Mérida: From October 22nd to 25th, 2026.
XIV International Congress.
Website: https://14congresojacobeo.com/
The Spanish Federation of Associations of Friends of the Camino de Santiago (FEAACS), and its member associations, have been holding the International Congress of Jacobean Associations since 1987. This triennial meeting brings together veteran pilgrims and researchers to share their experience and knowledge related to the Jacobean tradition.
Following the XIII Congress held in Ourense (2023), Mérida takes up the mantle and will host the XIV International Congress of Jacobean Associations, organized by the Spanish Federation of Associations of Friends of the Camino de Santiago, the International Federation of the Camino de Europa Compostela, and the Association of Friends of the Camino de Santiago Vía de la Plata-Camino Mozárabe of Mérida.
His Majesty the King has accepted the Presidency of the Congress’s Honorary Committee.
The motto of the XIV International Congress of Jacobean Associations is: “HOMO VIATOR. SANTIAGO AND THE ORIGIN OF PILGRIMAGES IN HISPANIA.” Homo Viator represents the deepest part of the human being, their very essence. The pilgrim is always in motion, both physically and existentially. They are a being in continuous search, trying to find answers to many questions: Who am I? What is my destiny? They need the time and space that the Camino provides to find themselves.
Life is not static; it is a process of experience, learning, and transformation. It is a continuous journey toward personal fulfillment and the search for meaning in life.
Homo Viator is a symbol of human existence as a constant becoming, in which the person is not something finished but rather in the process of becoming themselves, seeking to transcend the mundane to find salvation and union with the divine.
Homo Viator represents the human condition in its deepest aspect: the human being as a traveler through life, in search of meaning, facing uncertainties, and hoping to find a destination. It represents life as a journey full of challenges, but also of opportunities for personal fulfillment. Although the final destination may be uncertain, what matters is the journey itself and what is learned along the way.
Ultimately, Homo Viator is a metaphor that resonates across all eras and cultures because it captures the essence of being human: the tireless search for meaning and fulfillment that is never fully attained.
The Camino de Santiago was declared the “First European Cultural Route” in 1987. Throughout its history, it has been a space that has welcomed people from diverse nations, religions, cultures, social statuses, and so on.
Mérida, as Pope Francis reminded us, was the cradle of Christianity in Hispania. Santa Eulalia was the main pilgrimage site from the 4th century until the Arab invasion. It preserves the remains of the oldest Pilgrim Hostel and Hospital in Spain. All the Camino de Santiago routes in southern Spain converge in Mérida.
Augusta Emerita, capital of Lusitania, is the starting point of the old Roman road known in the Antonine Itinerary as Iter ab Emerita Asturicam, and which today we call the Vía de la Plata (Silver Route), the best-preserved Roman road in Spain and one of the oldest and most beautiful Camino de Santiago routes.
We intend for this congress to also have a advocacy component, proposing a Mérida Declaration requesting that the Vía de la Plata as it passes through Extremadura be declared an Asset of Cultural Interest by all the Autonomous Communities it traverses, as a first step towards its declaration as a World Heritage Site. In this spirit, we wish to inaugurate Milestone Zero of the Roman road.
The congress will have four thematic blocks:
- Origin of pilgrimages in Hispania
- The Camino and the routes to Santiago
- Associations. Hospitality
- An inclusive and healing Camino.
Congress participants will have the opportunity to explore the historical and archaeological heritage of the city of Mérida, with exclusive visits for them. Their companions will also visit the main remains of the Roman road, the Vía de la Plata, as well as the city of Cáceres, a World Heritage Site.
XIV International Congress
. Much more information about the program, registration, submission of papers, accommodations, proceedings of previous congresses, etc., can be found on the website 14congresojacobeo.com. The registration and submission period for communications will be from April 1 to September 25, 2026.
The city of Mérida, declared a World Heritage Site, is the host of the XIV International Congress of Jacobean Associations for many reasons: its history, its monumental architecture, its rich heritage, its surroundings, and its generous hospitality.