In July, thousands of young Catholics will descend on Sydney for World Youth Day. It’ll be something relatively new for the New South Wales capital, but other cities across the world are more accustomed to influxes of Christians travelling for religious reasons. In recent years, the concept of pilgrimage has become fashionable again, and it has led to booms at many sites. These include Fatima in Portugal, Istanbul in Turkey, Assisi in Italy and Wittenberg in Germany, but these are arguably the biggest…
Santiago De Compostela, Spain
Of all the traditional pilgrimages, the Camino de Santiago (Way of St James) has probably undergone the biggest resurgence. The bones of the apostle are supposedly buried in the city’s enormous cathedral, but this is more about the journey than the destination.
Theoretically, the pilgrimage can start from anywhere, but most start at either the Pyrenees mountain range or the towns of Tours, Le Puy, Arles and Vézelay in France. The aim is to walk all the way to Santiago in the north-west corner of Spain, and there are a series of refugios (special hostels) spaced along the route.
At each one, pilgrims are supposed to get their credencial (a passport-like document) stamped.This is then presented at the cathedral at the end of the mammoth trek as evidence have done the full journey.
Lourdes, France
Until 1858, Lourdes was a sleepy village in the French Pyrenees. That was when a local girl had a series of visions of the Virgin Mary, who allegedly told her that people should come in procession to the small cave in which she appeared.
Since then, a colossal pilgrimage industry has built up in Lourdes. Over five million visit the town – population 15,000 – every year and Paris is the only place in France with more hotels.
Most of the visitors are pilgrims, coming to pay respects to a statue of the Virgin Mary that has been placed in the grotto, and to enjoy the ‘healing’ properties of the waters.
Canterbury, England
Canterbury took off as a pilgrimage site after 1170, when Archbishop Thomas Becket was assassinated within the cathedral by four knights thinking they were acting under the orders of King Henry II.
Becket later became a saint, while locals began to insist that pieces of cloth anointed with his blood had healing powers. This led to people far and wide heading to the cathedral, hoping for miracles. One of the greatest works in English literature – Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales – was based on those going to the city for this reason.
At the time, there was no Anglican church, but nowadays the World Heritage-listed cathedral is its spiritual headquarters and the Archbishop of Canterbury its most prominent member of clergy.
The Vatican City/ Rome, Italy
As the headquarters of the Catholic church, the Vatican is obviously one of the major Christian pilgrimage sites. Whether it’s to visit St Peter’s Basilica or take part in a Papal mass, there are many reasons for the religious to visit. There are also plenty of sites in Rome itself – the city is one big trail of relics and historical events.
However, for pilgrims wanting to do it properly rather than flying straight into Fiumicino airport, there is the Via Francigena. Not nearly as well travelled as the Way of St James, this walk goes all the way from Canterbury to Rome, over the Alps and Apennines (and, obviously, it involves a ferry over the English Channel). More of a general route than one actual road, it kicked off in the 10th century when the Archbishop of Canterbury went to Rome to be consecrated.
Sadly for pilgrims, it is not as well set up as its equivalent to Santiago. Camping out or paying for expensive hotels are the only options on parts of the journey. This may change, though – Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi has vowed to rejuvenate the Via Francigena.
Jerusalem, Israel
Arguably the most important pilgrimage of them all, Jerusalem is held sacred by Jews and Muslims as well as Christians. This is partly why there has been so much fighting over it down the centuries – from the Crusades to the modern-day Middle East conflict.
There is a long history of people making their way to the hub of the Holy Land from all over the world, while many organisations can trace their way back to the early pilgrimages. These include the Knights Templar and Knights of St John – both set up to protect pilgrims from attack.
Key sites in Jerusalem include the Temple Mount, thought to be where the Ark of the Covenant was stored and where Solomon’s temple stood. There is also the foot of the Mount of Olives, painted as the spot where Jesus was betrayed, and the most holy place of all – the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This is believed to be on the hill where Jesus was crucified, and Via Dolorosa is the street in the old city which pilgrims traditionally walk towards it on.
This article was originally written for Ninemsn.
Copyright David Whitley
