Practices in ChristianityPilgrimage

Purposes of pilgrimage

A pilgrimage is a journey that has religious or spiritual significance. The journey is usually taken to an important religious place.

Pilgrimage is not compulsory in Christianity, but many Christians choose to undertake journeys to holy sites to:

• deepen their connection with God
• feel connected to the worldwide community of Christians
• learn more about the history of Christianity
• see sites where miracles happened and receive special blessings
• seek healing or acceptance of ailments

Walsingham

Walsingham is a village in Norfolk, England. Some Christians believe it is the site of an important vision of the Virgin Mary, also known as Our Lady.

In 1061, a Saxon noblewoman, Richeldis de Faverches, is said to have had a vision of Mary. She claimed that Mary took her to her house in Nazareth, where Mary received the annunciation. Mary asked Richeldis to build an exact copy of this house in Walsingham.

The copy, which can be found inside St Mary’s Church in Walsingham, is called the Holy House. Above the church’s altar is a statue of Mary, called Our Lady of Walsingham. For this reason, the site is also known as the Nazareth of England, and pilgrims have visited it for centuries. Every year there is a national pilgrimage to Walsingham, which attracts Christians from all over the world.

At Walsingham, some Roman Catholic Christians walk barefoot over the last mile from the Slipper Chapel to the Holy House as an act of sorrow for their sins. Pilgrims pray, celebrate the Eucharist, receive blessings and go on a procession from the ruined priory through to the shrine. There is a daily service called the Sprinkling of the Well, as some pilgrims believe that the water of the church well can bring special blessings.

Lourdes

Lourdes is a famous pilgrimage site in France where the waters are believed to have healing powers.

It became a Christian pilgrimage site when, in 1858, Bernadette Soubirous, a young local girl, was said to have seen the Virgin Mary at Lourdes and her friend was thought to have been healed in the waters. Bernadette was made a saint by Pope Pius XI in 1933.

Christian pilgrims, particularly Catholics, visit and pray in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes. They also worship at the grotto where the vision is said to have taken place.

Pilgrims also take part in a torch-lit procession in honour of the Virgin Mary, which happens every evening before Mass in the grotto. They may also confess their sins at the Reconciliation Chapel.

Many pilgrims take some of the holy water home, and there have been many more stories of healings.

Jerusalem

Christians believe that Jesus spent the week leading up to his death, known as Holy Week, in Jerusalem. Christian pilgrims visit key sites in Jerusalem to remember the important events of Holy Week, including:

• Garden of Gethsemane – believed to be where Jesus prayed before he was arrested by the Romans and crucified. Christians visit this site to contemplate and pray.
• Church of the Holy Sepulchre – said to have been built on the site where Jesus was crucified, as well as his place of burial. However, some Christians believe instead that the Garden Tomb, just beyond Jerusalem’s city walls, was the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.
• Via Dolorosa – a walking route from the outskirts of Jerusalem to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is thought to be the path that Jesus took as he carried his cross on the way to his crucifixion, so it is particularly important on Good Friday.
• Church of the Ascension – said to mark the site of the ascension of Jesus. Inside is a stone that is believed to be marked with Jesus’ footprint.

Rome

Rome is an important place of pilgrimage, particularly for Catholics, because that is where the Pope resides in the Vatican.

Catholics believe that Jesus appointed Peter as the leader of his disciples. Tradition says that after Pentecost and time spent in Jerusalem, Peter went to Rome and became the first ever Pope. Many Christians believe that he was executed and buried on Vatican Hill in Rome.

Pilgrims visit the Vatican to hear the Pope speak in St Peter’s Square on Wednesdays, or attend Mass led by the Pope during the year.

The most important site in Rome for Catholic pilgrims is St Peter’s Basilica. Pilgrims hope to see the Pope and visit what they believe is the tomb of St Peter, underneath the basilica. The feet of a 13th-century statue of St Peter have been rubbed smooth by the millions of pilgrims who have touched them over the years.