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An
important influence on choice of pilgrimage site was changing fashion.
Sometimes a site acquired (invented) a new relic or perhaps a new saint
might be created (canonized). The most significant canonization in the
Middle Ages was that of Thomas Becket at Canterbury. The French Pilgrim,
Hugh Brustins, unfortunately possessed by the Devil, was disappointed to
discover on arrival at St. Denis near Paris, that the local French saint had
given up curing the sick and that this service was now being provided by St.
Thomas 'in order that a new and relatively unknown martyr might make his
name.' (Sumption: 150) But what made a site particularly fashionable was
news of a significant miracle. When a blind man was healed at Saintes in
France by St Eutrope, what had previously been a town passed by on the route
to Santiago de Compostella, became a significant pilgrimage site in its own
right. News would spread wide and far. We know from the records that news of
a miracle at St-Gilles in the south of France travelled as far as Poland and
Denmark.
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would also compete to attract pilgrims by using a range of different
'advertising' techniques. Packaging the product was very important, with vast
sums spent on the elaborate decoration of shrines and magnificent reliquaries. Pamphlets were written which listed the miracle 'track record'
of the saint; jingles and rhymes were composed and preachers were employed
to drum up interest around the country. Even primitive 'mail shots' were
attempted by the bigger shrines such as Canterbury, which sent out 'flyers'
listing St. Thomas's miracles to other religious centres in England and
France. The advertising would not only celebrate the benefits of the local
site over the long distance major shrines, 'remember you are never far from
Fécamp, where the Lord has sent his precious blood for your benefit' but
would also be at pains to point out that local miracles had been achieved
only after rival saints and shrines had failed. It was not always
subtle. One pamphlet reported how a sick Englishman heard a 'voice' at St
Peter's at Rome, 'Why are you wasting your time here' it apparently said,
'go back home to England and make your offering at the monastery of St.
Egwin at Evesham, for there alone will you be healed.' (Sumption: 152) |
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(Above) A medieval
pilgrim song |
Practical
Considerations
| The first
important practical consideration was cost. If a pilgrim wanted to undertake a
long distance pilgrimage and expected to travel comfortably, they had
to expect a very big bill. Many rich pilgrims needed a year's income
and were forced to sell their land to the church. Although the
religious authorities recommended that true pilgrimage should be
undertaken in poverty and on foot, many richer pilgrims did not.
German pilgrims in particular were notorious for travelling in style,
as many thieves noted. Poorer pilgrims
would have to live on the charity of people who provided alms. |
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(above) Rich pilgrims on
horseback |
Before
leaving home, a pilgrims would have to clear up all their unsettled
business; pay all debts, make a will, settle arguments and apologize
to everyone he or she might have offended. Finally, the pilgrim needed
to make an appointment to see his priest. In front of the priest the
pilgrim would make a vow to complete his journey. In return the priest would
give the pilgrim his blessing. Having made the vow the pilgrim had to make
the journey or face being excommunicated. But only after having made the vow
could he or she put on the uniform of the
pilgrim.
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The
Pilgrim's Uniform
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The origins of the pilgrim's uniform
are unknown. Much can be explained by the practical considerations of
medieval travel and the need to distinguish yourself clearly as a
pilgrim.
The staff and scrip were the earliest parts of the uniform,
and both are very practical. The staff had to be made of strong wood,
preferably with a metal tip. Apart from its obvious use to someone
walking hundreds of kilometers, the staff could be an important means
of self defence against wolves or human attackers.
The scrip was a
soft pouch, usually made of leather and tied to the pilgrim's waist.
The scrip was used to store all the essential belongings: food, money,
documents etc. The long tunic or sclavein became part of the pilgrim uniform in the 11th
century at the same time as the priests began to bless the pilgrims
clothes.
In the later Middle Ages the uniform became more elaborate. After the find of the suit of a pilgrim, worn by
pilgrim from Nürnberg
during his trip to Jerusalem 1595, we have been able to establish how the
uniform of a pilgrim may have looked. They travelled in long
(often blue) robes which served as coats and sleeping bags and wore a wide-brimmed hat. They would also carry some sort of
bag or sack, often a book bag, carrying with them some sort of religious book.
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(Above) a 17th
century statue of Saint James
as a pilgrim from the church of
châtellerault, France.
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In the religious ceremony, which very much resembled the 'dubbing' of a
knight, the pilgrim would presented with the staff from the altar. This
ceremony almost certainly began in imitation of the blessing of the first
crusaders (1095-99). In time, the staff, scrip and sclavein were given a
religious symbolism: the staff is used to ward off wolves which
symbolize the Devil, the scrip is small symbolizing the poverty of the
pilgrim and the sclavein's complete covering represents Christ's love for
mankind.
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(Above) The blessing of
staff and scrip |
On the way home, a pilgrim would wear a lead badge to show where they had
been and to prove they had fulfilled their vow. From the Holy Land a pilgrim
would wear a palm, from Rome a set of keys and from Santiago de Compostella
on the up-turned brim of the hat, they would pin a shell from the St.
James’ scallop, which became the symbol most often
associated with the pilgrims.
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Most other sites soon started selling souvenir
badges which usually represented a famous miracle associated with the patron
saint. Some well travelled pilgrims would have hats covered in the badges
the many shrines they had visited. The English medieval poet, William
Langland (c1332-c1400), wrote of a pilgrim in Piers Plowman who:
An
hundreth of ampulles on his hatt seten,
Signes of Synay and the shelles of Galice
And many a cruche on his cloke and keyes of Rome,
And the vernicle bifore; for men shulde knowe
And se bi his signes whom he soughte had.
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(Above) A 16th century
Pilgrim's mantelet |
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The distinctiveness of the uniform was important because it entitled the
wearer to be treated as a pilgrim. This was supposed to guarantee the safety
of the pilgrim along the road and to
give them admission to the many shelters and hospices that had sprung up
along the bigger roads.
The
Experience - Travel overland
Long distance travel
whether overland or by sea was very difficult and could be dangerous. If
travelling overland you faced the problem of very poor quality paths that
were badly signposted, if at all. Where roads were well maintained, the
chances are you would be expected to pay a fee or toll for their use. Even
an experienced rider on horseback could only expect to cover 50 kilometers a
day. The 12th century guidebook The Guide for Pilgrims to Santiago described
some of the dangers that the pilgrim faced including thick forests, mosquito
infested marshes, wild animals, impassable rivers and undrinkable water. Supplies of water and drink
were a constant problem and would be pilgrims were advised not to travel at
certain times of year. The food in Gascony, in the south of France was
excellent but Spain was different: 'if anyone can eat their fish
without being sick, then he must have a stronger constitution than most of
us'. (Sumption: 177)
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Although punishments for attacking pilgrims were
very harsh, it did not stop pilgrims being attacked by robbers and bandits.
In northern Italy the problem was with German robbers, in northern Spain on
the routes to Santiago, the bandits tended to be English.
By far the most dangerous route was the
pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The overland route became possible in the
11th and 12th century as a result of Christian conversion and conquest
in south east Europe and Holy Land. But it was always dangerous. The
route from Joppa to Jerusalem was notorious. An English pilgrim who
travelled the route in 1102 described how the Arabs 'lay
hidden in caves and crevices, waiting day and night for people travelling in
small groups or straggling behind their groups. At one moment they are
everywhere, the next they are gone.' (Sumption: 184) From the end of the
13th century it became virtually impossible to undertake the overland
pilgrimage. |
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(Above) Wolves attacking
pilgrims,
Museum of Roncevaux |
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| (above)
Pilgrims being attacked in the Holy Land |
The
Experience - Travel by sea
The
alternative to the overland route was to travel by sea. Travelling long
distances by boat in the Middle Ages was not an easy option. As with the
overland route, it was also dangerous, extremely uncomfortable and had the
additional inconvenience of being very boring. The journey from Venice to
the Holy Land would take six weeks or more. In addition to the obvious
threat of shipwreck, there was also the problem of piracy. Accommodation
was basic. Pilgrims were crammed into small boats where they hardly had room
enough to turn over in their sleep. The ships were rat and flea infested and
the animals stored as the only fresh food, sometimes broke out and trampled
on the paying guests. If you had a choice of where to sleep, William Way
advised pilgrims to take a place as close to the deck as possible 'for in
the lowst under hyt is ryght smoulderyng, hote and stynking'. (Sumption:
185)
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The food was very poor and the water was stale. Experienced pilgrims
advised others to take their own food, including laxatives and restoratives
such as ginger, figs and cloves. In addition to the problems of hunger and
sleeplessness, there was also the boredom. The only organised activity was
the daily sermon. Otherwise pilgrims were left to their own devices. Some
pilgrims gambled and drank others played chess and did keep fit. 'But
most people' observed Felix Faber 'simply sit about looking blankly,
passing their eyes from one group to another, and thence to the open sea'.
(Sumption: 186)
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(above) 13th century
image of pilgrims at sea. |
The
Experience - the challenges of travel
Foreigners
- Whether the pilgrim
travelled by land or by sea, there were certain experiences common to both
and familiar to travellers even today. Language was always a major obstacle
to be overcome. The medieval guidebooks offered some help with common
phrases but even the educated of pilgrims could only speak a few words of
any language apart from their own or Latin. Attitudes to the host people
along the way reflected at best ignorance but often hostility. The author of
the Guide for Pilgrims to Santiago. for example, wrote of the
Basques: Not
only are they badly dressed, but they eat and drink in the most disgusting
way... Far from using spoons, they eat with their hands, slobbering over
their food like any pig or dog. To hear them speaking, you would think they
were a pack of hounds barking, for their language is absolutely barbarous...
They have dark, evil, ugly faces...They are like fierce savages, dishonest
and untrustworthy, impious, common, cruel and quarrelsome people... They
will kill you for a penny. Men and women alike warm themselves by the fire,
revealing those parts which are better hidden. (Sumption: 192)
He considered the Basques to be so
dreadful as a race that they could have only originated in Scotland. He had
little better to say of the Greeks or the Arabs.
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Companions- Even if you set out
alone, safety and the need for companionship on the road, usually
resulted in pilgrims travelling together. After the 11th century
virtually no pilgrims travelled alone. Choosing your
travelling companions was an important decision. There were many
stories of pilgrims who were robbed or even killed by their
companions. On the road south of Saintes in France, down to the
Pyrenees professional thieves dressed as pilgrims or even priests in
the hope of gaining the friendship and confidence of genuine pilgrims.
The legal expert Beaumanoir warned would be pilgrims: 'Take
care, then, not to join up with bad companions, for however pleasant
they may appear, you never know what evil will befall thee.' |
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(Above) A book of the
brotherhood of pilgrims |
Accomodation - According to custom, pilgrims were entitled free
food and a roof over their head. Providing this service was the
responsibility of the Church and, in particular, the monasteries. On
the busy pilgrimage routes it became impossible to accomodate everyone
in the monasteries, so smaller hospices were built and run by small
groups of monks. By the middle of the 12th century so many hospices
had been built on the routes to Santiago through France and Spain that
one hospice was rarely more than a day's travel from the next. The
quality of the hospices did vary considerably. Not all hospices
provided food and usually only the very poorest received alms. Beds
were a rarity and most pilgrims had to make do with a straw covered
floor. For the richer pilgrim, there was always the possibility of
staying at an inn. However, the standard of comfort was usually
much lower than a rich pilgrim would be used to. No-one would have a
bed to themselves and would be expected to share the room with a
number of other paying guests. The innkeepers of the middle ages did
not have a good reputation. They were often accused of cheating the
pilgrims with high prices for poor quality food and flea infested
beds. It didn't help the reputation that in the days before high
street banks and the single European currency, it was often the local
innkeepers who took responsibility for money exchange. It was useful
source of income for them. |
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