Spain’s Camino de Santiago is no ordinary road, having been polished by the feet of pilgrims, knights and saints during its 1,100-year history. Christine Bridges-Esser is a pilgrim on that pathway – a 509-mile journey over dirt, a little asphalt and a history so rich and resonant, it is known as a roadway of legends and miracles. Its ultimate destination: the tomb of the apostle St. James.
It is also an odyssey of the soul for Bridges-Esser, associate professor of Spanish who, though American born, says she has been Spanish in her heart all her life.
“In Spain they say to me, “‘Where did you meet your American husband?’” When I tell them I am an American, they say, ‘But we thought you were from here,’ and I say, “In my heart, I am.’”
For Bridges-Esser, the pilgrimage is a time-honored blend of scholarly research and amazing experiences – shared by her husband, James Esser, University Professor of psychology. The most recent of their five pilgrimages was May through July.
“The first few years, we would walk stages of the Camino, then the next year go back to where we stopped and, from there, walk more stages,” she said. “This year we did the entire Camino from St. Jean Pied de Port, France, to Santiago de Compostela and then did another stage of the northern route. Along the way, we met a man in his 70s who had done the Camino in stages for the past 10 years. This year, he was doing the last stage and was finally going to make it into Santiago.”
Bridges-Esser will make that journey come alive this fall when she presents the 2006 Distinguished Faculty Lecture. She is the 20th recipient of the honor – one of the highest accorded a Lamar faculty member.
“Legends and Miracles: The Pilgrimage Route to Santiago de Compostela” will be the topic of her lecture, to be presented at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16 in the University Theatre and sponsored by ExxonMobil. A reception in the Dishman Art Museum is planned afterward.
Bridges-Esser’s global perspective and interest in Spain comes naturally. Because her father was in the Navy, she has spent much of her life traveling the world. Born in New York City, she attended grade school in Italy, spent her high-school years in Japan and later studied in Spain and the United States.
Bridges-Esser earned her doctor of philosophy from Vanderbilt University and her master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Texas at El Paso. She is working with James Esser on a book to be titled A Prospect for Peace in the Basque Country. Bridges-Esser has a number of lectures and presentations to her credit and is widely published in professional journals. She is also active on campus, having been elected to serve as 2006-2007 vice president of the Faculty Senate, of which she has been a member since 1996.
A resident of Beaumont and a faculty member since 1994, Bridges-Esser has been the recipient of many grants and awards, including the University Merit Award. She has led in a number of teaching innovations and been instrumental in course development. In the classroom, she focuses primarily on teaching Spanish, as well as Spain’s literature, civilization and culture. The lecture will add another dimension to her career.
“The Camino de Santiago is 772 kilometers (509 miles) long, mostly of dirt and, sometimes, asphalt,” Bridges-Esser wrote in her lecture proposal. “It was originally a Celtic road and later the road to the Roman road to finis terrae, or end of the earth. It is a road composed of Roman bridges and forest trails; it crosses mountain ranges and cow pastures, past Romanesque churches of the 9th century and spectacular Gothic cathedrals. It passes through many small towns in Spain that look no different than they have for a thousand years – and great modern cities. It houses the castles of the Knights Templar, the last known location of the Holy Grail, and ancient monasteries, which contain important relics such as the largest piece of the cross of Jesus.
“It is a road of legends and miracles. This 1,100-year-old road has been polished by the feet of saints, sinners and everyone in between. It is a mixture of physical challenge and spirituality and serves as a starting point to learn about the religious and historical roots of Europe.”
The road has great political, social and religious importance, Bridges-Esser said: “Political because this road forged a bond between non-Islamic Spain and Christian Europe at the time of the Crusades; social because of the trade and art that flourished along the trade route it created; and religious because this is the road of piety,” traversed by St. Anthony, St. Francis and others.
It also was the road of salvation, or civic expiation, she said, because medieval judges sentenced convicts to walk the Camino in lieu of prison. Camino de Santiago continues to be influential, Bridges-Esser said, every year attracting people of all ages from all over the world to walk the Camino. This fall, her lecture audience will join that group.
Through images, she said, “I will show not only the beauty of the landscape, but also every major style of art and architecture, from medieval to modern times. Along the way, I will insert legends, traditions, historical information and anecdotes. I will show landmarks, castles . . . and the church where the Holy Grail was last known to be, and pictures of the cross of Jesus.”
Bridges-Esser finds it almost impossible to single out her most memorable moment from the five years and 2,500 miles she has traveled. But, she says: “When you get to Santiago and climb the steps, upon entering the cathedral there is a marble column. Pilgrims from the year 864 have placed their hand upon one spot in that column – that means St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony and millions of pilgrims have left deep finger impressions in the marble, and it forms a hand. Placing your hand in the holes is like stepping back to the year 864 and touching all those who have come before you on the road as if you were one group of humanity. After five times, it still gets me. I don’t know of anyone else that I have seen wearing the backpack, grubby, hot, and humble, who does not tear up at this point.
“Jim and I plan on doing this as long as our little ol’ legs and feet will still be able to shuffle along. There are hundreds of people in their 70s and 80s along the Camino. There are also lots of grave markers to ‘fallen’ pilgrims – ‘here lies so and so, age such and such, who had a heart attack . . . got run over . . . fell off the mountain’ along the road. My friend and the owner of a beautiful hotel in Santiago told me this year that they ought to name a stage of the Camino after Jim and me – the Bridges Esser stage. I like that.”
She describes the foray as “backpacks to blisters, rain and shine.”
But, she says, the experience is addictive. “Every day you wake up with the excitement of seeing something beautiful, new and different, meeting new people, eating new and great food. No matter how hard the climb, every day at the end of the day you can list at least one thing that made it worth it. After the mental stress of the 21st century, you strap all of your belongings onto your back, and the only worry you have is getting to the next place . . . crossing the next mountain.
Without blow dryers, makeup, phones, cars or e-mail, you live a simple life and enjoy the beauty of the creator.”
