Pilgrimages

Pilgrimage in the classic sense of the term consists of the journey undertaken by a believer or a group of believers to a sanctuary, a sacred place or somewhere with significant religious connotations. This type of journey to a shrine constitutes contact with some sacred thing or being. The journey is often carried out on foot. Through it, the pilgrim reaches a supernatural manifestation, whether this be during the journey or at the destination, and thus participates in a reality different from the profane.

Pilgrimage is a feature common to most religions, and we can differentiate between different types in Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, etc.

In Christianity, the first pilgrimages we know of were linked to places where Jesus was born, lived or died. There are accounts of pilgrimages to the Holy Land, which date back to the 4th century. Another of the places pilgrims have flocked to since ancient times is Rome. They have also gone to places connected to the apostles, saints, martyrs, appearances of the Virgin Mary, places where miracles have occurred, or people have been healed, etc.

The major Christian pilgrimage sites are:

The Holy Land: Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre the Sea of Galilee, etc.
Rome and the Vatican
Mount Sinai, Saint Catherine's Monastery
Mount Athos (Greece)
Fátima (Portugal)
Lourdes (France)
Santiago de Compostela