Did Saint Francis go to Compostella?

The tradition that Saint Francis of Assisi made the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela is found in some of the earliest hagiographies of the saint. The Little Flowers of Saint Francis, composed in the 14th century, says this:

Saint Francis of Asissi

In the first beginning of the Order, when there was as yet but few brothers and no convents established, Saint Francis went, out of devotion, to Santiago in Galicia, taking with him Brother Bernard and one or two other brothers. ….

On arriving there, they spent the night in prayer in the Church of Saint James, and God revealed to Saint Francis how he would found many convents all over the world, and how his Order would increase and multiply into a great multitude of brethren.

(Little Flowers of Saint Francis, Chapter IV)

There are a number of earlier biographies that do not mention the pilgrimage, so modern scholars are divided on the issue.

There are places on the Camino, however, that claim the saint visited there somewhere in the years 1213 – 1215, including the Albergue de Peregrinos Convento de Santa Clara in Carrion de los Condes. Certainly, there were great celebrations in Spain in 2014 marking the 800th anniversary of the Saint’s visit.

In any case, on this, his feast day, in your charity won’t you please pray for the intercession of Saint Francis for the pilgrims of the world?