pilgrimage
Quick Summary
Pilgrimage in Christianity is a journey undertaken for religious reasons, often to a place sanctified by association with a divine figure or holy personage. Christians have historically traced events from the Bible, including the life of Jesus Christ, through visits to the Holy Land. While the New Testament doesn't explicitly command pilgrimage, sacred texts in other faiths do, such as the Hajj in Islam.1
The Camino de Santiago, or "Way of St. James," is a famous Christian pilgrimage leading to the purported tomb of St. James the Greater in Spain. Originally for religious purposes, it now attracts people for recreational and spiritual reasons. The veneration of holy places is an ancient expression of Christian piety, adopted from Judaism, with Jerusalem being a significant early pilgrimage site. The discovery of relics, like those of St. James, further fueled pilgrimage and the development of shrines.23
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ChristianityVeneration of places, objects, and people…and the destination of the pilgrimages of Jews of the Diaspora. After the destruction in 70 ce of Jerusalem, which had become the holy city for the early church, it remained for Christians—as the site of the suffering and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and as the place of his return…
Read More…and the destination of the pilgrimages of Jews of the Diaspora. After the destruction in 70 ce of Jerusalem, which had become the holy city for the early church, it remained for Christians—as the site of the suffering and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and as the place of his return…
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JerusalemRoman ruleChristian pilgrims to Jerusalem are not recorded until the 4th century. It was the conversion to Christianity of Constantine I (the Great) and the famous pilgrimage (326) of his mother, St. Helena, who found the True Cross, that made possible the building of the great shrines…
Read MoreChristian pilgrims to Jerusalem are not recorded until the 4th century. It was the conversion to Christianity of Constantine I (the Great) and the famous pilgrimage (326) of his mother, St. Helena, who found the True Cross, that made possible the building of the great shrines…
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PalestineRoman Palestine…began to attract floods of pilgrims from all parts of the empire. It also became a great center of the eremitic life (idiorrhythmic monasticism); men flocked from all quarters to become hermits in the Judaean wilderness, which was soon dotted with monasteries. Constantine added the southern half of Arabia to…
Read More…began to attract floods of pilgrims from all parts of the empire. It also became a great center of the eremitic life (idiorrhythmic monasticism); men flocked from all quarters to become hermits in the Judaean wilderness, which was soon dotted with monasteries. Constantine added the southern half of Arabia to…
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RomeFactional struggles: papacy and nobility…had begun to draw many pilgrims and prelates to Rome, and their gifts and expenditures on food and housing stimulated a considerable flow of money. Although Rome had a population of fewer than 30,000 (occupying less than one-quarter of the lands within the old walls), it was becoming once again…
Read More…had begun to draw many pilgrims and prelates to Rome, and their gifts and expenditures on food and housing stimulated a considerable flow of money. Although Rome had a population of fewer than 30,000 (occupying less than one-quarter of the lands within the old walls), it was becoming once again…
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Santiago de Compostela…most important Christian place of pilgrimage after Jerusalem and Rome. The whole town, except the tomb itself, was destroyed in 997 by Abū ʿĀmir al-Manṣūr (Almanzor), military commander of the Moorish caliphate of Córdoba.
Read More…most important Christian place of pilgrimage after Jerusalem and Rome. The whole town, except the tomb itself, was destroyed in 997 by Abū ʿĀmir al-Manṣūr (Almanzor), military commander of the Moorish caliphate of Córdoba.
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