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THE COLUMBAN WAY

The Columban Way connects all the places gradually touched by the Irish monk throughout his life, starting from the Vita Columbani of Jonah of Susa, undoubtedly one of the most important literary monuments of the seventh century. Alongside the places that dot a life completely consumed by traveling, other cities or towns have been identified that the centuries-old tradition, still preserved today by the populations residing there, wants furrowed by the footsteps of this extraordinary figure with a European personality and witnessed by parish churches, shrines, chapels, sanctuaries, churches erected to perpetuate his memory. The invitation to those who undertake this European cultural route/itinerary is to rediscover, through the beauty of nature and many forms of culture, that European “common home”, retracing step by step the footsteps of Columbanus who contributed to its construction from its dawn. With this project we are giving an opportunity to retrace it with the same spirit, in the grateful memory of a man who knew how to make his history and still offers us the opportunity to rediscover and appreciate it to become protagonists in the history of Europe today.

An important aspect of the project is the walking route, which has repurposed one of the oldest pilgrimage routes in Europe. After the Camino de Santiago, the Columban Way is the longest cultural route in Europe, in terms of distance and also of regions and nations crossed.

The Columban Way celebrates the cultural heritage of “Irish monasticism” from the sixth to the eighth centuries, in particular the work of the monk Columbanus and his companions who traveled through Europe in a time of great instability and conflict, founding thriving monastic communities until the late Middle Ages and laying the foundations for the construction of Europe.
The route mainly crosses towns and villages far from the great flows of tourism, in rural and mountain areas. The intent is to develop knowledge of these places, attracting walkers and other visitors, with the involvement of local communities.
It is a cultural and educational project, which includes events, celebrations and cultural exchanges among the participants, including young people in different communities, around music, outdoor activities and visual arts.
The Columban Way promotes the studies, knowledge and understanding of the historical figures of Columbanus and his disciples in the historical period in which they lived and the influence they had on Europe today.

European Association of the Columban Way
Saint Clare Square, 1
29022 Bobbio (PC)
email: info@thecolumbanway.org
Fb: The Columban Way