The main aim of our European trip was to walk the Camino, with Paris being a happy bolt-on for me. For centuries, pilgrims came from all over Europe on pilgrimage; of course, some started or passed through Paris. On our first day in Paris, we were walking down Rue St-Jacques, and I spotted the familiar shell icon on the footpath. Before I saw the shell, I had not realised I was on Rue St-Jacques, but that clued me in. Finding scallop shells was a little bit like a treasure hunt, one that I would continue as we made our way into Spain, the following week.
Walking back to our hotel from the Marais, I passed the Tour Saint-Jacques in the Châtelet district. This is all that remains of the Church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie. The church was sold as a stone quarry during the Revolution on the condition that the tower wasn’t touched. This tower is the starting point of the Via Turonensis, one of the four starting points of the Way of Saint James (Camino de Santiago) in France, which join at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port before crossing into Spain. It is listed as a World Heritage Site as part of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.
The Statue of Saint James dates from between 1485 and 1515. It depicts Saint James as a pilgrim wearing a hat decorated with scallop shells, a cloak, and a bag also decorated with scallop shells. Traces of his pilgrim’s staff can also be seen. This was a typical depiction of Saint James in medieval religious art.
Once pilgrims left Paris, the way splits off to go via Orleans or Chartres and rejoins at Tours. I intend to write another post about my day trip to Chartres, but I wanted to highlight this depiction of Saint James on the facade the Chartres Cathedral. Note his pilgrim bag with the scallop shells.
Bonus: The other more modern treasure hunt, and there’s a lot more of these, is Invaders—the mosaic street art dotted around Paris. Here’s some favourites:
Do you ever engage in an informal treasure hunt in your hometown or when you travel?
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