One of
my favorite towns on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela is San Juan Ortega,
named after the saint whom we celebrate today.
It is located on the stage right before the arrival into the city of
Burgos, one of the main cities on the Camino.
San Juan de Ortega was born in Burgos in 1050. He became a priest at a young age. While on travel back from a pilgrimage to
Jerusalem, the ship he was on almost sank into a terrible storm. Juan de Ortega
prayed to St Nicholas to save them from the storm. He founded a Augustinian monastery in the
village now named San Juan de Ortega, and a monastery church named in honor of
St Nicholas. Juan de Ortega was a good
friend of Santo Domingo de Calzada, another great Camino saint. Both of them spent time repairing bridges on
the Camino, improving roads, and constructing new chapels and hospitals for the
pilgrims. He died in 1143. Above are photos that I took in the Church of
St Nicholas was I was there in January of this year.
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