Remains found in a tomb in northwestern Spain are likely to belong to a ninth-century bishop believed to have helped create the Camino de Santiago, one of Christianity’s most popular pilgrimages, a new study has found. News of the discovery reached King Alfonso II of the neighboring region of Asturias, who marched with his court from Oviedo to Santiago. The 90 mile royal pilgrimage established what is today known as the “Primitive Way”, the oldest path used by pilgrims of the Camino, or Way of St. James. Theodomir’s existence had been hotly debated until 1955, when Spanish archaeologist Manuel Chamoso Lamas discovered a tombstone underneath Santiago de Compostela’s cathedral inscribed with his name. Perez-Ramallo told El Pais newspaper that there was a “98% likelihood of it being Theodomir.”

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Persons: Bishop Theodomir, Theodomir, James the, King Alfonso II, James, Manuel Chamoso Lamas, Patxi Perez, Perez, Ramallo, ” Organizations: Norwegian University of Science, Technology, El Pais Locations: Spain, Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Asturias, Oviedo, Spanish