How do souvenirs such as relics, icons, and holy water connect pilgrims to a shrine after they return home?

Souvenirs such as relics, icons, and holy water serve as tangible links that allow the sacredness of a shrine to be transported back to a pilgrim’s home. By bringing these items into their personal space, pilgrims can maintain a connection to the divine or transcendent experience they encountered at the pilgrimage site.1

These objects function as material extensions of the shrine's holiness. For example, holy water is used by the faithful as a means of purification and as a safeguard against sickness, often serving as a reminder of baptism or a source of spiritual protection. While the nature of these items varies by tradition—with some religions avoiding iconic representations while others, such as Catholicism and Orthodoxy, rely heavily on images—they all provide a way for the pilgrim to carry the essence of their journey into their everyday life. Ultimately, these souvenirs help bridge the gap between the sacred landscape of the shrine and the pilgrim's domestic environment.21