Camino de Santiago (route descriptions)  The Camino de Santiago, also known as the Way of St. James, extends from different countries of Europe, and even North Africa, on its way to Santiago de Compostela and Finisterre. The local authorities try to restore many of the ancient routes, even those used in a limited period, in the interest of tourism. Here follows an overview of the main routes of the modern-day pilgrimage. The Routes of Northern Spain and the French Way (Camino Francés) are the ones listed in the World Heritage List by UNESCO. The Routes of Northern Spain is a network of four Christian pilgrimage routes in northern Spain. The Camino Primitivo splits off from the Norte south of Villaviciosa, near Oviedo, and spans 355km (this includes roughly 40km on the Camino Francés at the end). As the name suggests, this is one of the original Caminos. The Portuguese Way (, ) begins at Lisbon or Porto in Portugal. From Porto, along the Douro River, pilgrims travel north crossing the Ave, Cávado, Lima and Minho rivers before entering Spain and then passing through Padron before arriving at Santiago. It is the second most popular way, after the French one. The route is 610 km long starting in Lisbon or 227 km long starting in Porto. From Lisbon, the starting point is Lisbon Cathedral, crossing the Thermal Hospital of Caldas da Rainha (1485) and heading to the Alcobaça Monastery (1252), which was an "albergue" (hostel) for medieval pilgrims who could only stay there for a single night. Using Roman roads, pilgrims headed to Coimbra and had to reach Porto before night falls, as the gates of the city closed, once in the pilgrims headed to Church of São Martinho de Cedofeita (c. 1087). There are two traditional routes from Porto, one inland (the Central Way) and the Coastal Way ("Caminho da Costa"). Rates is considered a central site of the Portuguese Way. The way has been used since the Middle Ages and the ancient monastery of Rates (rebuilt in 1100) gained importance due to the legend of Saint Peter of Rates. The legend holds that Saint James ordained Peter as the first bishop of Braga in the year AD 44. Peter died as a martyr while attempting to convert local pagans. Rates is also the location of the first modern pilgrim hostel ("Albergue") in the Portuguese way.