The “A Inspirar Caminhos” (“Inspiring Caminos”) cycle in Albergaria-a-Velha (a municipal initiative that promotes monthly gatherings to support and promote the Camino de Santiago) ends this year’s edition on November 27 with the session “Mulheres a Caminho” (“Women on the Way”), dedicated to the female perspective on pilgrimage. The gathering is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the albergue Rainha D. Teresa, and the session includes a traditional Queimada Galega and a request for each participant to bring one kilo of rice, to be donated to the organization Na Rota dos Povos.
The guests at this session will bring different experiences and present personal accounts and practical guidance for those preparing to walk the Camino de Santiago. Dalila Gomes values simplicity and contact with nature, and sees pilgrimage as a transformative experience that deeply shaped her life. Manuela Fidalgo Serra, from Oliveira do Douro, is a member of the executive board of the International Union of Jacobean Pilgrims and carries out volunteer work in Guinea-Bissau through the organization Na Rota dos Povos. Maria José Patrício, born in Porto, describes herself as a woman passionate about life, integrating the Camino into her own personal path.
Data from 2025 from the Oficina del Peregrino show that 53.6% of arrivals in Santiago are women, a figure that confirms the growing female presence along the various routes. The Jacobean tradition has recorded the participation of women since early times. Jimena Garcés, who accompanied Alfonso III in the 10th century, is the first identified female pilgrim. In Portugal, Queen Isabel of Aragon walked the route twice and later supported hospitals and assistance facilities along the way.
