Any relic or religious vestige linked to a holy place of relevance in the Christian world is linked to a Pilgrimage Route. And, in this, Cantabria occupies a prominent place, since it is the only region in the Christian world that has two pilgrimage routes: the Camino del Norte and the Camino Lebaniego. Both pilgrimage routes are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In addition, the part of the Camino de Santiago that is known as the Camino del Norte runs through Cantabria and goes from Ontón to Unquera, passing through such emblematic towns as Castro Urdiales, Laredo, Santoña, Santander, Santillana del Mar, Comillas, or San Vicente. de la Barquera, among others.
The Camino del Norte is one of the preferred options for pilgrims who decide to complete the Camino de Santiago, thanks to the spectacular beauty of its landscapes. It is considered the first path used by pilgrims to reach the Plaza del Obradoiro, the oldest of the Jacobean pilgrimage routes.
But it is that, in addition to the Camino del Norte, which crosses the region on its way to Santiago de Compostela, Cantabria has its own Pilgrimage Route: the Camino Lebaniego. This 72-kilometre route, which begins in San Vicente de la Barquera and ends at the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana, separates from the Camino del Norte, in the town of Muñorrodero, 12 kilometers from San Vicente de la Barquera.
Since the Middle Ages, the influx of pilgrims to the Santo Toribio de Liébana Monastery has been recorded, where the remains of the Saint rested, which were granted healing and miraculous properties. There they go to venerate the Lignum Crucis, the largest piece of the cross of Christ that exists. That is why pilgrims on the Camino Lebaniego are known as “crucenos” or “Pilgrims of the Cross”.
Just as the first pilgrims did, a visit to the Lignum Crucis in the Monastery of Santo Toribio is a must. In the Middle Ages it was not conceivable to make a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela without going through Santo Toribio, without going through Liébana. This place was, in itself, a place of pilgrimage with its own identity, thanks to the curative and miraculous powers attributed to the remains of the Saint of Astorga (the one venerated as Santo Toribio) and to the Relic itself.
Some of these pilgrims ended their journey here, but many others continued on to Santiago. There were several connecting routes from Liébana to Santiago, each one different, each one with a particular stamp. Either crossing the Picos de Europa, or retaking the Camino del Norte or through the Ruta Vadiniense, all the roads led to Santiago, but not before reaching Santo Toribio de Liébana.
The Camino Lebaniego takes on special importance this year, since in 2023, the Jubilee Year will be celebrated, which will already be number 74, and in which the door of forgiveness will open again. The countdown for this event that takes place every time the Santo Toribio festival falls on a Sunday begins its countdown on April 16.
Like every Holy Year, the Government of Cantabria will organize a series of religious and cultural activities, aimed at enhancing the historical, social, political and religious importance of the Liébana region, with the Monastery of Santo Toribio as a central point.
As has been the case since the Middle Ages, each symbolic closure of the Puerta Del Perdón does not imply in any case the closing of the doors of the activity until the following Jubilee. In the same way, it does not imply for Liébana the closure of the reception doors, but rather, adding this renewed value to its already numerous resources, they will remain constantly open for anyone who wishes to discover this region enjoying the legacy, heritage and Values that make this region of Cantabria a “Land of Joy”. In fact, it doesn't have to be a Jubilee Year to make the pilgrimage and live the experience of the Camino Lebaniego to the Monastery of Santo Toribio.
