The scallop is a symbol for St. James, and the church you mentioned was a
pilgrimage stop during and after the Crusades of the Middle Ages. To prove
to the folks at home that the pilgrim had been there, they purchased the
scallops and wore them like badges. Other places had other souviners.  Karen
-----Original Message-----
From: Kathleen Edwards <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Monday, November 08, 1999 1:52 PM
Subject: Curiosity


>Here's a curiosity from The Baltimore Sun, October 26, 1999. A picture
>shows a pilgrim in front of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in
>Galicia, Spain, dressed in traditional costume, a cloak and a pilgrim's hat
>adorned with a large scallop shell. Would anyone like to hazard a guess as
>to the significance of the scallop shell to a religious pilgrim? Is there a
>religious iconography of sea shells?
>I am new to this list and this is my maiden voyage.
>Kathleen Edwards
>Columbia, MO