Laura Díaz, smc – Italia
Sacred pilgrimages have a long history in Christian tradition. As a researcher studying ancient pilgrimage accounts, I find that these journeys began to take shape gradually after Christianity was tolerated in the Roman Empire in 313. Queen Helena, Constantine’s mother, and other intrepid travelers could be considered “proto-pilgrims,” recognizing the historical and religious significance of sacred places, though not yet considering them sacred ground.
Egeria’s pilgrimage
However, it was Egeria, an educated woman from the Roman province of Galicia, who left us one of the most fascinating early pilgrimage accounts. Traveling in the Holy Land for three years (between 381 and 384), she described a journey that was more spiritual than geographical. Her accounts reveal a deep connection with sacred space, suggesting that “prayer in the Holy Land had a power not accessible elsewhere.”
Pilgrimage is not religious tourism
Today, pilgrimage is often confused with religious tourism due to the wide availability of transportation. Yet, pilgrimage is fundamentally different. Whether partially or entirely on foot, partially or entirely in silence, alone or in small groups, pilgrimage is an intentional quest that involves leaving one’s “normal” residence for a place perceived as sacred.
The physical journey is merely the condition for a much deeper interior voyage. The pilgrim temporarily leaves behind familiar places – a kind of kenosis – trusting in God’s Providence and Care. Interestingly, arrival at the destination, which closes the pilgrimage, is often experienced as anticlimactic.
Symbols help us to understand this inner pilgrimage
Medieval church labyrinths embody this spiritual journey. The labyrinth symbolizes the maternal womb and is associated with rituals of fertilization, conception, gestation, and birth. These paths were likely used for processional dances on Easter, symbolizing escape from hell and emergence into the light of Christ’s resurrection.
The Holy Door, recently opened for the beginning of the Jubilee Year, invites us to enter this liminal space, to undertake a pilgrimage, to dance around the labyrinth’s path. The Holy Door represents the passage to salvation, the path to new and eternal life that Jesus opened for humanity.
The door now stands wide open, silently waiting for us to have the courage to leave the known behind and gently enter the unknown, letting the Triune God guide the dance so that humanity’s transformation may reach its fulfillment.
This understanding of pilgrimage remains vital for our time, inviting us to embrace transformation rather than merely seeking destinations.