When the time came for the Transfiguration of Christ, Jesus took three of his disciples to “a high mountain by themselves,” indicating that the sacred mysteriousness of this moment was something best experienced apart from the routine of ordinary life. This is the principle behind the act of pilgrimage: a journey to a place of spiritual significance, undertaken by one who is seeking closeness to Heaven while still on Earth.

Christian pilgrimages really began in the fourth century, when churches in the Holy Land were constructed in locations associated with the life of Christ. Throughout the centuries, pilgrims have likewise flocked to sites of Marian apparitions, miracles, and to places connected with the lives of saints. Some of the most iconic pilgrimage destinations include Fatima, Lourdes, and the Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

©LPi