In the Middle Ages the
Church encouraged people to make pilgrimages to special holy places
called shrines. It was believed that if you prayed at these shrines
you might be forgiven for your sins and have more chance of going
to heaven. Others went to shrines hoping to be cured from an illness
they were suffering from.
An important shrine was at Walsingham in Norfolk where there was a
sealed glass jar that was said to contain the milk of the Virgin Mary.
At other shrines people went to see the teeth, bones, shoes, combs,
etc., that were said to have once belonged to important Christian
saints. The most common relics at these shrines were nails and pieces
of wood that the keepers of the shrine claimed came from the cross
used to crucify Jesus.
When people arrived at the shrine they would pay money to be allowed
to look at these holy relics. In some cases pilgrims were even allowed
to touch and kiss them. The keeper of the shrine would also give the
pilgrim a metal badge that had been stamped with the symbol of the
shrine. These badges were then fixed to the pilgrim's hat so that
people would know they had visited the shrine.
Some people went on pilgrimages abroad. In Palestine, for example,
it was possible to visit a cave that was supposed to contain the beds
of Adam and Eve and a pillar of salt that had once been Lot's wife.
Travelling on long journeys in the Middle Ages was a dangerous activity.
Pilgrims often went in groups to protect themselves against outlaws.
Woodcut of a pilgrimage (c. 1490)
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