A Pilgrim in Spain

By: Christopher Howse

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Paperback | 1 May 2018

At a Glance

Paperback
224 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
21.2 x 13.4 x 2.0

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Christopher Howse has spent more than two decades exploring Spain. For him, its centuries-old cathedrals, monasteries and shrines demand pilgrimage more than tourism.

In a journey across the Castilian interior he follows in the footsteps of El Cid and St Dominic, examines St Teresa's arm, samples the legacy of the Cardinal who invaded Africa, finds the spot where St John of the Cross escaped from prison, and discovers in a mountain shrine the world's largest remnant of the True Cross.

He comes across a slaughterhouse dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and a cock and hen living in a cathedral. He hears of uncivil war in Europe's most civilised square and enjoys the smells, heat, food, noise, prayers, tears, flies, smoke, violence and laughter of an ancient culture in its last years.

With an eye for the humorous and strange, he spends time in Soria and Silos, Yuste and Segovia, before turning from the pilgrim destination of Santiago de Compostela to the valleys of Extremadura, where the Virgin of Guadalupe took the Spanish to an unknown world.

About the Author

Christopher Howse is an assistant editor of The Daily Telegraph and a regular contributor to The Spectator and The Tablet. Among his bestselling books for Continuum are Prayers for This Life (2005) and The Assurance of Hope (2006). He is the author of How We Saw It: 150 years of The Daily Telegraph (2004).

Industry Reviews

'A wonderful book from the Daily Telegraph writer... With typical wit he recounts his diverse encounters which will appeal both to religious readers and armchair travellers alike.'
The Bookseller

“"Aided by a good ear, an eye for the absurd, an obviously refined sense of smell, and a pair of binoculars given to him by Bruce Bernard (the expert on paintings and photographs), Howse appears to register everything about his immediate surroundings, from the musings of a batty old woman, down to the grafitti in a toilet, and to a place comically named the centro de inseminacion porcina... A Pilgrim in Spain is a book whose myriad eccentricities mirror those of the Spain it celebrates."”
The Spectator

“"Blending humour and faith, this book offers a marvellous look at the way landscape is shaped by belief and history."”
The Catholic Herald

“"The book has a leisurely, discursive feel, offering asides on blood sausage consumption, troglodytism and the intricacies of church altar rails... Howse brocades A Pilgrim in Spain with bibliographic allusions and excels at revealing the spirit of a place... in the end I warmed to the sheer Edward Leer-like strangeness of this book."”
The Daily Telegraph

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