Give me my
scallop shell of quiet;
My staff of
faith to walk upon;
My scrip of
joy, immortal diet;
My bottle of
salvation;
My gown of
glory (hope's true gage)
And then I'll
take my pilgrimage.
-
Sir Walter Raleigh
Scallop shell symbolism is associated with the
apostle, James. James the Greater was son of Zebedee, a fisherman of Galilee,
and brother of John the Evangelist. He was among the circle of men closest to
Jesus, being present with Peter and John at the Transfiguration, and again at
the Agony in the Garden, where the same three are seen sleeping while Christ
prays. A series of legends dating from the Middle Ages tells of his mission to
Spain and burial at Compostella, which then became one of the great centers of
Christian pilgrimage. . It was well-established as a place of pilgrimage by the
eleventh century, next in importance to Jerusalem and Rome.
In
art James appears as three distinct types; one of them is the pilgrim: He wears
the pilgrim's broad-brimmed hat and cloak. From his staff or shoulder hangs the
wallet or water-gourd of the pilgrim. His special attribute, the scallop shell,
appears on his hat or cloak, or on the wallet.
To
this day, on arrival at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, pilgrims
present their Pilgrim Passports , duly stamped at each of their halts along the
way, at the Cathedral's Pilgrim Office, and apply for the Compostela , the traditional
certificate in Latin confirming their completion of the pilgrimage.
The
origin of the scallop shell as the badge of the pilgrim to Compostella is open
to more than one explanation. Found in abundance along northern Spanish beaches, the
scallop shell has become closely intertwined with the Camino de Santiago. The
shell is carved into the walls and fittings of this parish and adorns the
churchÕs stationary. Practical observers argue that the shell was adopted
merely as a device for sipping water from streams along the way. If this is so, it
quickly took on greater meaning even to the earliest pilgrims.
The scallop design symbolizes
the many European starting points from which medieval pilgrims began their
journey, all drawn to a single point at the base of the shell, Santiago de
Compostela. Today in Spain cement scallop shell markers along the Camino
reassure participants that they have not taken a wrong turn and local
residents decorate
their gardens and houses with shells in solidarity with the pilgrims. A recent
pilgrim recalled that the shells Òcame in various forms: ceramic shells fitted onto road markers, government-issue traffic signs marked with
an abstract shell, shining brass shells imbedded in sidewalks. Some were
broken, some had been stolen as souvenirs leaving only a trace of their
presence, some were beautiful, some so simply sketched as to provide the mere
suggestion of a shell. In all their variations, they marked the route for
hundreds of miles. They reminded all of us pilgrims that in the midst of a
world both beautiful and broken there are signs to help lead us forward,
sometimes right under our feet.Ó