Camino Photo of the Day: Santiago in Le Puy

03 January 2024 Thom Photo of the Day 2023, Via Podiensis

Okay, technically he’s known as Saint Jacques in France. This statue faces the cathedral’s apse, and so greets the pilgrim as they come into the church from the side entrance. There’s a lovely little sign near it in French and English inviting visitors to write their prayer petitions on small pieces of paper provided, and pilgrims will carry their petitions with them to the tomb of the Apostle in Santiago de Compostela in Spain. I wrote out a petition, and the next day I was given one to carry with me.

You’ll notice that the statue is missing part of an arm. The Cathedral was taken over by the forces of the French Revolution in 1793 and looted. It was not returned to church use for a generation, and restoration work did not begin until the 1840s. This is a theme we will return to again and again as these photos are posted.