Pilgrimage Stamps

The yellow arrow is the most universal symbol of the Camino de Santiago. It guides pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela along the nearly 300 pilgrimage routes that stretch across Europe. It is now also the feature of the new stamp – A-rate (Spain) – with which Correos pays tribute to the Camino de Santiago and to pilgrims from all over the world.

Created in the 1970s by Elías Valiña, the former parish priest of O Cebreiro and a scholar of the Way, it was his idea to mark the route to provide pilgrims with a fixed itinerary. In 1987, the Council of Europe designated it a common emblem, and in 2018 the Council of St James declared it the official symbol of the Way of St James.

The yellow arrow stamp is now available at the main post offices along the Camino de Santiago and on sale at Correos Market.

The yellow scallop shell on a blue background is another universal symbol of the Way of St James that now features on its own stamp – Tariff B (Europe). This symbol was created in the late 1980s by the artist and graphic designer Pedro García-Ramos at the request of the Council of Europe.

The ridges on the shell symbolise the routes of the various European pilgrimage routes to Santiago and their convergence at a point to the west: Santiago de Compostela.

The stamp featuring the yellow shell on a blue background is now available to buy at Correos Market, as well as at the main post offices along the Camino.

The third stamp in this collection – Tariff C (rest of Europe) – features two emblems associated with the Way of St James: the scallop shell and the Cross of St James. 

The scallop shell has traditionally been the pilgrim’s symbol. Since the Middle Ages, it has symbolised arrival in Santiago and was used as proof of the journey. For its part, the Cross of St James, red in colour and shaped like a sword topped with fleurs-de-lis, is a historic emblem linked to the Order of St James. It represents values such as faith, tradition and honour.

The combination of both symbols results in a design rich in meaning, reflecting the essence of the Camino. It can also be purchased at Correos Market and at the post offices in Santiago and Fisterra.

The series concludes with a fourth stamp – D-rate (Australia, Canada, USA, Japan, New Zealand and Russia) – dedicated to the only ‘unofficial’ symbol: the pilgrim’s boots. Yet no one today can think of the pilgrim without the boots that, step by step, carry them to their destination: Compostela.

The pilgrim’s boots also evoke an ancient tradition whereby pilgrims would burn the clothes they had worn on the pilgrimage and leave their boots behind upon reaching their destination.

The stamp is available at Correos Market and at the post offices in Santiago and Fisterra.

The series was inaugurated with the Camino Costero through a die-cut card with the profile of the northern coast of the Peninsula, which includes 8 stamps with highlights such as the monastery of Zenarruza, the Collegiate Church of Santillana del Mar, the Conventín de Valdediós or the front of the Hostal de los Reyes Católicos de Santiago.

The second booklet is dedicated to the Camino Primitivo, the Route that stretches from Oviedo to Compostela. The stamps feature motifs typical of this route, such as the figure of King Alfonso II, the precursor of this route, the cathedrals of Oviedo and Lugo and the cruceiro de Melide.

The third is dedicated to the Camino de Liébana, a route that runs through Cantabria. The philatelic booklet dedicated to the Camino Lebaniego is also made up of eight stamps, featuring two jewels of the Route: the church of Santa María de los Ángeles, in San Vicente de la Barquera; and the church of Santo Toribio de Liébana. This card can be purchased online at Correos Market.

The series closes with a fourth philatelic booklet dedicated to the Camino interior del País Vasco y La Rioja and can be purchased at Correos Market . On this occasion the protagonists of the stamps are the Church of Nuestra Señora de La Asunción in La Puebla de Arganzón, the Church of El Juncal in Irún, the Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada and the New Cathedral in Vitoria.