two birds on this plate". After these words were spoken, the two birds were covered with feathers, jumped from the plate and begun to sing to attest the miracle.

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