**4. Analysis of Certified Pilgrimage Routes**

The COE, UNESCO and WHC, ICOMOS and CIIC organizations define the cultural routes for which they award certificates on their respective websites. Under various headings, these pages explain how the routes meet the certification requirements.

#### *4.1. COE-Certified Religious Routes*

The most effective and most certified COE at the international level has certified 12 religious routes. Each route has its own page on the COE's website. The criteria of the COE are explained on these pages under the headings of "theme, traveling today, heritage and council of Europe values". The theme section contains detailed information about the route's historical background, the traveling today section contains information about the partner countries, the length of the route, the mode of travel, and its widespread impact, the heritage section contains information about the route's tangible and intangible cultural heritages, and the council of Europe values section contains information about the route's significance for the European Continent (COE-CR 2023).

The theme section describes the route's history, heroes, story, and journey. The route's start and end points are specified (COE-CR 2023). The theme of the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Routes arose from a legend. According to legend, the body of St. James, which was brought to Spain from Jerusalem in 40 A.D. and forgotten, was discovered in the Cathedral of Santiago in the 9th century, and St. James was declared the protector of Spain. Beginning on this date, Christians began to travel to St. James' tomb (COE-SCPR 1987). The theme of Via Francigena was born from a diary. Sigeric, archbishop of Canterbury in England, was named Pope XV in A.D. 990. He traveled to Rome in order to purchase an investiture pallium from John. It records the journey's 79 stages. A pilgrimage route between England and Italy is created based on this diary (COE-VF 1994). The theme of the Routes of El Legado Andalus was inspired by religious history. The Andalusian Umayyad State, founded between the 8th and 15th centuries by individuals from the Arabian Peninsula, ruled the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. The journeys of these people, who brought Islam's faith and heritage to the European continent, have become a religious route today (COE-RELA 1997). The European Route of Jewish Heritage's theme is Jewish migration routes and heritage values. The migration movements of Jews from the Middle East to Europe, the Ottoman Empire, and America over an 18th-century span have been transformed into a religious route (COE-ERJH 2004).

All modes of transportation are available in the Traveling Today section. However, in order to feel the spiritual values on religious routes, some of the journeys are made on foot. Travelers on the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Routes travel by foot, bike, or horseback (COE-SCPR 1987). On foot, the Via Francigena Route rediscovers the land, history, and people (COE-VF 1994). Cruises in the Mediterranean are added to the land trips on the El Legado Andalus Routes (COE-RELA 1997). The European Route of Jewish Heritage has no restrictions on modes of transportation (COE-ERJH 2004). It is also worth noting that the routes have no distance restrictions. The longest distance on the Via Roma Germanica is about 2600 km (COE-VRG 2020), while the European Route of Jewish Heritage is 5555 km (COE-ERJH 2004). As a consequence, stops on the routes have been established, and travelers can join the route at any time. It has been noted that the routes include at least three European countries, but the total number of countries has not been determined. For example, the Via Romea Germanica has only three countries (COE-VRG 2020), and the European Route of Jewish Heritage has twenty-one (COE-ERJH 2004). Another important point is that after three European countries participate, countries from other continents can join the route as long as they are related to the theme. In El Legado Andalus Routes, three European countries joined Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan (COE-RELA 1997). Turkey and Azerbaijan have also joined the European Route of Jewish Heritage's 19 European countries (COE-ERJH 2004).

The Heritage section introduces travelers to the route's tangible and intangible cultural heritage. For the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Routes, places of worship are added to tangible heritage such as hospitals, lodging facilities, and bridges. Myths, legends, and songs are examples of intangible cultural heritage (COE-SCPR 1987). Traveling along the Via Francigena allows you to experience art cultures like Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque. It provides a variety of values due to its various roles as a military, commercial, and pilgrimage route. It typically runs along major thoroughfares and is surrounded by historical monuments and archaeological sites (COE-VF 1994). El Legado Routes Andalus brings to life the Andalusian Umayyad State's impressive architectural heritage, literature, art, science, gastronomy, and traditions. It creates a bond between different ethnic groups (COE-RELA 1997). The European Route of Jewish Heritage includes Jewish heritage archaeological sites, synagogues, cemeteries, neighborhoods, and memories. The route also includes archives, libraries, and museums dedicated to Jewish history (COE-ERJH 2004).

The importance of the route for the European continent is stated in the Council of Europe Values section. As an instance, the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Routes are both a symbol of Europe's religious history and a model of cultural cooperation (COE-SCPR 1987). The Via Francigena is a mode of communication that contributes to Europe's cultural unity. It connects the cultures of Anglo-Saxon Europe and Latin Europe (COE-VRG 2020). El Legado Andalus Routes describes the meeting of Muslim and Christian cultures (COE-RELA 1997). The European Route of Jewish Heritage enriches Jewish culture and contributes to Europe's cultural diversity (COE-ERJH 2004).
