Pilgrimage

For other uses of the word pilgrimage, see Pilgrimage (disambiguation).

Christianity

Pilgrimages were first made to sites connected with the life, birth and crucifixion of Jesus. Surviving descriptions of Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land date from the 4th century, when pilgrimage was encouraged by church fathers like Saint Jerome. Pilgrimages also began to be made to Rome and other sites associated with the Apostles, Saints and Christian martyrs, as well as to places where there have been alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary.

Related Topics:
Jesus - Holy Land - Saint Jerome - Apostle - Saint - Apparition - Virgin Mary

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The second largest single pilgrimage in the history of Christendom was to the Funeral of Pope John Paul II after his death on April 2, 2005. An estimated four million people travelled to Vatican City, in addition to the almost three million people already living in Rome, to see the body of Pope John Paul II lie in state.

Related Topics:
Christendom - Funeral of Pope John Paul II - April 2 - 2005 - Pope John Paul II

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World Youth Day is a major Catholic Pilgrimage, specifically for people aged 16-35. It is held internationally every 2-3 years. In 2005, young Roman Catholics visited Cologne, Germany. In 1995, the largest gathering of all time was to World Youth Day in Manilla, The Phillipines, where four million people attended.

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The major Christian pilgrimage sites are:

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• Jerusalem, Israel and West Bank. Site of the crufixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• Rome Site of the deaths of Saint Peter, Saint Paul and other early martyrs. Headquarters of the Catholic Church.
• Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Famous medieval pilgrimage, the Way of St James, to the shrine of Saint James.

Other important Christian pilgrimage sites include:

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• Avila, Spain, St Theresa of Avila, relics
• Bethlehem, Israeli occupied, under the Palestinian National Authority. Birthplace of Jesus and King David.
• Canterbury associated with Saint Thomas à Becket.
• Croagh Patrick, Ireland. Saint Patrick.
• Conques, France
• Cologne, Germany. Relics of the Three Kings.
• Czestochowa, Poland. Virgin Mary image.
• Fatima, Portugal. Apparition of the Virgin Mary.
• Glastonbury, England. St Joseph of Arimathea.
• Guadalupe, Spain.
• Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City. Apparition of the Virgin Mary.
• Kapel in 't Zand, Limburg
• Kevelaer, Germany
• Knock, Ireland
• Lisieux, France. Saint Therese of Lisieux, burial place.
• Lourdes, France. Apparition of the Virgin Mary. Place of healing.
• Mariazell, Austria. Marian Shrine to Austria and Hungary
• Mount Athos, Greece. Orthodox monastic centre.
• Mount Nebo, Jordan. Traditional site of the death of Moses.
• Mount Sinai, Egypt, holy mountain to the ancient Hebrews, traditional site has been commemorated since time of Constantine
• Nazareth, Israel, hometown of Jesus
• Santiago de Compostela, Spain, supposedly the final resting place of the Apostle Saint James the Great
• St. Patrick's Purgatory, Donegal, Ireland
• Taizé Community, France, modern monastery that actively encourages pilgrimages to it
• Nidaros, Norway
• Turin, Italy. Holy Shroud.
• Sea of Galilee, Israel, site of Jesus' early ministry.
• Vierzehnheiligen, Germany.
• Walsingham, England. Virgin Mary apparition site.
• Wittenberg, Germany. Church of Martin Luther and epicenter of the Protestant Reformation.