Pilgrims
 Walsingham, Norfolk |
The Church encouraged people to make pilgrimages to shrines,
which were holy places. It was believed that if you prayed at
a shrine, you would have more chance of going to Heaven.
Others made pilgrimages in the hopes of being cured of
illness.
Many shrines were churches and monasteries which held supposed relics of saints. The uneducated took them seriously, but it’s doubtful if many of them were true relics at all. The most visited shrine in England was the tomb of Thomas a Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. The monks of the cathedral sold small bottles of his blood to visiting pilgrims. Walsingham, in Norfolk, had a sealed jar which was supposed to hold the Virgin Mary’s milk. There were other relics such as the teeth, bones and clothing of saints; however the most common were pieces of the cross and the nails. |
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Once arrived at the shrine, the pilgrims would pay to look at
the relic and, occasionally, to touch it. They were then
given a badge stamped with the shrine’s symbol which
they would put on their hat.
Journeys were dangerous because of outlaws and pilgrims often travelled in groups. The rich could pay others to make a pilgrimage for them. |
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