The practice of pilgrimage during medieval times Essay Example for Free

The dedicate of journey during medieval clips EssayExamine and Comment on the pr performice of pilgrimage during medieval times and its significance in the medieval churchAs pilgrimage in medieval times is a very(prenominal) gigantic topic to explore, I wee decided to office Canterbury as my focus. Canterbury was and is still viewn as a very important place for pilgrimage and was the main(prenominal) soil why pilgrims from opposite parts of England, Europe and tout ensemble over the world have jazz to love St Thomas Becket. I want to examine how pilgrimage at Canterbury substantial and evolved from Beckets death in 1170 to the renewal in the 1500s. What kind of an effect did this have on the cathedrals revenue surely the duomo saw a large profit? Even though people had been get a lineing Canterbury for centuries in sm whole groups so that they could abide by and honour saints like Augustine, Dunstan and Alphege, however, was it pilgrimage to the enclose of Th omas Becket, the murdered Archbishop, which made nigh the money for Canterbury?Did pilgrimage to his shrine help to make a very wide impact on pilgrimage in England as it brung the majority of pilgrims to Canterbury Cathedral? During the medieval ages Canterbury Cathedral saw its peak years in basis of the topic of visitors and revenue generated as thoroughly as its downfalls which I would like to explore along with the coarse criticisms of pilgrimage.R.Finucane begins his book Miracles and Pilgrims by asking why pilgrims in the early middle ages would be drawn to the mouldering be of a saint. The answer is most likely to be because they wanted a cure for their illnesses. Finucane describes cripples writhing on the floor of Beckets simple grave accent1Thomas Beckets death in 1170 had a massive effect on the number of pilgrims that came to Canterbury. later on he died in 1170 news of miracles spread almost immediately, non just in Canterbury but in other places around Engla nd. For example two days after the killing a Gloucester girl was corned of a head complaint after praying to the martyr2 A monk cal lead Benedict who was responsible for the relics recorded the primaryborn set of miracles. The following year another Canterbury monk, William recorded 483 miracles. Between the two monks the total which was recorded was 703 miracles in the first ten years after the Archbishops death.From these results we can see that William recorded a larger number of miracles than Benedict which shows that the news of miracles at Canterbury had spread widely even between the early years of 1171 and 11723. Sarah ground ball in addition tells us that it is estimate that almost a third of visitors to the shrine were exotic and it is alike interest to note that his shrinew received very much(prenominal) foreign pilgrims than any other. This large number of miracles that occurred would have encouraged more than pilgrims to gradually come to worship at the shr ine of St Thomas Becket and when pilgrims first started to visit the Cathedral to delight in Thomas Becket their experience would be a very ordered process. When they got there, there would be welcomed by a monk who would act as their guide and lead them on a tour which was very well structured. Monks would lead the pilgrims to the North transept which was the first pilgrimage station where Becket was murdered. From here the pilgrim would see a column aloof and an altar in it place to mark the spot, they would see two broken pieces of steel that had shattered Richard le Brets swords.This reminds pilgrims of the horrendous nature of Beckets death. However what was achieved by Beckets martyrdom was a better understanding and appreciation of what Becket suffered for his beliefs. rough pilgrims might withal go up the stairs, on their knees if they wished to the high altar where Beckets body was left the iniquity of his murder. Ascending this path towards the shrine would have been very symbolic for the pilgrim. The quality of the shrines location was of a very high quality as it was at the highest end of Canterbury Cathedral. This was because by following this course the pilgrims would be enacting not only(prenominal) the last steps taken by Thomas Becket but they would be excessively on a unearthly journey themselves. The next station they may visit is the crypt where the atmosphere was very different, more sombre and still. on that point they would see Beckets grave accent raised and there would be two oval holes where pilgrims situated their heads or their hand against the stone coffin. In keister Adairs book The Pilgrims Way he notes that a foreign pilgrim once wrote that church seemed to be piled on church, a new temple entered as soon as one ended4. This implies that the Cathedral was slightly overwhelming for many pilgrims going from station to station, all of which having their own significance. When they had seen scenes of Beckets miracles in t he stained glass windows this would encourage many to filled their lead ampullae at the Wall of St Thomas.This irrigate which could be brought at Canterbury was said to contain some of the saints blood. When Becket died the monks used cloth to salvage some of the blood from the saint. This water was also hand overn to many churches in England. This would also see the spreading of the message somewhat Beckets portend healing power. Was this water effective in miraculously curing diseases? Adair also mentions John who was a chaplain to the Archdeacon of Salop was bothered by an unlpeasant polypus in his nose. It started to cause paralysis he described the sensation of the water as c grey as ice, chasing the disease through his body and almost freezing his brain5 after a large sneeze he came across a cherry stone in his mouth. He was healed and walked al-Qaeda and he would not leave the cherry-stone behind as it was his evidence of a divine interventionOn 21st Febraury 1172, Bec ket was canonised by Pope Alexander III which brought a larger number of pilgrims to Canterbury. By fashioning someone a saint this would make up their popularity and make them better k at one timen. The cult of Thomas Becket had now officially began and thus leading to more people wanting to make their pilgrimage to Canterbury.One can only assume that Pope Alexander heard about Thomas Becket through news of him spreading because of pilgrims.Pilgrims also came to Canterbury to seek penance from St Thomas Becket. Penace was a common reason for many pilgrims to go on a pilgrimage. This was the idea that if you commited a sin you would carry out a pilgrimage to beg forgiveness at the shrine of a saint such as Thomas Becket. Chaucer (c1340 -1400) described,when a man has sinned openly, of which sin the fame is openly spoken in the countryCommon penance is that priests enjoin men commonly in certain cases, as for to go, peradventue, stark naked in pilgrimages or unshoedOne example of a pilgrim who walked in a sackcloth among pilgrims and also barefoot was enthalpy II, who was also the most famous pilgrim who sought forgivenessFurthermore he was also the most famous royal pilgrim who sought redemption at Beckets shrine after his men murdered the Archbishop. He walked barefoot from the West gate of the city to Beckets tomb. He allowed himself here to be scourged. This was not an unknown act amongst pilgrims. It was a frequent practice and seen as a punishment for those who were making a penance at Canterbury. The pilgrims would be beaten with rods by the clergy. Pilgrimage can also be seen as a spiritual journey as Langland describes that You must travel , both men and women, through Humility, until you arrive at sense of right and wrong there Christ may know for certain that you love God above all else6. So, this highlights the unearthly importance behind doing a penance as well.It was mainly local people who would come to visit Beckets tomb up to 1220 when hi s bones were translated to the new trinity chapel service which stood on the site of the old threesome Chapel. However, why did they choose to move his body there? a Canterbury monk explains that it stands on the site of the old Trinity Chapel, where he celebrated his first mass, where he was wont to prostrate himself with tears and prayers, under whose crypt for so many years he was buried, where God for his merits had performed so many miracles, where poor and rich, kings and princes, had worshipped him, and whence the function of his praises had gone forth into all lands7.These associations with the Archbishop was why they chose to translate his body to the new Trinity ChapelFestivals celebrated at CanterburyFestivals celebrated at Canterbury would also attract more pilgrims to Canterbury. People would crowd around the doors exterior the Cathedral on the vigils of the Translation and of saints Martyrdom. Here pilgrims may spend the night. Examples of activities that pilgrims would do include prayers, devotions, games and music. However, this would also give the opportunity for many thieves to steal from the pilgrims as they would often wander around the large crowds. Beckets translation led to the annual Canterbury fair on the 7th July which was The Feast of the Translation. Many booths and stalls would be opened making a lot of money from visitors. As the Feast of the Translation was set in the summer and not the winter like The Feast of St Thomas of Canterbury has attracted a larger number of pilgrims from further away. It is said that the first jubilee in 1220 gained a sum of 1,142 5s 8. This sum was mainly made up of the offering to the saints shrine and also the site of the martyrdomThere were also other factors which affected the revenue which were of a more kind and political nature. For example when the Cathedral hosted the Black Princes funeral in 1376 and the crowning of King George and Queen Isa tolla in Canterbury Cathedral this saw extrem ely high amounts in these years.The Customary and revenue at CanterburyIt was very important for the shrine to be well guarded every day and night because they had many important tasks to carry out. There was a guide of the custodians duties called the Customary which was written by two monks. There were two guards in the Trinity Chapel one was temporal and the other spiritual. In the summer they would get up at quintuplet and it would be six in the winter. They would celebrate a daily Mass in honour of Becket at his shrine and the spiritual guard was responsible for this as well as ringing a bell to gather the pilgrims .These guards also had to ensure that the pilgrims were well looked after because many would be exhausted so they would be offered food and refreshments. Before the Feast of the Translation they had to prepare the shrine for the festivities which were about to take place. The Customary also lists the expenditures from the coins that were offered at the shrine. We as sume that because of the many people that visited the shrine the Cathedral generated a great amount of revenue. However, fragrant bedstraw calculate that even though there were large some of money received by the Cathedral on both of its own Jubilee years of 1320 and 1370 the cellarers expenditures were extremely large and the accounts show an unfavourable balance9. In other words, this emans that more money had been worn-out(a) than generated at Canterbury Cathedral at this time.The CoronaBeyond the Trinity Chapel at the very eastern end of the Cathedral a special unique chapel was added to comfort the Corona or Beckets Crown which was a thin saucer of bone that had been sliced from the Saints skull. This would have also brought more pilgrims because it was a holy relic. Pilgrims would venerate the segment of skull that had been set in a golden twin of his head encrusted with gold.The Black Death (1349 -51) in the fourteenth century also had its impact on the practice of pilgri mage in Canterbury. The potbreak in 1348-9 led to the shrine of St Thomas Becket benfiting finacialy through generous offerings. near this time many may have gone to Canterbury in the hope that they would be healed. At this time when the Black Death was at its worse St Thomas saw some very generous offerings as well as St Mary who was in the undercroftHowever, in the 1400s how did the practice of pilgrimage develop? Offerings from pilgrims would add up to 700 at the shrine alone itself. Was the practice of pilgrimage at Canterbury any different at all from its earlier stages ? It wasnt an ordered process anymore. It would be a much noisier atmosphere compared to the early stages of pilgrimage at Canterbury. Many pilgrims would visit Beckets shrine at the apex of steps and altars. For a few coins pilgrims had the opportunity to see the canopy of Beckets shrine raised up and this would reveal gold and silver ornaments and gems and rubies. After the pilgrims had seen the sights at Can terbury and spent a night perhaps at Eastbridge Hospital they would leave the next day with phials of Canterbury water. This was their proof to their neighbours that they had seen he famous tomb of Thomas Becket.However criticisms of pilgrimage to Canterbury soon actual and it is becoming more and more evident that people were lavishly spending their money on souvenirs. William Thorpe was charged with heresy by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1407 because he expressed his views of how he guessd that it was a disservice to God by wasting money and forming rleations with lusty women in places such as Canterbury as well as Walsingham10 . Did the medieval pilgrims actually abuse pilgrimage or was their behaviour natural because of society at the time. This is certainly the reason as People in medieval times were eager to travel to new places and were probably overwhelmed by the sights and wanted to purchase items as proof that they had seen the famous tomb.However, the more people th at came to Canterbury Cathedral the more revenue that was gained Diana Webb notes that in 1370 Simon Sudbury, bishop of London told a group of pilgrims that were on their way to Canterbury for the Jubilee indulgence that they would receive no benefit from it11. The group of pilgrims who had heard this charge the bishop of criticising the merits of Thomas Becket. They prophesised that the bishop would meet an evil end and he was killed by the rebels from Watt Tylers rebellion in 1381.It was also commonly believed that as saints were able to leave their graves so a man didnt have to come in contact with a relic to invoke them or even punished by them. then(prenominal) when a woman called Aliza heard that a woman had lost their sight after visiting Beckets tomb sheburst out laughing, saying, Others whom the Martyr receives in sickness, he sends back healed, you, however, went there well, and now return blind. piece of music dissolved in laughter, Aliza was suddenly blinded, and even tually only partially cured12.Others may citicise motive such as going on pilgrimage for casual sexual experiences and some may use the journey in order to commit adultery. Is there any evidence however that pilgrimage was abused in this way of life? Sarah hopper tells us that most of Chaucers pilgrims show to a certain degree their lack of moral set and spiritual discipline. ThisIn 1500 a Venetian described how he saw the shrinethe magnificence of the tomb of St Thomas the martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury, is which surpasses all belief13. This was certainly the case until the Reformation where it is written that twenty -six wagons were required to transport all the trasures away from Beckets shrine when Henry octonary destroyed it. After 1538 when Henry VIII destroyed Beckets shrine and his bones there was no longer the amazing shrine for pilgrims to see.However, pilgrimage had again changed before Henry VIII destroyed the shrine . In 1532 there was evidence in a decrease of rev enue. In one of the sacristys books a note that the combined offerings at the cathedral added up to 13 13s 3d and this about thirty times less than received at the shrine when pilgrimage activity at Canterbury was at its highest. After the Reformation, Canterbury saw a substantive decrease in pilgrims visiting the Cathedral. In 1538 when Henry VIII destroyed Beckets shrine and his bones there was no longer the amazing shrine for pilgrims to see.Overall, pilgrimage to Canterbury had developed greatly in medieval times from Beckets martyrdom in 1170 to the Reformation in 1538. Early primeval episodes such as Beckets murder in 1170, his canonization in 1173 and his translation have seen a significant increase in pilgrims coming to Canterbury. The main motive seems to be in order to get healed because it is was news of his miracles spreading further that more people visited the tomb and then the shrine. Its most significant increase as suggested my most scholars such as Dianan Webb, was in 1220 when his bones were translated because of what medieval life was like this would have been a breathtaking and an amazing sight to behold.As time goes on motives may have been more based on seeing and just as an opportunity to travel. There are criticisms that have developed and even though we assume because of the large number of pilgrims that visited Canterbury and even though large sums were offered, it seems that because of large expenditures this did not make the cathedral much of a profit. When Henry VIII destroyed the shrine this meant that there wasnt much for people to see anymore seeing what seemed to be an end to pilgrimage at Canterbury. Overall, I believe it was Thomas Becket who William Langland describes a symbol of resistance to oppression of the Church by the secular power of his day14 which was the main reson that pilgrims ventured to Canterbury.1 R. Finucane Miracles and Pilgrims- Introduction page 92 William Purcell- Pilgrims England Chapter 7 Canterb ury and St Thomas p.1673 Sarah Hopper- To be a Pilgrim The Medieval Pilgrimage Experience Chapter 5 p.604 The Pilgrims Way- John Adair page 685 The Pilgrims Way- John Adair page 406 Piers Plowman- William Langland passus V page 617 The Pilgrims Way- John Adair page 688 To be a pilgrim- Gods Magic Shrines and Miracles Sarah Hopper p.1279 European Pilgrimage- Indulgences and Jubilees pg 7310 To be a Pilgrim chapter Oppositions to Pilgrimage- Sarah Hopper page 16211 Pilgrims and Pilgrimage Diana Webb- page 7212 R. Finucane Miracles and Pilgrims- p.34-513 Pilgrims England Chapter 7 Canterbury and Thomas William Purcell page183