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 PILGRIMAGES

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PILGRIMAGES

country in the game way as it towers above other Spanish centres of pilgrimage to the Blessed Virgin. Its existence can be traced to the tenth century, but it was not a centre of much devotion till the thir- teenth. The present church was only consecrated on 2 Feb., 1562. It is still much sought after in pilgrim- age (Champagnac, I, 1152-73).

Naples, Italy, is a city which has been for many centuries and for many reasons a centre of pilgrimage. Two famous shrines there are the Madonna del Carmine and Santa Maria della Grotta (Northcote, "Sanctuaries", 107-21; see also Januarius, Saint).

Oostacker, Ghent, Belgium, is one of the famous daughter-shrines of Lourdes. Built in imitation of that sanctuary and having some of the Lourdes water in the pool of the grotto, it has almost rivalled its parent in the frequency of its cures. Its inauguration began with a body of 2000 pilgrims, 29 July, 1875, since which time there has been a continuous stream of devout visitors. One has only to walk out there from Ghent on an ordinary afternoon to see many worshippers, men, women, whole parishes with their cures, etc. kneeling before the shrine or chanting before the Blessed Sacrament in the church (Scheer- linck, "Lourdes en Flandre", Ghent, 1876).

Oxford, England, contained one of the premier shrines of Britain, that of St. Frideswide. Certainly her relics were worthy of grateful veneration, espe- cially to Oxford dwellers, for it is to her that the city and university alike appear to owe their existence. Her tomb (since restored at great pains, 1S90) was the resort of many pilgrims. Few English kings cared to enter Oxford at all; but the whole university, twice a year, i. e. mid-Lent and Ascension Day, headed by the chancellor, came in solemn procession to offer their gifts. The Catholics of the city have of late years reorganized the pilgrimage on the saint's feast- day, 19 Oct. (Wall, 63-71).

Padua, Italy, is the centre of a pilgrimage to the rehcs of St. Anthony. In a vast choir behind the sanc- tuary of the church that bears his name is the treasury of St. Anthony; but his body reposes under the high altar. Devotion to this saint has increased so enor- mously of late years that no special days seem set apart for pilgrimages. They proceed continuously all the year round (Cherance, "St. Anthony of Padua", tr. London, 1900).

Pennant Melangell, Montgomery, Wales, to judge from the sculptured fragments of stone built into the walls of the church and lych gate, was evidently a place of note, where a shrine was built to St. Mel- angell, a noble Irish maiden. The whole structure as restored stands over eight feet high and originally stood in the Cell-y-Bedd, or Cell of the Grave, and was clearly a centre of pilgrimage (Wall, 48).

Poniigny, Yvonne, France, was for many centuries a place of pilgrimage as containing the shrine of St. Edmund of Canterbury. Special facilities were al- lowed by the French king for English pilgrims. The Huguenots despoiled the shrine, but the relics were saved to be set up again in a massive ch&sse of eigh- teenth-century workmanship. In spite of the troubles in France the body remains in its old position, .and is even carefully protected by the Government (Wall, 171-5).

Puche, Valencia, Spain, is the great Spanish sanc- tuary dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy, in honour of whom the famous Order of Mercy came into being through Spanish saints. The day of pilgrimage was the feast of Our Lady of Mercy, 24 Sept. (Champa- gnac, II, 488-92).

Rocamadour, Lot, France, was the centre of much devotion as a shrine of the Blessed Virgin. Amongst its pilgrims may be named St. Dominic; and the hea\'y mass of iron hanging outside the chapel wit- nesses to the legendary pilgrimage of Roland, whose good sword Durendal was deposited there till it was

stolen with the other treasures by Henry II's turbulent eldest son, Henry Court Mantel (Drane, "Hist, of St. Dominic", London, 1891,302-10; Laporte, "Guide du pclerin a Rocamadour", Rocamadour, 1862).

Rochtville, Toulouse, France. — The legend of its origin fixes the date of its apparition of the Blessed Virgin as 1315. Long famous, then long neglected, it has once more been restored. During the octave of the Nativity of Our Lady (8-15 Sept.) it is visited by quite a large body of devout pilgrims (Champagnac, II, 101).

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, contains a sanctuary dedi- cated to Our Lady of Travel. This statue is in a convent of nuns situated just outside the city, on the east of the bay. It is devoutly venerated by the pious people of Brazil, who invoke the protection of the Blessed Virgin on their journeys (Champagnac, II, 517-8).

Rome, Italy, has had almost as much influence on the rise of Christian pilgrimages as the Holy Land. The sacred city of the Christian world, where lay the bodies of the twin jirince Apostles, attracted the love of every pious Christian. We have quoted the words of St. Chrysostom who yearned to see the relics of St. Paul; and his desire has been expressed in action in everj' age of Christian time. The early records of everj' nation (of the histories of Eusebius, Zosimus, Socrates, Bede, etc. passim) give name after name of bishop, king, noble, priest, layman who have jour- neyed to visit as pilgrims the liniina Apostolomm. Full to repletion as the city is with relics of Christian holiness, the "rock on which the Church is built" has been the chief attraction; and Bramante has well made it the centre of his immortal temple. Thus St. Marcius came with his wife Martha and his two sons all the way from Persia in 269; St. Pat emus from Alexandria in 253; St. Maurus from Africa in 284. Again Sts. Constantine and Victorian on their arrival at Rome went straight to the tomb of St. Peter, where soldiers caught them and put them to death. So also St. Zoe was found praying at the tomb of St. Peter and martyred. Even then in these early days the practice of pilgrimages was in full force, so that the danger of death did not deter men from it (Barnes, "St. Peter in Rome", London, 1900, 146). Then to overleap the centuries we find records of the Saxon and Danish kings of England trooping Romewards, so that the very name of Rome has become a verb to ex-press the idea of wandering (Low Lat., romerus; Old Fr., romieu; Sp., romero; Port., romeiro; A. S., romaign; M. E., romen; Modern, roam). And of the Irish, the same uninterrupted custom has held good till our own day (Ulster Archanslog. Jour., VII, 238-42). Of the other nations there is no need to speak.

It is curious, however, to note that though the chief shrine of Rome was undoubtedly the tomb of the Apostles — to judge from all the extant records — yet the pilgrim sign (see below) which most commonly be- tokened a palmer from Rome was the "vernicle" or reproduction of St. Veronica's veil. Thus Chaucer (Bell's edition, London, 1861, 105) describes the pardoner: —

"That strait was comen from the Court of Rome A vernicle had he served upon his cappe". However, there was besides a medal with a reproduc- tion of the heads of Sts. Peter and Paul and another with the crossed keys. These pilgrimages to Rome, of which only a few early instances have been given, have increased of late years, for the prisoner of the Vatican, who cannot go out to his children, has become, since 1870, identified with the City of the Seven Hills in a way that before was never for long experienced. Hence the pope is looked upon as embodying in his person the whole essence of Rome, so that to-day it is the pope who is the living tomb of St. Peter. All this has helped to increase the de\'otion and love of the Cath- olic world for its central city and has enormously