Arriving in Santiago after hundreds of kilometers can have a reward that many pilgrims are unaware of. Every day, the first ten walkers who prove their arrival can enjoy a free meal at the Hostal de los Reyes Católicos, a tradition linked to the hospitable origins of the historic building.
There are customs of the Camino de Santiago that remain alive for centuries and that, however, continue to be unknown even to many experienced pilgrims.
One of them is located in the heart of Santiago de Compostela, next to the Cathedral.
The current Hostal de los Reyes Católicos, today converted into one of the most emblematic establishments in the Paradores network, maintains a tradition that remembers what its original function was: attend to the pilgrims who arrived exhausted to Compostela.
Ten pilgrims every day
Tradition benefits ten first pilgrims who prove their arrival in Santiago.
To do this, they must first go through the Pilgrim Reception Office, where it is certified that they have completed the Camino and they are provided with the necessary proof.
With this accreditation they can later go to the Hostal de los Reyes Católicos and enjoy a free meal at the Enxebre restaurant.
This is not a tourist promotion or a commercial campaign.
It is the continuity of a historical tradition of hospitality.
A luxury hotel that was born for pilgrims
Today the Hostal de los Reyes Católicos is one of the best-known historic hotels in Spain.
But its origin was very different.
The building was built at the beginning of the 16th century at the initiative of Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, the Catholic Monarchs.
Its function was to serve as a hospital for pilgrims arriving in Santiago.
At that time, completing the Camino could mean weeks or even months of travel.
Many hikers arrived sick, injured, malnourished or simply exhausted.
The old Royal Hospital offered food, rest and health care.
From pilgrim hospital to Parador
As the centuries passed, the building left behind its original hospital function and ended up becoming the current Hostal de los Reyes Católicos.
But the relationship with the Camino did not disappear.
The tradition of offering food to pilgrims has been maintained, adapted to the modern operation of the establishment.
Today, instead of hospital care like that of five centuries ago, the gesture materializes in a meal for the first pilgrims who meet the requirements each day.
A tradition that survived even the pandemic
Like so many other customs of the Camino, this tradition was affected during the years of restrictions caused by the pandemic.
The reduction in pilgrims, closures and limitations made it very difficult to maintain normality.
With the recovery of pilgrimages, the custom was resumed.
And it continues today as one of the most unique gestures that a pilgrim can experience upon arriving in Santiago.
Hospitality as part of the Camino
The Camino de Santiago has always been linked to hospitality.
Hostels, monasteries, pilgrim hospitals and entire communities developed over centuries to serve those walking towards Compostela.
The existence of the Hostal de los Reyes Católicos is one of the great proofs of that history.
Although today the context is completely different, maintaining a small part of that tradition allows us to remember something important:
Santiago was not only the end of the journey.
It was also a place where the pilgrim had to be received, cared for and fed.
A prize that does not appear in many guides
Many pilgrims arrive in Santiago thinking about the Cathedral, the embrace of the Apostle, the Compostela or the excitement of entering the Plaza del Obradoiro.
Few know that this small possibility also exists.
Arrive among the first.
Get accreditation.
And finish the Camino sitting at the table in one of the most historic buildings in Santiago.
Perhaps it is one of those traditions that perfectly summarizes what the Camino has been for centuries.
Walk.
Arrive.
And find someone willing to receive you.
More than five hundred years later, hospitality still has a place in Plaza del Obradoiro.
