The Chair, established through an agreement signed in August 2026 between USC, the Tourism Agency of Galicia, and the Cathedral of Santiago, celebrated its trajectory with a presentation of activities for the upcoming year. The Chair's director, Professor Miguel Vázquez Taín, highlighted "a decade of work in which numerous activities have been consolidated, contributing to a greater understanding of the Jacobean theme through rigorous scientific research." The presentation was also attended by the Rector of USC, Rosa M. Crujeiras; the Director of the Cathedral Foundation of Santiago, Daniel Lorenzo; and the Director of Tourism of Galicia, Xosé Manuel Merelles.
Rector Rosa M. Crujeiras described the Chair as "an excellent example of how institutions with different missions and competencies can join forces around a common, relevant, and strategic objective for Galicia." She emphasized that it is "a shared project that places the study, research, dissemination, and valorization of one of our greatest assets at the center of its work: the Camino de Santiago and the entire cultural, historical, social, and spiritual universe surrounding it." She also recalled the Chair's recent reception of the International Jacobean Pentafinium Award.
Looking ahead to 2027, a Holy Jacobean Year, Vázquez Taín announced new international calls for research project grants (each endowed with 4,000 euros), the Research Prize on the Camino de Santiago and Pilgrimages (3,000 euros), and awards for Bachelor's and Master's theses (1,000 euros each) for top-qualified works.
The funded projects and awarded researchers will be presented at USC's International Jacobean Lectures, which celebrate their 20th anniversary at the Museum of Pilgrimages during the Apostle's festivities. The Chair will also continue organizing two massive open online courses (MOOCs) in collaboration with EUniWell, one on the Jacobean topography of Santiago de Compostela and another on the international projection of the Camino and hospitality.
As a novelty, on January 15th, the deadline will open for the 1st prize for the best videos by USC students on emblematic cultural or historical-artistic pieces related to the Camino de Santiago, with each award being 500 euros. The Director of the Cathedral Foundation of Santiago, Daniel Lorenzo, highlighted "the rigor and solidity" of the Chair's work, while the Director of Tourism of Galicia, Xosé Manuel Merelles, described it as an "indispensable tool" and announced the renewal of the agreement in 2027.
