The 21st International Festival on the Camino de Santiago 6-15 August 2012
The 21st International Festival on the Camino de Santiago offers ten concerts, a series of street theatre and a medieval market. This event will be held in the towns of Santa Cruz de la Serós, Jaca, and Berdún from 6 to 15 August 2012.
Details of the festival were announced earlier this month in Huesca, the capital of the province of Aragon, Spain in the presence of head of Culture of the provincial government of Huesca (Diputacion Provincial de Huesca), Elisa Sanjuán; the president of the region of La Jacetania, Jose Maria Abarca; assistant Mayor of the town of Jaca, Juan Manuel de Prada; the mayor of Valle del Hecho and congressman, Luis Gutierrez; and the Festival Director, Luis Calvo.
Elisa Sanjuán emphasized the consistency and loyalty of the International Festival on the Camino de Santiago to the objectives that were established 21 years ago, namely: “offer complete cultural tourism and deliver a program of medieval music” to fill the gap that existed until 1992. In recent years, “the offer of medieval music has been complemented with other events such as Pyrenees Classics in Canfranc or Border Classics in Ribagorza” she noted.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Mayor of Jaca, Juan Manuel de Prada, said that for 21 years this event has “given brightness and splendour to the Camino de Santiago in Aragon, and each year gains in popularity and prestige.”
MEDIEVAL MARKET
Juan Manuel de Prada referred to the change of dates Medieval Market of the Three Cultures, to the second weekend in September, “in order to make it more participative.“
Festival of Camino de Santiago Street Market
Santa Cruz de la Seros
This year the Medieval Market and Street Theatre of the International Festival on the Camino de Santiago will be held in Santa Cruz de la Serós. The Provincial Government shall, on the other hand, assume responsibility for the dozen concerts of early music, with a budget of “about 100,000 euros in round numbers,” Luis Calvo confirmed.
DYNAMIC ROLE
The president of the district of La Jacetania, Jose Maria Abarca, stressed that “we contribute our grain of sand convinced that at present our goals can only be met by pooling our resources.”
Abarca also referred to the dynamic role of these cultural events provide to the tourist offer. “We need to continue convincing our citizens and visitors that the Jacetania is a friendly and sustainable territory, and has an important cultural offer.”
Abarca emphasised the importance of smaller cultural heritage sites in the region and cited specifically the churches of San Adrián de Sasabe and Santa Maria de Iguacel, and the chapels of Puyeta, Escagüés or Orante, as examples of “minor heritage sites which complete the jewels such as Jaca Cathedral or the Monastery of San Juan de la Peña.”
Monastery of San Juan de la Pena
Meanwhile, the provincial deputy and mayor of Hecho, Luis Gutierrez, said that “we sincerely believe that Hecho has much to contribute to the Camino de Santiago with the old pass through Puerto de Palo, before the one of Somport, previously being one of importance.”
Festival Director, Luis Calvo, also stressed the importance of the passage of Puerto de Palo, “especially in Roman times, but also in medieval times.” Calvo explained that “the 2012 Festival on the Camino de Santiago will include musicians from France, Italy, Germany and, of course, Spain” and emphasised the presence ofAragon, from “the thriving school of Zaragoza of early music or classical music.”
Official website of the 21st International Festival on the Camino de Santiago: http://www.festivalcaminosantiago.com/inicio/
