The French Way was the first route of the Way of Saint James to become a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the first Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. It is the Jacobean itinerary with the most historical tradition and is the one most recognised internationally.

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It was described in 1135 in the Codex Calixtinus, , a fundamental Jacobean book. Book V of this codex constitutes an authentic medieval guide to the pilgrimage to Santiago

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