Cluny, a small Burgundian town, played a key role in the process of building a Christian Europe in the face of the Saracen threat. The Benedictine monks of Cluny developed their influence thanks to donations that multiplied and provided them with sustainable economic profitability. To the donations of land and jewels were added those of production tools such as fields and mills. As for the construction of small abbeys dependent on that of Cluny on lands distant by more than 18 miles (30 km), it made it possible to create a network that counted up to 1,400 dependencies and imposed its influence in Europe. Thus, the first secure path punctuated by abbeys belonging to Cluny led to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, where the Saracens had settled permanently.