Pilgrimage

PILGRIMAGE. - From the Latin peregrinatio "journey in a foreign land", it is a devotional practice consisting in going collectively or individually to a sanctuary or to a place that is in any case sacred and there performing special acts of religion, whether for purposes of piety or for votive or penitential purposes. The practice of pilgrimage, in both forms, is found in all religions, because it is natural for man to visit places sanctified by the presence of the divinity or by the relics of a distinguished deceased person, hero or saint, from which the divine power radiates more immediately and more effectively.

I. IN NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS

Pilgrimage is one of the practices most dear to human groups: 1) because it brings into play all the faculties of the individual — visual, auditory, motor, emotional — intensifying them by virtue of association; 2) because it exalts the collective bond, which is a most powerful factor in religious emotion; 3) because it increases the value and prolongs the memory of the sacred goal and of the religious memories connected with it; 4) because, by making the sacrifice felt and almost measured, it makes its effects more surely foreseeable and calculable. If, moreover, it is a universal religion, the meeting of different peoples in the same religious center is exceedingly helpful in imposing the sense of the social unity of that given religion, above the barriers of race and nation.

Pilgrimage, especially to shrines on a long route, offers the possibility of establishing at the stopping places fairs for small or large commercial exchanges, where poets and singers give proof of their genius, where the guardians of the lesser shrines set along the way extol the hero or saint in their keeping.

This material and spiritual traffic, which takes on a character of periodicity, besides increasing geographical and ethnic knowledge, also serves to give prominence to the city that is the goal of the pilgrimage and to those scattered along the road; and these, in fact, often end up by fading and even by disappearing entirely as soon as the attraction that the former exercised ceases. All religions know the practice of pilgrimage.

Japan. - The principal pilgrimage is the one made to the temple of Isè dedicated to Amaterasu, the sun goddess. Among the most popular is that to the 33 shrines of Kwannon, the goddess benevolent toward human miseries. Also famous is the pilgrimage to Fusi-jama, the highest volcanic mountain in Japan: and those to Mount Kimpu-sen in Yamato and Ontake in Shinano.

India. - India is par excellence the land of pilgrimages, especially in the region of the Himalayas and of Kashmir. There are over 60 places of pilgrimage to Siva, and that deity is the most frequently visited: then follow Kali, Vishnu, Kṛṣṇa. Also frequented are the pilgrimages to the sacred rivers: the Ganges, the Jumna, the Narbada (or Godavari), especially at their points of confluence: bathing in these rivers cancels the impurities of body and soul; a bathing whose time is fixed by the priests to coincide with astronomical phenomena. A tattoo on the body is a sign of a completed pilgrimage.

Egypt. - For Egypt Herodotus recalls the pilgrimage made by boat on the Nile to go to Bubastis to the sanctuary of the goddess Seket, with ritual dances and insults and a grand illumination: famous too was that to the sanctuary of Ammon.

Babylonia. - In Babylonia, where the procession is held in great honor in worship, pilgrimage is much less documented. But the one that Shalmaneser II made in 851 to Babylon and Borsippa to procure the goodwill of the gods is well known.

Israel. - Above all, mention must be made of the great pilgrimage which, especially after the exile, gathered all the Israelites at the temple of Jerusalem for Passover. The pilgrims proceeded in groups, singing along the way the psalms of ascent (gradual psalms), held the ritual supper on the 15th of Nīsān and visited the temple. Two other feasts that drew the Israelites to Jerusalem were that of Pentecost, 50 days after Passover, and that of Tabernacles, in September, when the harvest and the vintage were finished.

Greece. - To the sanctuaries of Asclepius at Cos and at Epidaurus devotees in search of health always made their way. But the great religious-national gatherings of Olympia, Delphi and Eleusis must also be considered as pilgrimages, because they have all the essential elements of these: the periodic gathering, the contests and the games, the religious sacrifice to the patron deity of the sanctuary. In the plain of Olympia, for example, dominated by the sacred grove (altis) and by the temple of Zeus, numerous sanctuaries were ranged along the sacred way, to which devotees flocked from all over Greece, every 4 years (Olympiads), at the end of summer, both to sacrifice to the gods and heroes and to take part, either as actors or as spectators, in the contests and the games.

Rome. - The sanctuaries of Jupiter Latiaris, of Diana Nemorensis and of Juno Lanuvina were the goal of pilgrimages not only official, for the cities that were represented at the festivals or for the magistrates who had to attend them, but also because of the attendance of a populace at once devout and festive.

Buddhism. - That inclination to pilgrimage, so deeply rooted in Hindu India, is found also in Buddhism. It is true that in the most ancient Buddhism (Hinayanic, or of the Little Vehicle) pilgrimage is not expressly recommended, but it was in a certain way implicit in the obligation of the itinerant life imposed on monks by the rule (excluding the rainy season) and was spurred on by the desire to venerate the places sanctified by the life and death of the Buddha and by the presence of his precious relics, distributed in eight parts among the peoples who had come to his funeral and honored by King Asoka with the construction of sumptuous stupas. The principal among these places of pilgrimage are: Kapilavastu, where the Buddha was born; Budh Gayā, where he received enlightenment; Benares, where he gave the first sermon on the four holy truths; Kusinagara, where he died.

Outside India, other famous places of pilgrimage are: on the island of Ceylon, the temple of the tooth of Buddha and Adam's Peak, where the imprints of his feet are admired, venerated also by Muslims, Hindus and Jains; at Rangoon, in Burma, the Shwe Dagon pagoda, with its hundred images of the Buddha and the relic of eight of his hairs, toward which pilgrims converge not only from China and Siam, but also from Japan and Korea. In China the Buddhist places of pilgrimage were superimposed on old Taoist sanctuaries situated on the mountains and are principally four: Omishan (prov. Szechwan), Pictoshan (Chusan archipelago), Wutarshan (prov. Shensi) and Chinhushan (central China, on the Yangtze). In Tibet and Mongolia the three Lamaist capitals — Lhasa, Tashlumpo and Urga — are visited by monks and by the faithful, who venerate in the three great lamas the incarnation of as many bodhisattvas.

Islam. - For Muslims, pilgrimage is one of the five fundamental obligations. It must be made to Mecca at least once in a lifetime. The practices go back to the pre-Islamic era and have been maintained unchanged. The pilgrim, having entered the sacred enclosure, makes seven times the circuit of the ka'bah, kisses the black stone, drinks the water of the well Zamzam, climbs Mount 'Arafat, then descends into the Valley of Minā where, as in the times of idolatry, a great sacrifice of animals takes place. The whole is concluded with a second visit to the ka'bah, after which the pilgrim lays aside the special garment that he put on at the beginning and adorns himself with the title of pilgrim (al-ḥāǧǧ). The Shiite Muslims, who are forbidden entry to Mecca, make the pilgrimage to the tomb of 'Ali. Nicola Turchi

II. IN CHRISTIANITY

In the history of Christianity two kinds of pilgrimage can be distinguished: pilgrimage of devotion and pilgrimage of a judicial nature.

1. Pilgrimage of devotion

The construction of the basilicas erected by Constantine on the Holy Sepulchre and on Calvary and by the Empress Helena on the Mount of Olives and at Bethlehem, as well as the discovery of the Holy Cross, induced Catholics to visit and venerate the Holy Places. Hospices were also built for pilgrims in Jerusalem and even in Egypt, because many longed to know the country where the Holy Famiglia or took an interest in the stages covered by the Israelites in the desert.

The stay of St. Jerome in Palestine further increased the influx of pilgrims; and the descriptions of the journeys made by cultured Roman patrician women survive: Paula, Eustochium, Melania (PL 22, 482-92; T. Tobler-A. Molinier, Itinera latina bellis sacris anteriora, I, Geneva 1877, pp. 43-47; II, ibid. 1880, pp. 133-42).

As early as 333 a bishop of Gaul traces the itinerary to be followed from Bordeaux to Jerusalem, passing through Constantinople (CSEL, 39); more detailed is the description of Egeria (v.; ibid., pp. 37-101). Some ecclesiastics guided the pilgrims and armed men protected their journey through unsafe lands. In the 6th and 7th centuries the pilgrimages retained the same renown (ca. 670; CSEL, 39, pp. 137-50, 159-218, 221-97).

In the 11th century pilgrims could not enter Jerusalem unless they had first paid a tribute to the Muslims; but despite the dangers of the journey, they traveled alone or accompanied by a servant or a guide (MGH, Scriptores, XI, p. 136; XII, pp. 249-67). The Danube route brought considerable facilities, after the conversion of the Hungarians, and various hospices arose along the way. Soon there were two novelties: individual pilgrimages were replaced by pilgrimages in groups, even large ones; for example, the abbot of St-Vanne led as many as 700 companions with him, and knights also took part, who in case of need would have used the sword against attackers. In 1065 the group led by Günther, bishop of Bamberg, comprised about 12,000 people. Attacked by the Bedouins, it owed its salvation to the intervention of the emir of Ramleh (L. Bréhier, L'Eglise et l'Orient au moyen âge. Les Croisades, 2nd ed., Paris 1928, pp. 42-50).

The occupation of Syria and Palestine by the Seljuk Turks hindered, toward the end of the 11th century, access to the Holy Places. The few pilgrims who returned safe and sound from their journey spread in the West the account of the dangers incurred, of the vexations, insults and offenses endured, thus contributing to the realization of the Crusade. When the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem was then founded, the era of pilgrimages flourished again, all the more so since the "Hospitallers" provided armed escorts. The Mongol invasions and the loss of St. John of Acre (May 29, 1291) were disastrous; nevertheless there were always courageous Christians who visited the Holy Land, as attested by a guide, drawn up in the 14th century (H. Omont, Une guide du pèlerin en Terre Sainte au XIVe siècle, in Mélanges G. Schlumberger, Paris 1924, pp. 436-51; for the following periods cf. Recueil de voyages et de documents pour servir à l'histoire de la géographie, depuis le XIIe siècle jusqu'à la fin du XVIe, ibid. 1892). Periodic journeys, at least from the 14th century, could be undertaken by sea from Venice.

Besides the Holy Places par excellence, that is, those of Palestine, also the burial places of the apostles, of the martyrs, of the deceased held to be saints, the churches, the monasteries, the chapels that possessed distinguished relics, the sanctuaries dedicated to the Virgin, became destinations of pilgrimage, and all the more so since the Holy Places were of difficult access and too distant (the list in L. de Sivry and de Champagnac, Dict. géogr. et hist. des pèlerinages anciens et modernes, 2 vols., Paris 1851; but now the list could be lengthened considerably).

Of these pilgrimages of devotion, two kinds were distinguished in the Middle Ages: the major pilgrimages, that is, Rome, St. James of Compostela, St. Thomas of Canterbury, the Three Magi of Cologne; and the minor pilgrimages, which included all the others. The tomb of the apostle Peter enjoyed the preference of pilgrims: visitors threw their coins through the fenestrella and an altarist collected them. The Holy See moreover had attached to the visit of the Roman churches numerous indulgences, which the faithful were very eager to acquire.

In whatever place he went for his visit, the pilgrim, before departing, had his belt blessed; and he walked dressed in a simple cloak, a broad hat on his head, a satchel slung across his shoulder, a staff in his hand, called a bourdon, to which sometimes an empty gourd for water was hung. He who went to Rome was called a Romipeta. During the journey, the pilgrims found shelter in the monasteries or in the countless religious houses that covered the soil of Christendom. At the end of the pilgrimages, they were received in hospices specially destined for this purpose. No city, at least from the 14th century onward, was better organized to receive them than Rome, where there were guilds of innkeepers, furnished with meticulous regulations. Some confraternities, such as that of the Holy Trinity of the Pilgrims (16th century), particularly provided food and lodging. In modern times hospices reserved for the subjects of this or that nation were built and still survive: for example, St. Ivo of the Bretons, St. Nicholas of the Lorrainers, St. Louis of the French (v. J. Lacroux, Les institutions de la France à Rome, 2nd ed., Rome 1892; M. Romani, Pellegrini e viaggiatori nell'economia di Roma dal XIV al XVII sec., Milan 1948).

2. Judicial pilgrimages

Very often confessors imposed pilgrimages on great sinners, so that they might serve as expiation for the grave sins committed. As Gregory VII did with that Cencio who had attacked him, and Clement V with Guillaume de Nogaret, guilty of violence against Boniface VIII, in order to obtain absolution from the excommunication incurred by the performance of certain determined pilgrimages (cf. Regestum Clementis Papae V, Rome 1884-92, n. 7051).

Repentant heretics, who had to abjure their errors, bound themselves by oath to perform this or that pilgrimage, which was established for them by the inquisitors. The departure had to take place within a span of time, which varied from one to three months. The pilgrim was furnished with penitential letters, which served him as a safe-conduct; once he reached his destination, he had to fulfill all the obligations indicated in the official document. The stay in Rome lasted about a fortnight or was prolonged for an entire Lent. Having returned to their homes, the pilgrims presented to the inquisitors the certificates drawn up by the competent authority of the place visited, which attested the full fulfillment of the penances inflicted (cf. Pagart d'Hermansart, Certificat d'incomplissement de pèlerinage pour homicide en 1333, in Bull. hist. et philolog. du Comité des Travaux scientifiques, 1892, pp. 372-73).

Guglielmo Mollat

III. MODERN WORKS OF PILGRIMAGE

While in ancient times pilgrimage was preferably individual, the pilgrim relying on his own means and on the charity of the faithful, in the present day, on the other hand, the custom has become established, imposed by new necessities and customs and by the growth of the various destinations (Loreto, Lourdes, Pompeii, Oropa, Fatima, etc.), of entrusting oneself to committees and specialized organizations.

1. Committee for Palestine and Lourdes

We recall, in Italy, committees set up for the festivities of the centenary of St. Peter (1868) in Rome and especially on the occasion of the priestly jubilee of Pope Leo XIII; the initiatives for the Holy Years 1900, 1925, 1933 and especially 1950, which reached figures and data never seen before.

Toward the end of the last century a pilgrimage committee to Lourdes arose in Italy, set up by Msgr. G. Radini Tedeschi, later bishop of Bergamo; to it was added later the one for Palestine (Committee for Palestine and Lourdes), with a large participation of pilgrims from every part of Italy.

2. U.N.I.T.A.L.S.I. - During the Italian national pilgrimage to Lourdes of 1903 the idea matured of the Italian National Union for the Transport of the Sick to Lourdes (U.N.I.T.A.L.), which later became U.N.I.T.A.L.S.I., uniting also the organization for the transport of the sick themselves to the Italian sanctuaries (S.I.). The idea of the organization arose in the mind of the young Roman G. B. Tommasi, who, having gone to Lourdes with the intention of obtaining a cure or of committing suicide, returned from it with the precious gift of faith. He, in agreement with Msgr. Radini Tedeschi, and with the blessing of Bl. Pius X, in 1904, established in Rome the U.N.I.T.A.L. and became its first director. In 1908 regional sections began to arise: first among all the Piedmontese, which was followed by the Ligurian, the Venetian, the Emilian, the Lombard, the Sicilian, the Neapolitan, the Tuscan, the Apulian, the Marche, the Umbrian, etc. In 1905 the first 10 sick were brought to Lourdes together with the National Committee for Palestine and Lourdes, rising in 1929 (1st twenty-fifth anniversary) to about 2000. In 1908 there was the first "white train," together with the first popular pilgrimage.

3. Various initiatives

The new conditions of life and easier communications subsequently determined the birth of new committees, both diocesan and national, all guided by prelates, bishops and religious. Meritorious in these initiatives was the Opera Card. Ferrari, with the Compagnia S. Paolo (v. PIA SOCIETÀ S. PAOLO) and the Pro Civitate christiana of Assisi. In Rome itself, at the offices of the Vicariate, a Roman pilgrimage Committee arose (Dec. 2, 1933), of a national character, which periodically leads groups of devotees to the principal sanctuaries of Italy and abroad with the most modern means and equipment.

4. Peregrinatio ad Petri Sedem

It draws its origin from the extraordinary Holy Year 1933 (centenary of the Redemption) through a letter of the cardinal secretary of

(Inst. Felici)
PILGRIMAGE. - The pilgrims of Columbus (U.S.A.) enter through the Holy Door (May 8, 1950) into St. Peter's.

Eugenio Pacelli to the president of the Central Committee, in which is highlighted "the opportunity of transforming the central organization into a permanent body whose chief purpose is to direct toward Rome and to assist the movement of pilgrimages." On Jan. 27, 1942, it had its Statutes approved, and in the following April also its internal regulations, with the task: a) of coordinating and assisting the movement of pilgrims, whether isolated or in groups, coming from the dioceses of Italy and from abroad, bound for the visit of the Sedes Petri or of the principal sanctuaries of Italy; b) of placing itself at the disposal of the diocesan Ordinaries and of the foreign committees that promote pilgrimages in Italy; c) of coordinating and assisting pilgrimages bound also for foreign sanctuaries, and likewise of offering its hospitality to collective religious manifestations, national and international. The Peregrinatio began its more regular activity after the war (1945). - See plate LXXVI.

Guido Anichini