The Way of the Medieval Pilgrim

Since the earliest Christian centuries men have esteemed the fundamentals of the pilgrimage—that a journey to a sacred spot could bring the pilgrim some supernatural grace. Next to building a church, the best way to get to Heaven was to go on a pilgrimage.

The sacred endpoint of a pilgrimage is known as a shrine. In the Christian world, the veneration of martyrs led to the building of shrines—to commemorate the site of their martyrdom or to house their remains, called relics—to which the faithful came on their anniversaries to a celebration. The more inaccessible the shrine was, the more excitement it generated, and the hardships endured in crossing rugged terrain were rewarded by great spiritual favor. By the 9^th century many churches or other sacred places had become focuses for pilgrimages—in Rome and Jerusalem especially.

Spiritual rewards, acts of penance, proof of devotion, and insurance against famine and plague were some of the reasons to make a pilgrimage. A pilgrimage was sometimes even imposed on sinners as a part of a penance. It was used for certain grave sins. Other pilgrims traveled to the shrines to seek the intercession of particular saints for cures of the sick.

The medieval pilgrim enjoyed a special status as he made his way to a shrine. The pilgrim could obtain a sacred shrine badge, and once done the pilgrim was above all laws but that of the Church. During his trip he was exempt from taxes, debts, arrest, or confiscation of his property, and was often honored or entertained, the belief being that anyone aiding a pilgrim shared in his grace. A returning pilgrim was known by a badge emblematic of a certain shrine.

The pilgrimage route

The effects of the pilgrims on the towns along the popular routes were many. Markets bustled, building and shipping industries boomed, churches throve, and customs, songs, and tables were exchanged. Souvenirs and art objects carried by the pilgrims helped spread artistic styles from one country to another, and the necessity of accommodating large crowds gave rise to a series of new churches along popular pilgrimage routes.

The typical medieval pilgrimage usually took about a year. Written guidebooks advised the length of a day’s journey and what to carry along. The pilgrims sometimes faced not only the rugged terrain of the route and the possibility of a lengthy illness, but some pilgrimage routes were infested with bandits who were waiting to mug the pilgrims. The medieval traveler faced daily the chance that he might be not only cheated but attacked, robbed, and even murdered. For this reason most pilgrims, when possible, traveled in large groups for safety reasons. No matter what the discomforts, however, a pilgrimage was usually a happy time.

Help for the pilgrim

It was traditional advise that "if ye owe any pilgrimages, pay them hastily," and those who could muster the necessary funds rushed to don pilgrim’s garb. If funds were not available, however, all was not lost. In medieval times the pilgrim penitent received great sympathy from his friends, who considered it their duty to aid his pilgrimage. For this purpose guilds were established.

Not only the pilgrim’s friends but also the Church and the state joined forces for his protection. Laws laid down in the 12^th century threatened excommunication to anyone accused of cheating, attacking, or robbing a pilgrim; toll fees were abolished; guide service was made available; and a charitable system of shelters and hospitals developed where the voyager could receive free benefits ranging from a haircut or shoe repair.

Popular shrines attacked

The greatest English pilgrimage was to Canterbury, to the memorial chapel of St. Thomas Becket, whose relics were placed in the shrine in A.D. 1220. It was entirely destroyed by Henry VIII in A.D. 1538 after he made himself head of the Church in England and was excommunicated by the Pope.

Other pilgrimage sites have met similar fates through the centuries. The enemies of the Church recognized that the shrines of the pilgrims were important centers of practical devotion. The Church of St. Martin of Tours, for example, built in the 10^th century was destroyed by the French Revolution and a street driven down the center of the building.

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