Those who have only known the Caminos in their current boom may sometimes have very romantic notions of continuity and an unbroken tradition of pilgrimage from medieval times. Articles like this are a reminder of how close to extinction the practice actually became. I find the numbers of pilgrims recorded by the cathedral in the 1970s and 1980s fascinating. Only 13 in the whole of 1978. And in 1989 when there was a World Youth Day drawing hundreds of thousands to Santiago and a papal visit there were still fewer than 6,000 overall. A number which can now be beaten on just two consecutive summer days!
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