Guide to the Pilgrimage Routes of Europe Fabienne Bodan

After the publication of Guide to the Pilgrimage Routes of the World and a participation as a common thread in the report "Sur les chemins de Compostelle" for Des Racines et des Ailes (France 3, September 2019), Fabienne Bodan deepens her investigation in Europe on the hiking trails that take the old pilgrimage routes or follow the traces of outstanding figures in the history of religions and spirituality.

327 walkers, cyclists or riders collected their Compostela in 000 from the pilgrims' office in Santiago de Compostela. The annual increase is undeniable, and attendance should reach 2018 people in 350. Europe now has more than 000 km of Saint-Jacques routes, carried by their status as the leading European cultural route. In their wake, other ancient pilgrimage routes received the precious label and became successful hiking trails. For the past ten years, itineraries have flourished on the Old Continent, adding a spiritual, historical and cultural touch to the benefits of hiking.

This guide, to be placed under the Christmas tree, and to be consulted by the fire during winter evenings to find a circuit for future escapades, will surprise hikers and pilgrims with the richness and diversity of its paths in 28 European countries. Like its big brother, the Guide to the Pilgrimage Routes of the World, by the same author, it approaches each route from three angles: historical, practical, sacred. Many original maps, very well documented, group the paths by country, while offering specific routes for certain transcontinental routes. These two works, unique in their kind, beautifully illustrated and the most complete ever produced on this theme, stand out as reference guides.