Pilgrimage
Pilgrimage to the sites of relics and their reliquaries was a common practice within the cult of saints. The geographical distance of a person from a site of pilgrimage was so much more than its physical aspect in the minds of those who undertook such as journey. Instead, the distance one crossed symbolized that which must be overcome, and the long journey ignites a desire for community and closeness which can be found at the end of it. Alphonse Dupront refers to this as “une therapie par l’espace,” or the “therapy of distance.” A pilgrim’s route to a shrine, relic, or holy place allowed them to remove themselves from their normal environment and transplant themselves into one of spiritual power. Pilgrims were able to demonstrate their devotion and dedication to Christian tradition through a physical journey. Piety was communicated through such undertakings, and a pilgrimage was often viewed as a means of communicating with the saints or God itself. A major factor in the landscape of pilgrimage in medieval Christianity was the ways in which the relics themselves were traded and moved across the physical world. The holy made accessible in these relics was always on the move, and could be brought closer to laity for the chance to interact with it.
Relics were so common within the church, and pilgrimages so prominent, that the Second Council of Nicaea decreed that every altar in the Catholic church needed to have relic. This order reveals how widespread the cult of saints truly was, as well as how integrated relics were into the worship of Christian communities. Pilgrims would travel to see relics from far off, and one of the most prominent sites one could see was Rome. The city was accessible for much of Europe in a way that the Holy Land was not, and one of the relics within it that people would flock to was the tomb of Saint Peter.
Another site of importance for pilgrimage was Santiago de Compostela in Spain, which is the origin of the shine of Saint James the Great. According to legend, Saint James preached the gospel in Spain and his deceased body was shipped back to Santiago de Compostela after he died, resulting in the presence of his relics in the city. The pilgrimage route which ends at the shrine is known as the Way of St. James, with various stops at other sites on the way. In medieval Europe it was one of the most well traveled pilgrimages. When a man would complete his pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, he would bring with him a scallop as proof due to its association with Saint James through various legends.
Pilgrimage not only changed the perception of relics in the middle ages, but also drastically resulted in changes to architectural style. Romanesque architecture emerged at holy sites where pilgrimage was frequent as a way to support the large crowds and masses of people drawn in by shrines and relics. The architecture was characterized by massive archways, towers, and overwhelming size. These buildings only worked to emphasize the importance and power of the objects that were contained within them. Pilgrimage and the boom of relics in the cult of saints impacted the world around them in massive ways, as the world shifted to accommodate them.