The pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela aims to reach the tomb attributed to the apostle James the Great, located in the crypt of the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia (Spain). There are several routes taken by pilgrims to get there, and Sorde Abbay is on the Way of Tours.
The way of Tours
The Via Turonensis or Way of Tours is one of the four French pilgrimage routes, the most northerly one. Starting from the Saint-Jacques tower in Paris, it passes through the city of Tours, which was already the object of much frequentation around the pilgrimage of Saint martin, the 4th century evangeliser of Gaul. It crosses the Kiwi Valley and the village of Sorde-l'Abbaye where the abbey welcomed pilgrims.
Welcoming Pilgrims in the Kiwi Valley
In the Middle Ages, hospitality and almsgiving were part of the duty of charity.Religious and secular institutions invested in the development of places of welcome combining accomodation, the distribution of meals or food and the care given to the sick or to tired or injured travellers: Hôtel-Dieu, hospitals, abbeys, etc.
Nowadays, the Kiwi Valley offers several gîtes that can accommodate pilgrims throughout their journey: Cagnotte, Saint-Cricq-du-Gave and Sorde-l'Abbaye.
On presentation of the credencial, the guided tour of Sorde Abbay is free.
More information: www.abbaye-sorde.fr/en.html
Practical information
Where can I buy my credential?
The credencial is a personal, nominative document that can be used from one year to the next, regardless of the route taken. The Kiwi Valley Tourist Office issues the model issued by the Fédération Française des Associations des Chemins de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle (Compostelle-France), which is valid in France and Spain.
Credential on sale at the Tourist Office Kiwi Valley, Peyrehorade office. Price: €12.
Where to stay?
Pilgrims, stop off at one of our gîtes or choose the comfort of a hotel room or bed and breakfast. See below for all our accommodation options:
Other useful links and guides :
Agence française des chemins de Compostelle - Tours route
Landes Society of Friends of Santiago and Compostellan Studies
Guide Miam Miam Voie de Paris/Tours (available in e-book version)
Saint-Jacques in videos :
Kilometre-art: The pilgrim in the Hastingues area
Presentation of the Tours Way Monasteries of medieval Aquitaine
