Issue date: 29 Mar, 2021
THE ROUTES OF SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA IN NORTHERN SPAIN
Correos is issuing a new booklet on the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain, part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.
This year’s four new stamps feature the Camino Interior or inland route of the Basque Country and La Rioja, and continue the earlier issues on the Camino Costero, Camino de Liébana and Camino Primitivo.
The Routes of Northern Spain are four pilgrimage routes adding 1,499 km to the 800 km of the French Way, running through the autonomous regions of the Basque Country, La Rioja, Cantabria, Asturias, and Galicia.
The Camino Vasco del Interior or Basque Inland Way connects Irún with the French Way, which it can join in Santo Domingo de la Calzada or in Burgos, depending on the chosen route. The Way crosses the Sierra de Aizkorri by the unique tunnel of San Adrián.
The first of the stamps shows the Camino going through La Puebla de Arganzón, in Burgos. It features a detail of the church of Nuestra Señora de La Asunción, which was declared a Monument of Cultural Interest on 13 June 1991.
The second stamp features Irún, Guipuzkoa. The church of El Juncal takes centre stage. The name of the church, Juncal or reed bed, comes from the discovery of a carving of the Virgin in the reed beds around the estuary, in 1400. The church is a stopping point for pilgrims, and features fine examples of Roman Irún, as there are remains of Roman baths in the rear.
A detail of the main façade of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada is the dominant motif of the third stamp. It dates from the 12th century and commemorates Saint Dominic de la Calzada, who died in the town. The saint’s tomb is in the church, making it a major centre of pilgrimage.
The last stamp features another point on the route, Vitoria-Gasteiz, in Araba/Álava. The Catedral Nueva de Vitoria also known as the church of María Inmaculada, is the largest Gothic Revival building in Vitoria, in the Lovaina neighbourhood. It is unfinished, owing to money running out during construction.
Rate A - €0.75. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, up to 20 g.
Rate A2 - €0.85. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, between 20 g and 50 g.
Rate B - €1.65. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to Europe (including Greenland), up to 20 g.
Rate C - €1.75. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the rest of the world (except USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand), up to 20 g.
Rate D - €2.10. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, up to 20 g.