On February 5, the WeGil Cultural Center in Rome launched a photo exhibition entitled “From the Via Francigena to Camino de Santiago: Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe” (“Gli Itinerari Culturali del Consiglio d’Europa: dalla Via Francigena ai Cammini di Santiago di Compostela”). It includes photos from more than 10 countries which these pilgrimage routes cross.
The exhibition is organized by the European Federation of Saint James Way and the European Association of the Via Francigena Ways together with the Italian region of Lazio on the occasion of Italy’s Chairmanship in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and a newly signed partnership agreement between Galicia (Spain) and Lazio (Italy). Vice President of the European Federation of St. James Way Andrii Ocheretnyi and scientific advisor Dr. Francisco Singul Lorenzo participated in the event.
During the opening speeches director of the Galician Agency for Tourism Xosé Manuel Merelles stressed that “the pilgrimage routes to Rome and Compostela constitute a network of culture and spirituality that reinforces the identity of Europe.” Referring to the two routes, the Camino de Santiago and the Via Francigena, he stressed that “they are synonymous with harmony, tolerance, understanding and knowledge of peoples, values that the Council of Europe safeguards.”
50 photos and maps, which reveal the history and the present of the two most popular active pilgrim routes
The exhibition “From the Via Francigena to Camino de Santiago: Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe” consists of 50 photos and maps, which reveal the history and the present of the two most popular active pilgrim routes of Europe: St. James Way, Camino de Santiago and the Franconian Way, Via Francigena. Each panel is equipped with a QR code that allows the visitor to access the official websites of the Itineraries, offering useful tools for organizing a trip.
In her introduction to the exhibition, professor Roberta Alberotanza (Mediterranea University of Reggio Calabria)described the rich cultural background of the European Federation of Saint James Way, which currently unites 10 European countries devoted to the preservation and promotion of sacral heritage and the traditions of pilgrimage. In her opinion, the exhibition invites the visitors to embark on a cultural journey that is different from traditional routes, rediscovering European roots and living authentic experiences.
EFSJW Vice President Andrii Ocheretnyi reminded that today these routes bring hope to those who are experiencing stress and pain. “Our routes, which we are reviving in the new millennium, have survived wars, epidemics and even genocide. Unfortunately, nowadays Russian missiles and Iranian drones continue to fly over the heads of several hundred Ukrainian pilgrims who set out on St. James Way from my native city of Vinnytsia, – Andrii Ocheretnyi said. – Camino de Santiago, Via Francigena and many other pilgrim routes in Europe are the roads where people pray for peace and a better future for humanity. These routes make us face each other, heal our wounds and give us new experiences”.
According to the President of the Lazio Regional Council, Antonello Aurigemma, “thanks to this exhibition, we will have the opportunity to grasp an authentic and fascinating perspective of the experience, because these routes are not only geographical paths, but real inner journeys that allow us to reflect on our cultural and spiritual identity”.
The exhibition is open till March 7 at WeGil (Largo Ascianghi, 5, Rome, Italy) everyday from 10 AM to 19 PM.
