Camino de Santiago Stamps
The history of philately and the Camino de Santiago have always been closely linked. From the first stamp dedicated to a Holy Year in 1937 to the present day, the Pilgrim's Way has been the protagonist of a large number of philatelic products.
The Pilgrim's Way to Santiago itself has its own stamp, issued in 2016. It features the main façade of the Cathedral of Santiago, which welcomes pilgrims, and the traditional scallop.
Xacobeo 2021-2022 Stamps
On the occasion of Xacobeo 2021-2022, Correos has made a double issue.
In 2021 it launched a commemorative stamp featuring Floreano, one of the most beloved characters of the Galician press. Created by the cartoonist Gogue, Floreano has jumped from the pages of Faro de Vigo to become a pilgrim, with his cape, staff and pumpkin in the stamp dedicated to Xacobeo 2021. The stamp can be purchased online at Correos Market. It can also be purchased at any of our offices.
In this 2022, the motif chosen for the stamp dedicated to the Xacobeo is the €30 coin that has on its reverse an allegorical image of the Camino de Santiago, with a pilgrim and the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. As well as being available at any post office, this special stamp can also be purchased online at Correos Market.
Caminos del Norte Stamps
The most recent stamps dedicated to the Camino de Santiago are those belonging to the series on The Pilgrims' Roads to Santiago in the North of Spain, an original philatelic tribute with the most representative places of each of these routes that were declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 2015.
READ MOREThe series was inaugurated with the Camino del Norte through a die-cut card with the profile of the northern coast of the Peninsula, which includes 8 stamps with highlights such as the monastery of Zenarruza, the Collegiate Church of Santillana del Mar, the Conventín de Valdediós or the front of the Hostal de los Reyes Católicos de Santiago.
The second booklet is dedicated to the Camino Primitivo, the Route that stretches from Oviedo to Compostela. The stamps feature motifs typical of this route, such as the figure of King Alfonso II, the precursor of this route, the cathedrals of Oviedo and Lugo and the cruceiro de Melide.
The third is dedicated to the Camino de Liébana, a route that runs through Cantabria. The philatelic booklet dedicated to the Camino Lebaniego is also made up of eight stamps, featuring two jewels of the Route: the church of Santa María de los Ángeles, in San Vicente de la Barquera; and the church of Santo Toribio de Liébana. This card can be purchased online at Correos Market.
The series closes with a fourth philatelic booklet dedicated to the Camino interior del País Vasco y La Rioja and can be purchased at Correos Market. On this occasion the protagonists of the stamps are the Church of Nuestra Señora de La Asunción in La Puebla de Arganzón, the Church of El Juncal in Irún, the Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada and the New Cathedral in Vitoria.
The collection dedicated to the Camino de Santiago has different commemorative stamps where the protagonists are outstanding Jacobean figures, monasteries, churches and even distinctive monuments of the Routes: from the Collegiate Church of Santillana del Mar to the Templar castle of Ponferrada, passing through the Hostal de San Marcos in León or different cathedrals such as those of León, Burgos, Oviedo or Jaca.
Philatelic Credential
Lovers of stamps and the Camino de Santiago have a very special companion: the Credencial filatélica del Camino Francés, a tribute to the card that every pilgrim must be stamping during his Camino to Santiago.
The philatelic credential includes 15 stamps of Correos that include some of the most emblematic stages of the French Way, from Roncesvalles to Santiago passing through Pamplona, Burgos, León, Astorga, Ponferrada or O Cebreiro.
The Philatelic Credential of Correos does not replace the Credential issued by the Cathedral of Santiago or the Associations of Friends of the Camino de Santiago to obtain the Compostela. But it does allow you to obtain a very special souvenir of your Camino.
READ MORELike the official Credential, the philatelic Credential can be stamped at Asociaciones de Amigos del Camino, parishes .... and at Post Offices along the French Way.
In addition, in the Post Offices of the towns that feature a stamp of the Philatelic Credential we have tourist postmarks that represent the great architectural wealth of these places. The first of these postmarks can be found at the Burguete post office (2.5 km from Roncesvalles).
When you arrive in Santiago, come to our Consigna at the Office in Rúa do Franco 4, just 2 minutes from the Cathedral, where you can affix one last special two-colour postmark together with the Camino de Santiago stamp, thus certifying your "Philatelic pilgrimage".
Where can I get my Philatelic Credential? You can get yours at these Post Offices located along the French Route, at the offices in Bilbao and San Sebastián and at the offices in Chamartín station in Madrid and at Terminal 1 of Barajas airport.
Camino del Norte Philatelic Credential
On the occasion of Xacobeo 2021-2022, the Philatelic Credential arrives to the Camino del Norte, covering the four most singular Routes of this Way: Costero, Primitivo, Liébana and Interior del País Vasco y La Rioja.
The Philatelic Credential of the Caminos del Norte includes a total of 14 stamps and postmarks, witnesses of the different stages of these four Jacobean Routes.
This Philatelic Credential pays tribute to Los Caminos del Norte de España, a network of 1,500 Jacobean kilometres that were recognised in 2015 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
'El Camino de Santiago. Sello a sello'
On the occasion of the Compostela Holy Year, Correos has launched the philatelic book 'El Camino de Santiago. Sello a sello'.
This book offers a journey through the Camino de Santiago through the texts of 13 authors and the beautiful illustrations of Alicia Aradilla. At the end of the book, lovers of the Camino will find a very special compilation: the reproduction of all the Jacobean stamps issued to date, as well as the commemorative stamp of Xacobeo 2021 and the 2018 Artist's Proof of the Cathedral of Santiago with reproduction of the stamp in silver.
The philatelic book of the Way of St. James comes with three free plates by Alicia Aradilla, with an image of the Cathedral of Santiago, another one of a detail of the Portico de la Gloria and another one with a landscape of the Camino de Santiago.
The Camino de Santiago philatelic book can be purchased at Correos Market.
Camino Portugués Card
The Portuguese Way has the Camino Portugues Card, a philatelic journey through the different stages of the Route between Tui and Santiago de Compostela.
The Camino Portugues Card consists of a postcard marking the pilgrimage route with its corresponding stages and seven stamps with the distinctive elements of each town: Tui, O Porriño, Redondela, Pontevedra, Caldas de Reis, Padrón and Santiago de Compostela.
READ MOREThe pilgrim will be able to certify their journey through the different towns of the Portuguese Route as it passes through Galicia while discovering the attractions of each one of them: The International Bridge of Tui; the building of the City Council of Porriño, work of the architect Antonio Palacios; the beautiful view of the Vigo estuary and the island of San Simón from Redondela; the church of the Pilgrim of Pontevedra; the bridge of Bermaña of Caldas de Reis, the Pedrón of Padrón and the Holy Door of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
The Camino Portugués Card is completed with the launching of special tourist postmarks that mark the beginning and end of the stages with the footprints left by the walkers.
Like the Philatelic Credential, this Portuguese Way Card does not replace at any time the Pilgrim's Credential, but it is a nice souvenir for the pilgrim and a collector's item for the philately lover.
Camino tourist postmarks
In many of the 150 post offices that Correos has along the different routes of the Camino de Santiago we have tourist postmarks that represent the great architectural, artistic and natural wealth of these places.
Here we leave you a gallery with the main tourist postmarks of the Camino that you can find in our offices:
