Despite the emergence of Humanistic thinking during the European Renaissance, religion was still a central part of most people’s everyday life. Religious pilgrimages became very popular in during the Renaissance, thanks in part to improved travel conditions and the invention of the printing press.
What is a Religious Pilgrimage?
A religious pilgrimage is a long journey made by a person to a religious site, such as a shrine or a place where a vision was seen. Pilgrims would travel to shrines for many reasons. They might be praying for a sick family member to get well or for their own spiritual salvation. These types of pilgrimages go back to ancient times. In Ancient Greece people traveled to the Oracle at Delphi, where kings traveled to for consultation before wars and other major events.
Religious pilgrimages of Western Europeans began as early as the fourth century. Most cathedrals had some sort of holy relic, such as bits of the Cross on which Jesus was crucified or pieces of the shroud that Jesus Christ was buried in. In Lourdes, France a vision of the Virgin Mary brought pilgrims from all over Europe.
Popular Renaissance Pilgrimages
There were many Christian religious sites all over Western Europe that were popular with Pilgrims. Rome, Lourdes, France, Canterbury in England and Santiago de Compestla in Spain were all popular destinations. Jerusalem was the ultimate pilgrimage destination. However because Jerusalem was the furthest away and the Turks in charge of it, many Renaissance travelers opted for pilgrimages closer to home. Pilgrimages during the Renaissance often required several weeks of travel and most pilgrims traveled by foot.
Pilgrimage sites offered more than just spiritual succor. They proved a boon to local economy. Many vendors made money off pilgrims, selling souvenirs, ranging from metallic badges, statuettes and candles. Thanks to the printing press, by the 1500s prints of the cathedrals as well as maps of pilgrimage routes were also available. In fact, eighty percent of all books printed in the 16th century were guidebooks for pilgrims. These books offered not just directions to holy shrines, but also side trips pilgrims could take while on their journey.
Pilgrimages of the Middle Ages and Renaissance are akin to the modern travel industry, a prelude to tourism. Pilgrimages are still popular in Western Europe as well as various locations all over the world.
Sources:
Lang, Sean. European History for Dummies. West Sussex: J.Wiley & Son, LTD, 2006.
Sider, Sandra. Handbook to Life in Renaissance Europe. New York: Facts on File, Inc. 2005
Lorri Brown - I am a published freelance writer living in the beautiful foothills of Western Maine. Mom to four wonderful children, my passion for ...
