Rocamadour (Part 3)- The pilgrims, who were they, and why undertake such a holy journey?

The Middle Ages was definitely the golden age of pilgrimages, and there is no shortage of information on the numerous sacred sites that appealed to the pious and devoted.

But what about the pilgrims themselves, whose stories formed the cornerstone of medieval Christian life, who were they and why undertake such a holy journey?

There are pilgrimage sites all over Europe, some of them seemingly easy to get to, but others like Rocamadour, situated in a location that could by no means be described as easily accessible, are definitely not for the faint-hearted. Standing in amongst the chapels and shrines of Rocamadour, we can imagine that only the most tenacious, devoted and resolute of people would have undertaken an ordeal such as this. The reality is totally the opposite, pilgrims varied from the lowest peasants to the highest born of the nobility. In the famous “The Canterbury Tales”, written by well-known 14th-century poet and courtier Geoffrey Chaucer, we see all different walks of life making the journey to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury. Even within the time frame that Plantagenet fans are most obsessed with, there are numerous figures that endured the trials of a pilgrimage, Eleanor of Aquitaine’s father William X passed away while on a pilgrimage to the shrine of St James at Santiago de Compostela. We also saw William Marshall brave the journey to the Holy Land, in order to lay his lord’s cloak at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, as well as Saint Bernard of Clairvaux visiting Rocamadour.

There are probably many reasons for a medieval person to undertake a pilgrimage, but no doubt the first one that comes to mind for most of us is the quest for healing. Curing the sick or those maimed by a variety of physical and mental ailments, including paralysis, blindness, deafness and mental sickness is by far the subject of the majority of miracles we hear or read about. Many of these ailments were interpreted as possession by demons and therefore the only intercession and hope of cure was spiritual intervention. Prior to the 13th century, these miracles were mostly performed at a shrine, where pilgrims believed that the closer to the relic one could get, all the better, but later it proved just as common for men or women to make a vow to go on pilgrimage after a cure or blessing was received. This was the case in 1159 when Henry II and his queen Eleanor made the pilgrimage to Rocamadour to thank the virgin for Henry’s recovery in a recent illness that had surely been almost fatal.

Decades later in 1244 their granddaughter Blanche of Castille, together with her son King Louis IX made the arduous journey to pray for the health and happiness of war-torn France. Many pilgrims made the journey simply for religious enlightenment, their motives were purely devotional, they saw shrines as special places where they could establish a closer connection with the divine. Often men and women would seek spiritual awareness as a response to bereavement or a major life crisis. Sometimes the dearly departed would make a request in their will that a particular pilgrimage would be made at the expense of the estate, for the benefit of their soul. This often happened if they had been unable to undertake that pilgrimage themselves in their lifetime, maybe due to illness, it would then be made by friends or relatives of the dying person.

Another reason that a pilgrimage might be taken was for penance or punishment. At a time when most people believed that deliverance from the burden of sin could be achieved by visiting holy places, this was a very viable option. Due to the difficulties and dangers of medieval travel, the ordeal of a pilgrimage, whether it was self-inflicted or imposed as penance or punishment was not an easy endeavour. While pilgrimages of short distances may be imposed for minor misdemeanors like poaching or slandering your neighbour, a more serious offence like murder or committing adultery may take the culprit as far as Santiago de Compostela.

At the end of the day, regardless of why these pilgrims should choose this path, they were an integral part of the Christian story right throughout the Middle Ages. Pilgrimages provided a way for the pious to prove their level of faith and conviction, and even now hundreds of years later, they continue to be a popular practice.

Keep an eye out for the next instalment of my Rocamadour blog The Legend of Durandal (Part 4)

Does this make you want to visit immediately, take a look at our Plantagenets in France tour where we will visit this incredible historic site

Max

Pilgrim Hospital photo © Plantagenet Discoveries, Pilgrim Photo Creative Commons/Public Domain