What A Medieval Pilgrimage Was Like

May 2024 ยท 2 minute read

For English pilgrims with the time and means to step away from their daily lives, it might be reasonable to make one's way to Canterbury. This site was made all the more famous in Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales," though the sometimes holy, sometimes bawdy pilgrims in the text never make it to the titular cathedral, given that Chaucer never finished this work. In real life, Canterbury Cathedral was a seriously holy spot where, in December 1170, Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered and soon thereafter became a venerated martyr whose relics were believed to hold miraculous healing powers.

More adventurous pilgrims could set out for the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, walking the famous Camino de Santiago route by foot for a six-week journey (though some took it relatively easy by riding horses). If making their way to the pilgrimage site of Santiago de Compostela's richly decorated cathedral, reputed to be the burial spot of St. James, wasn't enough, there was always Rome. For medieval pilgrims, the ancient city was packed full of holy sites and divine relics that would have presented a plethora of sight-seeing spots and opportunities for divine intervention.

Yet, while making it to Canterbury or Rome was an achievement, the ultimate medieval pilgrimage took the faithful to the Holy Land. But, while places like Jerusalem were a big deal, getting there from far-flung places like England meant pilgrims had to go on long, difficult, and expensive journeys.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunB9kmxscnFkZMSprdNmpJ6cmZrDoriMqaCln6KeuqKzxGaumqtdobassYycmKeslaevtr7YZquapJWofA%3D%3D