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Holy Places: How Pilgrimage Changed the World
This year, as they have for millennia, many people around the world will set out on pilgrimages. But these are not only journeys of personal and spiritual devotion - they are also political acts, affirmations of identity and engagements with deep-rooted historical narratives.
Kathryn Hurlock follows the trail of pilgrimage through nineteen sacred sites - from the temples of Jerusalem to the banks of the Ganges, by way of Iona, Lourdes, Amritsar and Buenos Aires - revealing the many ways in which this ancient practice has shaped our religions and our world. Pilgrimages have transformed the fates of cities, anointed dynasties, provided guidance in hard times and driven progress in good. Filled with fascinating insights, Holy Places unveils the complex histories and contemporary endurance of one of our most fundamental human urges.
Kathryn Hurlock follows the trail of pilgrimage through nineteen sacred sites - from the temples of Jerusalem to the banks of the Ganges, by way of Iona, Lourdes, Amritsar and Buenos Aires - revealing the many ways in which this ancient practice has shaped our religions and our world. Pilgrimages have transformed the fates of cities, anointed dynasties, provided guidance in hard times and driven progress in good. Filled with fascinating insights, Holy Places unveils the complex histories and contemporary endurance of one of our most fundamental human urges.
- GenresHistoryNonfictionTravel
462 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 6, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 9, 2026
I thought this book was wonderful.
I have never read a boo dedicated to the topic of pilgrimage in all its varieties. So I thought this would be an interesting read and that proved to be the case. This book was a very light-touch overview of the major pilgrimages of today and the past. A lot of them leaned heavily on the religious but the author also did discuss the practicals and logistics of pilgrimages. Additionally, the author discussed how pilgrimages were also used as tools for political power. I found it fascinating, especially the first 4 chapters to do with pilgrimages in Tai Shan, the Ganges, Jerusalem, and Mecca. The sights were/are sights of such contention but also very very holy places.
To the more knowledgeable reader on this topic, this book may offer a too brief overview. But for a novice to the topic like myself, I thought it to be a good introduction. I will say that the author lost me a little on the later pilgrimage chapters, but I think that had more to do with the late afternoon mental lull than the book. I was maybe disappointed that there wasn't a deeper dive into the mental/personal motivations of pilgrims. I'd have liked a profile on the pilgrim of the past/present/future. Lastly, the book ends on the Santiago de Compostela (which I have thought of walking myself too!). But that's the end of the book. A concluding chapter with a few paragraphs to round the book off would have been a less abrupt ending.
In conclusion, this book has whetted my appetite for more information on religion and religious practices. Not all pilgrimages, as evidenced by the book, are motivated by religion. But there is a common thread of reverence and pilgrims seeking something (intercession, grace, favour, etc..) Its an interesting lens into human faith and motivations across the ages.
I have never read a boo dedicated to the topic of pilgrimage in all its varieties. So I thought this would be an interesting read and that proved to be the case. This book was a very light-touch overview of the major pilgrimages of today and the past. A lot of them leaned heavily on the religious but the author also did discuss the practicals and logistics of pilgrimages. Additionally, the author discussed how pilgrimages were also used as tools for political power. I found it fascinating, especially the first 4 chapters to do with pilgrimages in Tai Shan, the Ganges, Jerusalem, and Mecca. The sights were/are sights of such contention but also very very holy places.
To the more knowledgeable reader on this topic, this book may offer a too brief overview. But for a novice to the topic like myself, I thought it to be a good introduction. I will say that the author lost me a little on the later pilgrimage chapters, but I think that had more to do with the late afternoon mental lull than the book. I was maybe disappointed that there wasn't a deeper dive into the mental/personal motivations of pilgrims. I'd have liked a profile on the pilgrim of the past/present/future. Lastly, the book ends on the Santiago de Compostela (which I have thought of walking myself too!). But that's the end of the book. A concluding chapter with a few paragraphs to round the book off would have been a less abrupt ending.
In conclusion, this book has whetted my appetite for more information on religion and religious practices. Not all pilgrimages, as evidenced by the book, are motivated by religion. But there is a common thread of reverence and pilgrims seeking something (intercession, grace, favour, etc..) Its an interesting lens into human faith and motivations across the ages.
April 10, 2026
This is a poorly-researched, hastily-written book with significant inaccuracies. There are nineteen pilgrimages described by the author in individual chapters. I suppose one could find more information on Wikipedia. I am a Muslim and just to provide one example of incorrect statements by the author, she mentions in the Chapter on Mecca and The Hajj that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) started receiving revelations at the age of fifty. That is false. Every single one of the one billion muslims leaving on this planet that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) started receiving revelations at the age of forty.
April 19, 2026
I skimmed this really didn't read it. It appears to be ridiculously well researched (based on the notes & bibliography) but too much information on too many places crammed into 1 book for me. If I'd been able to look pick it up & look at before having it delivered to my library I wouldn't have bothered but I saw it in a shop window in Madrid & was drawn to it
February 16, 2025
Really enjoyed this book. It has the usual places of pilgrimage but also some lesser known ones. A really good diverse selection in terms of faiths, geography and ethnic groups.
August 28, 2025
A fascinating journey through the history of pilgrimage. We follow the trails of nineteen sacred sites and how they have changed over the years. So interesting.
June 27, 2026
3.75/5.0
Kathryn Hurlock takes 19 different Holy Places of pilgrimage and discuses its; history and who visits there and why.
More importantly, though, is the discussion of how people have continuously vowed to control these places, as a way to legitimize their power, showcasing that for all the differences between religions, they all share the same things too.
Kathryn Hurlock takes 19 different Holy Places of pilgrimage and discuses its; history and who visits there and why.
More importantly, though, is the discussion of how people have continuously vowed to control these places, as a way to legitimize their power, showcasing that for all the differences between religions, they all share the same things too.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews