Why People Went
A pilgrimage was a journey to a holy place undertaken for religious reasons. In the Middle Ages these journeys were a regular part of religious life, and people from many ranks of society took part, from kings and nobles to merchants and laborers. Reasons varied and often overlapped.
Some went as penance. A priest or a bishop might assign a pilgrimage as a way to make amends for a serious sin, and in some regions courts also imposed pilgrimage as a punishment for particular crimes. Others went in thanks for a favor, to fulfill a vow made during an illness or danger, or in hope of a cure at a shrine believed to have healing power. Some wished to visit the places where Christ and the saints had lived or been buried. Others went to seek spiritual benefit that the church associated with such journeys, including remission of penalties for sin through indulgences and vows fulfilled at the shrine, and some simply wanted to see the world. A hope of salvation rarely stood alone, and many travelers had mixed motives, as people always do.
The sense of a holy place rested on the belief that saints remained present where their bodies or holy relics lay. Pilgrims came to pray near them, ask for help, and touch or kiss the tomb or reliquary. The church also encouraged the practice, though it periodically warned against pilgrimages undertaken for show or as an excuse to escape duties at home.
The Three Great Destinations
Medieval writers often described three major goals.
Jerusalem and the Holy Land. The places linked to the life, death and resurrection of Christ held the highest prestige, with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at the center. The trip was long and costly. Most travelers went by sea from an Italian port, often Venice, and then overland from the coast. Holy Land pilgrimage continued under Muslim rule, and it became harder and more dangerous at some periods. Some historians see stories of mistreated pilgrims as one strand feeding crusading sentiment, though the Crusades had many causes. After the crusader states fell, pilgrims still went, often in organized groups arranged through ports.
Rome. The city held the tombs of the apostles Peter and Paul and many other martyrs, and it was the seat of the pope. Visiting Rome was a duty of respect for the head of the church. In 1300, Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed a special holy year, and accounts describe very large crowds; later popes repeated the jubilee at shorter intervals. Exact numbers are not known and chroniclers’ figures are likely exaggerated.
Santiago de Compostela. In northwestern Spain, a shrine was believed to hold the remains of the apostle James. The cult grew from the ninth century onward, and by the twelfth century pilgrims from across Europe were walking the roads across France and northern Spain. The scallop shell became the pilgrims’ symbol. The Camino de Santiago is still walked today, though modern walkers follow it for a mix of reasons.
Many pilgrims aimed for nearer shrines. The Canterbury shrine of Thomas Becket, who was killed in 1170, drew visitors from across England, and there were hundreds of local shrines, some drawing visitors only from their own region. For people unable to travel far, a regional trip took days rather than months.
On the Road
Road travel was slow and uncertain. Most pilgrims walked, though better-off travelers might ride a horse or a mule. A pilgrim often dressed in a plain tunic and carried a staff and a bag, usually called a scrip. Before leaving, many received a blessing from a priest, and some made a will first, because the journey might be fatal.
Along the main routes, a network of places offered food and a bed. Monasteries and cathedrals provided guest rooms, and in a time when inns were few, this was a vital service. Hospices and hospitals were founded specifically for pilgrims and the poor along the main roads and at mountain passes, such as the Alpine crossings. Churches and individual donors funded them as charity, and their residents were often given a meal and a place to sleep for a short time. In some towns the stretch of road leading to a shrine filled with taverns, lodging houses and stalls. Guidebooks existed by the twelfth century, offering advice on the route, local customs and the places to visit, but they were not always reliable and could be biased toward particular churches and regions.
Protection and Risk
A pilgrim’s status carried legal and spiritual protections. The church treated pilgrims as under its care, and attacking one was considered a serious offense. Rulers sometimes issued safe conducts or reduced tolls. Pilgrims sometimes traveled in groups for safety, and the Templars began as a small band guarding pilgrims on the road to Jerusalem. In practice, protection was uneven. Pilgrims were exposed to theft, illness, bad weather, shipwreck and swindlers, and some innkeepers or guides were known for cheating the unwary.
What Pilgrims Brought Home
Pilgrims often brought back small tokens that proved they had reached the shrine, such as shells or the cheap pilgrim badges sold at shrines, which they pinned to hats or bags. These items were souvenirs, but they were also believed to carry some of the shrine’s blessing. Some travelers brought back water, dust or oil from the site.
Pilgrimage also shaped culture in other ways. Roads, bridges, hospices and churches grew up along the busy routes, towns prospered from visitors, and ideas, stories and music traveled with them. Medieval literature, from sermons to poetry, makes frequent use of the pilgrim as a character.
Looking Back
The practice continued after the Middle Ages, but attitudes changed. Some reformers in the sixteenth century criticized pilgrimage as a distraction from inner faith, and Protestant regions curtailed it. Still, in the medieval period the pilgrim’s road was one of the few ways ordinary people could travel far from home, and it connected distant parts of Christian Europe.