What Is A Pilgrimage Church

Click to expand map of European pilgrimage routes One of the most important artistic developments in the Romanesque period is the pilgrimage church building. On the European continent, most of the routes led to Santiago de Compostela, the burial place of St. James the Greater. Along the way other churches were built -- to showcase their important relics and concenter pilgrims, an economical advantage to developing medieval towns. Pilgrimages were an important feature of public devotion, done as an human action of contrition or in hope for a miraculous cure from some physical ailment. By venerating saints, pilgrims hoped for remission of sins or release from disease.

	The plan was designed to accommodate big crowds and then that pilgrims could circulate around the edifice, along aisles, and by the shrine that was unremarkably displayed about the altar. Pilgramage churches are large and mostly have a long transept which intersects the nave. They ofttimes have a tower over the crossing of the nave and transept. (Contrast this plan with the early Christian basilica--a simple rectangle without a transept.) Characteristic of pilgrimage churches are their ambulatories, the hallways and aisles which circulate around the periphery ("ambulatory" means a place to "canter" or walk), and their radiating chapels -- small rooms which radiate from the principal plan.
	St. Sernin Church Toulouse, France end of 11th century
	St. Sernin is a typical, early example of the pilgrimage church. The apse (the finish opposite from the entrance) has radiating chapels where pilgrims could pause to pray and adore important relics. Note the crossing belfry as well. The nave interior of St. Sernin is too typically Romanesque. The high stone ceiling is barrel vaulted, a technique developed by the Romans -- thus the proper noun Romanesque. The walls are thick and heavy piers back up the rock ceiling. The bay divisions are conspicuously marked past ribs which continue effectually the vaulted ceiling--chosen transverse vaulting. Instead of a continuous book of infinite, as in the early Christian basilica, the nave is broken into identical, repeated volumes of space. The church is poorly lit since large window openings would violate the back up construction of the walls.
	St. Etienne Church Caen, France 1064-77
	A church building founded by William the Conquistador, St. Etienne has a typical Romanesque acme and nave wall. A second story gallery is in a higher place the side aisles and small-scale windows illuminate the nave. Note the round arches of the nave wall and the clear divisions between bays.

Fine art History for Humanities: Copyright � 1997 Bluffton College.
Text and image training by Mary Ann Sullivan. Design by Gerald W. Schlabach.

All images marked ^MAS were photographed on location past Mary Ann Sullivan. All other images were scanned from other sources or downloaded from the Earth Broad Spider web; they are posted on this password-protected site for educational purposes, at Bluffton College only, under the "fair employ" clause of U.Due south. copyright law.

Page maintained past Gerald W. Schlabach, gws@bluffton.edu. Final updated: thirteen October 1998 .