Pilgrimage
By Jonathan Sumption
Ich thinke it bothe mete and righte that thou shalt rede this grete boke. I loved this book. If you are interested in how the medieval cult of saints arose, how relics were venerated and dispersed, the laws surrounding pilgrimage, and the sexual and class politics of pilgrimage, this book is the place to turn. You will learn under what circumstances a pilgrimage would be required (criminals from Liege were sent to Rome and were required to climb the steps of the Lateran Basilica their knees and remain kneeling for the duration of five masses; in 1186, arson could be punished by a pilgrimage to Jerusalem; at Maastricht, murderers were allowed to buy their way out of the pilgrimages they were ordered to make), the documentation one could receive to prove one had completed one’s penance, and the laws governing pilgrims on the road. Chapters you shouldn’t miss include: The Cult of Relics,” “The Saints and Their Relics,” “The Pursuit of the Miraculous,” “The Growth of a Cult,” and a chapter entitled “Light-Minded and Inquisitive Persons.” Many Chaucer references throughout.
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