Christianity has a strong tradition ofpilgrimages, both to sites relevant to theNew Testament narrative (especially in theHoly Land) and to sites associated with latersaints ormiracles.
Christian pilgrimages were first made to sites connected with thebirth, life,crucifixion andresurrection ofJesus. Aside from the early example ofOrigen in the third century, surviving descriptions of Christian pilgrimages to theHoly Land date from the 4th century, when pilgrimage was encouraged by church fathers includingSaint Jerome, and established bySaint Helena, the mother ofConstantine the Great.[citation needed]
In many places, an extensive infrastructure developed that was specifically geared towards the accommodation and consumption needs of a large number of pilgrims.[1] In the late Middle Ages, there were organised group journeys for pilgrims, mainly by ship from various starting points to Israel.[2]
The purpose of Christian pilgrimage was summarized byPope Benedict XVI this way:
To go on pilgrimage is not simply to visit a place to admire its treasures of nature, art or history. To go on pilgrimage really means to step out of ourselves in order to encounter God where he has revealed himself, where his grace has shone with particular splendour and produced rich fruits of conversion and holiness among those who believe. Above all, Christians go on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, to the places associated with the Lord’s passion, death and resurrection. They go to Rome, the city of the martyrdom of Peter and Paul, and also to Compostela, which, associated with the memory of Saint James, has welcomed pilgrims from throughout the world who desire to strengthen their spirit with the Apostle’s witness of faith and love.[3]
Pilgrimages are made toRome and other sites associated with theapostles,saints andChristian martyrs, as well as to places where there have beenapparitions of theVirgin Mary. A popular pilgrimage journey is along theWay of St. James to theSantiago de Compostela Cathedral, inGalicia, Spain, where theshrine of the apostleJames is located. Also a combined pilgrimage is held every seven years in the three nearby towns ofMaastricht,Aachen andKornelimünster where many important relics could be seen (see:Pilgrimage of the Relics, Maastricht).
The motivations which draw today's visitors to Christian sacred sites can be mixed: faith-based, spiritual in a general way, with cultural interests, etc. This diversity has become an important factor in the management and pastoral care of Christian pilgrimage, as recent research on international sanctuaries and much-visited churches has shown.[4]
The first pilgrimages were made to sites connected withJesus. Aside from the early example ofOrigen who, "in search of the traces of Jesus, the disciples and the prophets",[5] already found local folk prompt to show him the actual location of theGadarene swine in the mid-3rd century, surviving descriptions of Christian pilgrimages to theHoly Land andJerusalem date from the4th century. The anonymous Bordeaux Pilgrim'sItinerarium Burdigalense ("Bordeaux Itinerary") is the oldest surviving recount of a Christian pilgrimage to Jerusalem and chronicles his visit in 333 to 334.[6]
The pilgrimage tradition was established byHelena, the mother ofConstantine the Great and encouraged by church fathers likeSaint Jerome. Pilgrimages also began to be made toRome and other sites associated with theApostles,Saints andChristian martyrs, as well as to places where there have beenapparitions of theVirgin Mary. Pilgrimage to Rome became a common destination for pilgrims from throughoutWestern Christianity in the medieval period, and important sites were listed in travel-guides such as the 12th-centuryMirabilia Urbis Romae.
In the 7th century, the Holy Land fell to theMuslim conquests,[7] and as pilgrimage to the Holy Land now became more difficult for European Christians, major pilgrimage sites developed in Western Europe, notablySantiago de Compostela in the 9th century, though travelers such asBernard the Pilgrim continued to make the journey to the Holy Land.
Political relationships between the Muslim caliphates and the Christian kingdoms of Europe remained in a state of suspended truce, allowing the continuation of Christian pilgrimages into Muslim-controlled lands, at least in intervals; for example, theFatimid Caliphal-Hakim bi-Amr Allah ordered the destruction of theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre, only to have his successor allow the Byzantine Empire to rebuild it.[8]
The Seljuk Turks systematically disrupted Christian pilgrimage routes, which became one of the major factorstriggering thecrusades later in the 11th century.[citation needed]
The Crusades were at first a success, theCrusader states, especially thekingdom of Jerusalem, guaranteeing safe access to the Holy Land for Christian pilgrims during the 12th century, but Palestine was re-conquered by the MuslimAyyubids by the end of the 13th century.[9]
Under theOttoman Empire travel in Palestine was once again restricted and dangerous. Modern pilgrimages in the Holy Land may be said to have received an early impetus from the scholarErnest Renan, whose twenty-four days in Palestine, recounted in hisVie de Jésus (published 1863) found the resonance of the New Testament at every turn.
According to Christian tradition, at some point between 818 and 842 during the reign ofAlfonso II of Asturias, bishopTheodemar of Iria (d. 847) found the remains ofSaint James the Greater.[10] Around the place of the discovery a new settlement and centre of pilgrimage emerged, which was known to the authorUsuard in 865[11] and by the 10th century was calledCompostella. The Way of St James became a major pilgrimage route of medievalChristianity from the 10th century onwards.
Pope Alexander VI officially declared theCamino de Santiago to be one of the "three great pilgrimages of Christendom", along withJerusalem and theVia Francigena to Rome. In the 12th century, under the impulse of bishopDiego Gelmírez, Compostela became an archbishopric, attracting a large and multinational population.Pope Benedict XVI said, "It is a way sown with so many demonstrations of fervour, repentance, hospitality, art and culture which speak to us eloquently of the spiritual roots of the Old Continent."[12] Many still follow its routes as a form of spiritual path or retreat for their spiritual growth. It is also popular with hikers, cyclers, and organized tour groups.
In 1987, theCamino, which encompasses several routes in Spain,France and Portugal, was declared the firstCultural Route of the Council of Europe. Since 2013, theCamino has attracted more than 200,000 pilgrims each year, with an annual growth rate of more than 10 percent. Pilgrims come mainly on foot and often from nearby cities, requiring several days of walking to reach Santiago. TheFrench Way gathers two-thirds of the walkers, but other minor routes are experiencing a growth in popularity.The French Way and the Northern routes in Spain were inscribed on theUNESCOWorld Heritage List, followed by theroutes in France in 1998, because of their historical significance for Christianity as a major pilgrimage route and their testimony to the exchange of ideas and cultures across the routes.[13][14]
Rome has been a major Christian pilgrimage site since the Middle Ages. Pilgrimages to Rome can involve visits to a large number of sites, both within the Vatican City and in Italian territory. A popular stopping point is thePilate's stairs: these are, according to the Christian tradition, the steps that led up to thepraetorium ofPontius Pilate inJerusalem, whichJesus Christ stood on during hisPassion on his way to trial.[15] The stairs were, reputedly, brought to Rome bySt. Helena in the 4th century. For centuries, theScala Santa has attracted Christian pilgrims who wished to honour the Passion of Jesus.
Several catacombs built in the Roman age are also the object of pilgrimage, where Christians prayed, buried their dead and performed worship during periods of persecution. And various national churches (among themSan Luigi dei francesi andSanta Maria dell'Anima), or churches associated with individual religious orders, such as theJesuitChurch of the Gesù andSant'Ignazio.
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Traditionally, pilgrims in Rome visit theseven pilgrim churches (Italian:Le sette chiese) in 24 hours. This custom, mandatory for each pilgrim in the Middle Ages, was codified in the 16th century by SaintPhilip Neri. The seven churches are the four major Basilicas (St Peter in Vatican,St Paul outside the Walls,St John in Lateran andSanta Maria Maggiore), while the other three areSan Lorenzo fuori le mura (a palaeochristian Basilica),Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (a church founded byHelena, the mother of Constantine, which hosts fragments of wood attributed to the holy cross) andSan Sebastiano fuori le mura (which lies on theAppian Way and is built aboveRoman catacombs).[citation needed]
Aromería (Spanish) orromaria (Portuguese) is a type of yearly, short distanceRoman Catholic religiouspilgrimage practiced in theIberian Peninsula and countries formerly colonized bySpain andPortugal. The term comes fromromero/romeiro, meaning a person travelling toRome[citation needed]. The travelling can be done in cars, floats, on horseback or on foot, and its destination is asanctuary orhermitage consecrated to a religious figure honored in that day's feast. Besides attending religious services andprocessions, the pilgrims may also engage in social events like singing, feasting and dancing.
One of the most famous examples of a pilgrimage is that ofNuestra Señora del Rocío, in which the faithful move to the Sanctuary of the Virgen del Rocío in the village of the Rocío, inAlmonte,Huelva. TheRomeria of Sant John of the Mountain, celebrated inMiranda de Ebro, is the second most important romeria inSpain behind El Rocío with more than 25,000romeros.
Another one of the most representative examples is theRomería de la Virgen de la Cabeza (Andújar,Jaén), which is considered the oldest pilgrimages of Spain, and consists of the displacement of the travellers coming from all over the country to the Sanctuary of the Virgen de la Cabeza, through 33 km of Andújar, in the heart of Sierra de Andujar natural park. This celebration is held the last Sunday of April and is considered of national tourist interest.
TheRomería de la Virgin de Navahonda, celebrated in spring in theMadrilenian municipality ofRobledo de Chavela is representative of this tradition.
There are also pilgrimages in the Canary Islands. An example isLa Romería de Santiago Apostol, inGáldar.Instead of focusing on Jesus, the floats usually praise the Virgin Mary with pictures and statues.
According to believers, theBlessed Virgin Mary appeared toSaint Bernadette Soubirous on a total of eighteen occasions atLourdes (Lorda in her local Occitan language). As a result, Lourdes became a major place ofRoman Catholicpilgrimage and ofmiraculous healings.[16] Today Lourdes receives up to 5,000,000tourists every season. With about 270 hotels, Lourdes has the second greatest number of hotels per square kilometer inFrance afterParis.[17] Some of the deluxe hotels likeGrand Hotel Moderne, Hotel Grand de la Grotte, Hotel Saint Etienne, Hotel Majestic and Hotel Roissy are located here.
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Combined septennial pilgrimages in the Dutch-German towns ofMaastricht,Aachen andKornelimünster were held at least since the 14th century. TheGerman wordHeiligtumsfahrt means "journey to the holy relics". In all three places important relics could be seen: in Maastricht relics of theTrue Cross, the girdle of Mary, the arm ofSaint Thomas and various relics ofSaint Servatius; in Aachen the nappy and loin cloth of Jesus, the dress of Mary, the decapitation cloth ofJohn the Baptist, and the remains ofCharlemagne; and in Kornelimünster the loincloth, thesudarium and the shroud of Jesus, as well as the skull ofPope Cornelius. In Maastricht some relics were shown from thedwarf gallery ofSt Servatius' Church to the pilgrims gathered in the square; in Aachen the same was done from the purpose-built tower gallery between the dome and thewestwork tower ofAachen Cathedral. The popularity of the Maastricht-Aachen-Kornelimünster pilgrimage reached its zenith in the 15th century when up to 140,000 pilgrims visited these towns in mid-July.[18] After a break of about 150 years, the pilgrimages were revived in the 19th century. The Aachen and Kornelimünster pilgrimages are still synchronised but the Maastricht pilgrimage takes place 3 years earlier. In 2011 the Maastricht pilgrimage drew around 175,000 visitors;[19] Aachen had in 2014 around 125,000 pilgrims.[20]
Marian apparitions are also responsible for millions of tourists worldwide[21] and the internationally renownedSanctuary of Fátima inPortugal is among the most visited Marian shrines in the world.
After the murder of the ArchbishopThomas Becket at the cathedral in 1170,Canterbury became one of the most notable towns in Europe, as pilgrims from all parts of Christendom came to visit his shrine.[22] This pilgrimage provided the framework forGeoffrey Chaucer's 14th-century collection of stories,The Canterbury Tales.[23] Canterbury Castle was captured by theFrenchPrince Louis during his 1215 invasion of England, before the death ofJohn caused his English supporters to desert his cause and support the youngHenry III.[24]
During theDissolution of the Monasteries, the city'spriory,nunnery and threefriaries were closed. St Augustine's Abbey, the 14th richest in England at the time, was surrendered to the Crown, and its church andcloister were levelled. The rest of the abbey was dismantled over the next 15 years, although part of the site was converted to a palace.[25]Thomas Becket's shrine in the cathedral was demolished and all the gold, silver and jewels were removed tothe Tower of London, and Becket's images, name and feasts were obliterated throughout the kingdom, ending the pilgrimages.
There are 96 pilgrimage sites inPoland, but none is as popular asJasna Góra in the center ofCzęstochowa.[26]
Jasna Góra inCzęstochowa is a pilgrimage site with a long tradition. According to historical accounts, in 1382 PrinceWładysław of Opole brought thePaulines from Hungary, marking the beginning of the sanctuary’s development. The tradition of walking pilgrimages dates back to the 15th century, with the earliest documented group (from Gliwice) arriving in 1626.[27][28]
Jasna Góra is the most frequently visited Catholic shrine in Poland, with around 3 to 5 million visitors annually before theCOVID-19 pandemic.[29] In 2023, approximately 3.6 million pilgrims visited Jasna Góra. The sanctuary also ranks first in terms of walking pilgrimages: in 2002, it received 211 walking groups totaling 172,000 people,[30] while in 2023 there were 228 walking groups, 200 cycling groups, 17 running groups, 2 skating pilgrimages, and 1 horseback pilgrimage—nearly 90,000 participants in total.[31]
Major religious festivities take place during Easter and on anniversaries related to theBlack Madonna, attracting pilgrims from all over Poland.[32]
Latin America has a number of pilgrimage sites, which have been studied by anthropologists, historians, and scholars of religion.[33][34] InMesoamerica, some predate the arrival of Europeans and were subsequently transformed to Christian pilgrimage sites.[35]
Our Lady Aparecida is thepatroness saint ofBrazil.Venerated in the Catholic Church, Our Lady Aparecida is represented by a smallterracotta image of Our Lady of theImmaculate Conception. Historical accounts state that the statue was originally found by three fishermen who miraculously caught many fish after invoking the Blessed Virgin Mary. The statue is currently housed in theBasilica of Our Lady of Aparecida, located in the city ofAparecida, São Paulo. Every year the Basilica receives over 12 million worshipers and pilgrims.[36]
There are six main routes that are usually taken.[37] The largest one, The Path of Faith (O Caminho da Fé),[38] is composed of approximately 970 km, of which approximately 500 km cross the Mantiqueira Mountains by dirt road, tracks, woods and asphalt, providing moments of reflection and faith, physical and psychological health and integration of man with the nature.
TheHill of Tepeyac now holding theBasilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe outsideMexico City, said to be the site of the apparition of theVirgin of Guadalupe.[39]
InMexico, pilgrims walk to theOur Lady of Zapopan, which is considered the third most important peregrination in the country, after those of theVirgin of Guadalupe, and the Virgin of San Juan de los Lagos. The Pilgrimage of the Virgin of Zapopan consists of a route 8 km in length, from theGuadalajara Cathedral to theBasilica of Our Lady of Zapopan. It is made every 12 October, and figure of the virgin goes accompanied by more than 3,000,000 people.
Located 28 km east of the capital city,Quito, the pilgrimage takes place every 21 November at midnight. More than 800,000 pilgrims walk down a steep slope of 780 metres over theGuayllabamba River and uphill again to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Presentation of El Quinche, located at 2,680m.a.s.l arriving at 6 a.m.[40]Pope Francis visitedEl Quinche on 8 July 2015 and spoke toRoman Catholic clergy.[41]
El Cisne is a town in the southern region ofEcuador.[42] Representatives of the city in 1594 requested sculptorDiego de Robles [es] to build the statue of theVirgin of El Cisne [es] which he carved from the wood of a cedar tree. Each year on 17 August, thousands of pilgrims gather in El Cisne to carry the statue about 74 km (46 mi) in a procession to the cathedral ofLoja, where it is the focus of a great festival on 8 September upon with yet another procession taking place to return it to El Cisne.[43]
According to the Catholic Church, the festival is in honor of the Lord of Quyllurit'i (Quechua:Taytacha Quyllurit'i,Spanish:Señor de Quyllurit'i) and it originated in the late 18th century. The young native herder Mariano Mayta befriended amestizo boy named Manuel on the mountainQullqipunku. Thanks to Manuel, Mariano's herd prospered, so his father sent him to Cusco to buy a new shirt for Manuel. Mariano could not find anything similar, because that kind of cloth was sold only to the archbishop.[44] Learning of this, the bishop of Cusco sent a party to investigate. When they tried to capture Manuel, he was transformed into a bush with an image of Christ crucified hanging from it. Thinking the archbishop's party had harmed his friend, Mariano died on the spot. He was buried under a rock, which became a place of pilgrimage known as the Lord ofQuyllurit'i, or "Lord of Star (Brilliant) Snow." An image of Christ was painted on this boulder.
The Quyllurit'i festival attracts thousands of indigenous people from the surrounding regions, made up ofPaucartambo groups (Quechua speakers) from the agricultural regions to the northwest of the shrine, andQuispicanchis (Aymara speakers) from the pastoral (herders) regions to the southeast, near Bolivia. Bothmoieties make an annual pilgrimage to the feast, bringing large troupes of dancers and musicians. Attendees increasingly have included middle-class Peruvians and foreign tourists.
The culminating event for the indigenous non-Christian population takes place after the reappearance ofQullqa in the night sky; it is the rising of the sun after the full moon. Tens of thousands of people kneel to greet the first rays of light as the sun rises above the horizon. Until 2017, the main event for the Church was carried out byukukus, who climbed glaciers overQullqipunku at 5,522m.a.s.l. But due to the neardisappearance of the glacier, there are fears that the ice may no longer be carried down.[45] The ukukus are considered to be the only ones capable of dealing with the cursed souls said to inhabit the snowfields.[46]The pilgrimage and associated festival was inscribed in 2011 on theUNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.
Before 1534,Copacabana was an outpost ofInca occupation among dozens of other sites inBolivia. The Incas held it as the key to the very ancient shrine and oracle on theIsland of Titicaca, which they had adopted as a place of worship. In 1582, the grandson of Inca rulerManco Kapac, struck by the sight of the statues of theBlessed Virgin which he saw in some of the churches atLa Paz, tried to make one himself, and after many failures, succeeded in producing one of excellent quality, placing it in Copacabana as the statue of thetutelar protectress of the community.
During theGreat Indigenous Uprising of 1781, while the church itself was desecrated, the "Camarin", as the chapel is called, remained untouched. Copacabana is the scene of often boisterous indigenous celebrations. The Urinsayas accepted the establishment of the Virgin Mary confraternity, but they did not acceptFrancisco Tito's carving, and decided to sell it. In La Paz, the picture reached the priest of Copacabana who decided he would bring the image to the people. On 2 February 1583, the image of the Virgin Mary was brought to the area. Since then, a series of miracles[47] attributed to the icon made it one of the oldestMarian shrines in the Americas, On 2 February and 6 August, Church festivals are celebrated with indigenous dances.
InCosta Rica, it is traditional to make a pilgrimage toCartago on 2 August to make requests and give thanks to theVirgen de los Ángeles (the Lady of the Angels), nicknamedla Negrita due to the dark green color of the statue representing her; the statue located inside theBasilica of Our Lady of the Angels. People all over the country and even otherCentral American countries participate on foot or horseback. In 2009, due toAH1N1 spreading risks, it was officially cancelled, but the statue was taken on a tour to cities instead.
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