On November 5, at the invitation of the University Center for Regional Studies and Analyses, Associate Professor Kiril Kartaloff, D.Sc. (Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; Corresponding Member of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences), delivered a public lecture in Conference Hall 1 of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” on the topic “The Camino de Santiago and the Construction of European Identity.”

In his engaging and conceptually profound presentation, Assoc. Prof. Kartaloff described pilgrimage as an existential and spiritual practice inscribed – as he put it – “in the dynamic nature of the human being as viātor,” arising in response to “the human thirst for the Absolute.”

The lecturer traced the development of ideas about pilgrimage from the Middle Ages to the present day, the significance of the routes to Santiago de Compostela, and the mechanisms through which pilgrims become carriers and transmitters of social, cultural, and intellectual models.

In conclusion, Assoc. Prof. Kartaloff discussed the revival of European interest in the Camino de Santiago in the twentieth century, its institutional recognition by the Council of Europe in 1987 as the first European Cultural Route, and its contemporary role as one of the pillars of Western European cultural identity.

The lecture sparked lively interest and discussion, after which guests had the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the impressive expanded edition of Assoc. Prof. Kiril Kartaloff’s work “The Flowers of the Nations: Pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago.”

We extend our sincere thanks to Assoc. Prof. Kiril Kartaloff, D.Sc., for accepting our invitation and, on behalf of all present, express our appreciation for this inspiring and deeply impactful lecture.