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One of the most important symbols associated with the Camino is the tau cross, which we can see, for example, in the Pórtico de la Gloria of the Cathedral of Santiago, in which the apostle is represented with a staff topped by him.

Santiago---Portico-da-Gloria

This cross has a long tradition behind it, dating back to cultures such as Egyptian or Greek. In the Christian world, the cross first became the symbol of San Antonio Abad, third-century saint in whose name it was founded in the Middle Agesto the order of the Knights of the San Antonio Hospital, commonly known as the “hospitalers”, who founded several hospitals along the Camino (such as the one in Castrojeriz). Later, St. Francis of Assisi He also took said cross as his signature.

Camino way marker with San Anton cross

In addition to this, this cross also gave its name to a medieval navigation instrument. The Jacob's rod, an instrument with a shape similar to the cross, was used in navigation to calculate the height of the stars above the horizon.

jacobstaff

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