Pilgrimage

Abstract

Early Christian pilgrimage involved a journey to a place in order to gain access to sacred power, whether manifested in living persons, demarcated spaces, or specific objects. Movement towards the sacred site, as well as ritualized movements once at the destination, shaped pilgrimage. Places associated with the Bible drew large numbers of pilgrims from throughout the Empire. Yet, local martyrs' shrines and pilgrimage centres with international appeal drew visitors to Italy, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt. Travel to sacred centres was common in Mediterranean religions. The Jewish pilgrimage festivals of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles drew large crowds to Jerusalem until the Temple's destruction in 70 CE. Early Christians maintained many of these practices. They gathered at the burial places of martyrs for prayers and held funerary banquets there.

Communitas, Worship, and Music: Using Music to Revitalize the Post-Modern Church

“…Historically, pilgrimage studies have been focused on the geographical and religious features of the pilgrimage destination. Now understood in a more metaphorical sense, it is pilgrimage's ability to create new perceptions for the pilgrim and potentially create new expectations for the individuals upon their return home or within the established community that is of primary importance (Frank 2008). Anthropologists and sociologists have come to look at how the intentional actions of pilgrims direct their attention toward God with the hope of changing their current practices in the world and ultimately the communities of which they are a part (Curran 2010).…”

“…The fourth-century Spanish nun Egeria, and, later, St. Francis of Assisi's writings detail the practices of pilgrims. Their writings offer glimpses into the specifics of the pilgrimage journey the other pilgrims they encounter, their liturgies and song, their interactions with the local communities of their destinations, and the church's (i.e., the established community's) response upon their return (Frank 2008). Historical pilgrimage led to the construction of roads and hospitals and shaped political realities (Pazos 2012;Tolan 2009), and 21st-century pilgrimage may have similar effects.…”

“…In most cases, however, pilgrimage was discouraged by the church because of its ability to disrupt the established ecclesial order. These opinions were codified at the Council of Chalcedon which severely limited monastic travels (Frank 2008). Francis' writings, however, and the continued practice of pilgrimage suggests that, if pilgrimage had a downside, it was not apparent from the pilgrims' personal accounts.…”