Medieval European Pilgramage c.700-c.1500

European Culture and Society Series

by Diana Webb

Medieval pilgrimage was, above all, an expression of religious faith, but this was not its only aspect. Men and women of all classes went on pilgrimage for a variety of reasons, sometimes by choice, sometimes involuntarily. They made both long and short journeys: to Rome, Jerusalem and Santiago on the one hand; to innumerable local shrines on the other. The routes that they followed by land and water made up a complex web which covered the face of Europe, and their travels required a range of support services, including the protection of rulers (who were themselves often pilgrims). Pilgrimage left its mark not only on the landscape but also on the art and literature of Europe.

Diana Webb's engaging book offers the reader a fresh introduction to the history of European Christian pilgrimage in the twelve hundred years between the conversion of Emperor Constantine and the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation. As well as exploring this multi-faceted activity, it considers both the geography of pilgrimage and its significant cultural legacy.

Genres: History, Medieval

222 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 30, 2002

Reviews

[Abbey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview for the student studying pilgrimage—read this to provide context for a medieval pilgrimage literature class taken in college.

[Brandon Hawk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, Webb presents a helpful introduction to medieval pilgrimage. As she admits in her preface, this text is written mainly for students, and this aspect is present throughout the book. She does, however, handle the subject well, and opens up many possibilities for further inquiry. While the notes could indicate other scholarship that works more extensively on specific topics, her bibliography does generally point toward other works worth reading.

Perhaps the most positive quality of the book is the way that Webb is able to move back and forth between primary sources and general observations about pilgrimage. She presents many anecdotes pulled from a variety of sources, and uses these stories to establish key issues of discussion. In an introductory text such as this, such movement is commendable. By doing so, she enlivens the topic with wit and relevance, even relating some of the anecdotal moments to parallels in our modern lives. More careful use of the sources and more attention to the subtle differences in types of texts used could have been implemented, but this is perhaps too much to ask in a student-focused introduction. In any case, the book serves as an apt entrance into the world of medieval pilgrimage, and would serve as a helpful text for teaching.