What is pilgrimage in Christianity. Orthodox pilgrimage - origins
Anatoly Makarov points out that: “Every pilgrim who took upon himself the feat of a pious journey dreamed of visiting the Kyiv shrines. Thousands of miles walked to Kyiv, for example, from Perm or Arkhangelsk.”
1 At the same time, Orthodox travelers, instead of traveling by carriage, chose the same ancient method of transportation - on foot. Often, “train passengers saw from the windows of the carriages chains of pilgrims stretching to Kyiv along the railway track.”
2. Kyiv attracted tired pilgrims with its numerous churches and monasteries, in which great shrines were kept: incorruptible relics, miraculous icons. An abundance of grace was poured out in its cathedrals, which is why Kyiv was popularly called “Russian Palestine”. “You can’t go to Palestine, you have your own,” the pilgrims said to each other. Go to Kyiv and worship the host of the Kiev-Pechersk ascetics there. Don't know the way? Don’t be embarrassed, your tongue will take you to Kyiv.”
Anatoly Makarov continues: “In the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, Kyiv occupied a leading place among all other centers of Orthodox pilgrimage of enormous Russian Empire.
Parties of pilgrims went to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Rostov and Uglich, the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, reached the Solovetsky, Valaam and Konevetsky monasteries in the North, and in the South they worshiped miraculous icons and relics in Zadonsk, Mgar, Belgorod, Pochaev and Kaplunov near Akhtyra.”
3 “It is known that from constant walking their feet became swollen and covered with blisters. Often, novice pilgrims did not reach, but crawled to their places of overnight stay.”
4. “In crowded sailing ships heading for a pilgrimage to the Solovetsky Monastery, they were subjected to terrible torture. In calm conditions, rowing could last a week or longer.”
5. In winter, the abbot of the Valaam Monastery, Damascene, sent monks to meet tired pilgrims on Ladoga. “Often, almost without shoes, in very rags, in the harsh winter..., the poor people go across the lake to the monastery, and it often happens that these unfortunate people are found frozen several miles from the monastery.”
6. What motivated these people? What feelings of spiritual delight filled the hearts of the pilgrims that, leaving all the blessings of the world, they gave themselves up to wandering from monastery to monastery. They often stayed there to live, taking monasticism. And it is unlikely that they were motivated by the desire to live for a few days in the monastery courtyard and receive alms for the journey.
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky answers this difficult question. He wrote that “for the humble soul of the Russian commoner, exhausted by labor and grief, and most importantly, by ever-present injustice and everlasting sin, both one’s own and the world’s, there is no stronger need and consolation than to find a shrine or a saint, to fall before him and worship him . If we have sin, untruth and temptation, then there is still a saint and a higher one on earth somewhere; he has the truth, he knows the truth; This means that she does not die on earth, and, therefore, someday she will come to us and reign throughout the entire earth, as promised.”
7. They were driven by the desire to contemplate the shrines, venerate them and experience a unique, supernatural miracle. Under the wise guidance of the elderly, measure yourself against infinity and change for the better.
The main thing for the pilgrim was to get to the holy monastery, and, bypassing all the hardships and sorrows associated with long walks on foot, he finally achieved the desired result. If a person nevertheless returned home, then he was already completely different, transformed.
In this regard, pilgrimage is a process that once begins and continues throughout life. In holy places, a person drew life-giving Divine grace, helping to overcome everyday adversity.
“The pilgrims did not have any special clothing; everyone wore the costume of their region. And yet, looking at them, an experienced observer could discern something characteristic and specific”8. The facial expressions and actions of the pilgrims clearly indicate what guides them on such a dangerous path, fraught with difficulties and hardships at every step.
Not only the poor, but also the nobility and even the imperial couple made pilgrimages. Elizaveta Petrovna herself went on foot on pilgrimage from Moscow to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. As Nemirovich-Danchenko testifies, the nobility often dressed in modest clothes, joining a group of pilgrims in this guise.
A common occurrence at that time was going to shrines for the sake of some good deed. Either to resolve a difficult issue, or for the sake of recovery loved one. I remember an incident from the life of St. Ilya Muromets, when he was healed through the prayer of an elder pilgrim he received.
Pilgrims brought significant donations to the monastery for the glory of God, and the monasteries always provided shelter and food for pilgrims.
This is how pilgrimage was in the past. How does it appear now? Modern pilgrims, for many reasons, have switched to buses or other means of transportation, but their inner motivations and goals remain the same. Only our generation, after a destructive era, inherited destroyed and desecrated monasteries. Therefore, the modern pilgrim has another concern - to work in the field of restoring what was destroyed. Most of all, remote small monasteries and monastic hermitages need our help.
The question arises - how will a modern pilgrim react to this, will he make his contribution, because it depends on him in what condition the holy places will be received by the coming generation.
Pilgrimage tours are becoming increasingly popular these days. Various large and not so large travel agencies vying with each other to visit holy places. They promise that you will receive grace and spiritual enlightenment, only by touching the shrines. Pilgrimage is becoming incredibly fashionable, because in “high society” it is so nice to show off your piety by mentioning a trip to Jerusalem or Mount Athos. But few people seriously think about what real pilgrims should be like. These are, in fact, not at all the people who roam the cities of Palestine in crowds with cameras and stand with curiosity at the Western Wall. Pilgrimage is something deeper and more spiritual, which renews a person and lifts him above all worldly problems. Today our article is devoted to this very topic.
Pilgrims - who are they?
The history of pilgrimage goes back to the distant past. Even in the Old Testament, cases of traveling to certain places for prayer and sacrifices are mentioned. But the term itself came to us from the Latin language; translated from it, pilgrims are people who go on a journey to places that have sacred meaning for believers. In Latin, the word means “palm branch,” because it symbolizes the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. In Russia, this symbol is replaced by young willow shoots.
Brief description of the pilgrimage
Some people firmly believe that a pilgrim has no nationality or religion during his journey. He is guided by faith in the one higher power, and what religion he belongs to does not matter. Actually this is not true. After all, everyone religious movement There are holy places that need to be visited. Moreover, certain time periods are also outlined when it is worth going to worship at certain shrines. For example, an Orthodox pilgrim considers it his duty to touch the Holy Sepulcher during Easter week. At this time, the soul of a true Christian is filled with incredible love, light and piety.
Besides Christians, pilgrimage is very common among Muslims, Buddhists and Shintoists. Also quite often, residents of Nepal and India go to holy places. According to their religious beliefs, every resident of the country should go on a pilgrimage at least once in their life. Only after this can you arrange your worldly life and start a family. Moreover, in the future it is not forbidden to visit holy places more than once; everything depends on the spiritual development and needs of the believer himself.
A few facts from the history of pilgrimage
We have already noted that in the New and Old Testament the first “walks” to holy places are mentioned. But it is still quite difficult to call them full-fledged pilgrimages. Historians believe that this movement began to spread around the third century. During this period, there was severe persecution of Christians by the Romans, who sought to destroy almost all reminders of Christ and even rename the cities in which the Savior worked his miracles.
Since the fourth century, when Christians were no longer persecuted by the authorities, pilgrimages to the Holy Land became very common. Believers actively traveled and talked about miraculous events that happened to them during their trip to places of worship.
In the fifteenth century, Catholic pilgrims were required to seek permission for their journey from the Pope; they dressed in special clothes on which a red cross was sewn. Many shipowners entered into special contracts with groups of pilgrims and accompanied them on their journey. We can say that these were the first organized pilgrimage tours. After all, taxes were paid for the group, everyone was provided with food and taken to the most famous holy places.
At the end of the nineteenth century, pilgrimage groups reached about three hundred people. Entire sea vessels were hired to transport them, and such a journey could last more than one year.
Pilgrimage to Russia
An Orthodox pilgrim in Rus' is a special type of believer who is ready to travel halfway around the world to achieve his goal. Initially, such trips were chaotic and unorganized, but by the twelfth century they had become so widespread that the clergy were even forced to stop many parishioners from the long and difficult journey. The pilgrims brought many interesting things from their trips. For example, Russian believers brought special clothing symbolizing their status from Constantinople. It “took root” in Rus' and became a distinctive sign by which one Orthodox pilgrim recognized another.
Of course, over the course of several centuries, attitudes towards travel to the Holy Land changed frequently. They either stopped almost completely due to the unstable situation in the Middle East, or resumed again. Since the mid-nineteenth century, pilgrimage trips to Jerusalem have become increasingly popular among Orthodox Christians. Nowadays, interest in pilgrimage is growing not only among churchgoers, but also among those who are taking their first steps on the path to God.
Pilgrimage routes
Over many years of “going” to holy places, directions have been determined that are priorities for Orthodox Christians. They can be represented by the following list:
- Palestine;
- Greek Athos;
- relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (Italy);
- right hand of John the Baptist (Cetina, Montenegro).
Of course, this is not a complete list of places where pilgrims come to worship. But for those who set out on such a journey for the first time, it is enough to visit one shrine. Don’t get carried away and try to embrace the immensity.
The position of the Orthodox Church in relation to pilgrimage
Clergymen do not always have a clear attitude towards traveling to the Holy Land. Indeed, in most cases, newly-made pilgrims treat them as something fashionable. But holy places do not tolerate emptiness of soul and vanity in hearts, so you should not become like fashion trends and rush to get ready, inspired by the stories of friends or work colleagues. The clergy say that pilgrimages to the Holy Land must be purposeful. That is, a person must clearly understand what he wants to get during this journey. And the result of the pilgrimage cannot be expressed in something material; the main thing is spiritual nourishment and strengthening in faith.
Preparing for the pilgrimage: main stages
Perhaps this will seem strange to the laity, but before going to holy places, pilgrims are prepared for some time. Usually this is done only by churchgoers who understand what a pilgrimage is. Preparatory stage can be divided into several mandatory points:
- gospel study;
- repentance;
- communion;
- reading church literature about the place of pilgrimage;
- asking permission to travel from the priest.
If you complete all the above points, then before your long-awaited trip you will be able to answer the question why you need a trip to holy places.
Organized pilgrimage trips to Jerusalem: description and approximate cost
Today, almost anyone can go on a pilgrimage; to do this, you just need to contact a travel agency. Most of them organize special tours to holy places, most often travelers go to Jerusalem.
If we analyze all the offers on the tourism market, we can say with confidence that most trips do not last more than eight days. They usually include not only Jerusalem, but also several other places. The most popular pilgrimage route is Bethlehem - Jerusalem - Jordan River. Orthodox Christians visit these places for a week; in a short period of time they will visit several shrines and will even be able to walk the path of Christ to Golgotha. An obligatory point of the program is the Edicule - the place where, according to assumptions, the body of Christ was transferred after the crucifixion. The temple, built over an ancient cave, is a shrine for Christians of all faiths.
Such pilgrimages are made mainly from Moscow, and the cost of a trip starts from fifty thousand rubles. This amount includes airfare Moscow - Tel Aviv, hotel accommodation, local travel and meals (breakfast).
Unfortunately, in the modern world, pilgrims are more often wealthy tourists who can afford an expensive tour than people in need of spiritual development and renewal. This is why the very concept of “going to holy places” is so devalued in society. But if you experience an inner heartfelt thirst, as the clergy say, for holy places, and are ready to overcome a lot of difficulties in order to make a long journey, then rest assured that you are a real pilgrim, blessed by God.
Date of publication or update 04.11.2017
Briefly about the pilgrimage.
A pilgrimage is an introduction to the thousand-year-old tradition of the spiritual life of the Church, most fully embodied in the history of numerous monasteries of Holy Rus'. If the pilgrimage is made with a feeling of repentance, with a desire for spiritual renewal, then staying in the holy monastery allows a worldly person to taste, at least to a small extent, the grace-filled fruits of a “different” (hence the “monasticism”) life, dedicated to God, for the sake of which monasteries were created.
Pilgrimage is a walk or journey to holy places with clearly defined spiritual goals.
Among the traditional aspirations of our ancestors when making pilgrimages are the following: religious rite in a special place or participation in such (prayer, communion, confession, unction), offering prayers in a holy place;
worship of a holy place, temple, relics, miraculous icons; pilgrimage in hopes of religious enlightenment, spiritual improvement, spiritual uplift;
pilgrimage in hopes of receiving grace, spiritual and physical healing, receiving advice (for example, in Optina Pustyn they went to the elders for advice);
pilgrimage to fulfill a vow or atone for sins;
pilgrimage in hopes of obtaining offspring for the sake of marriage;
a pilgrimage to strengthen the spirit before making important decisions, before marriage, travel, before the battle for the Faith and the Fatherland.
When making a pilgrimage (as opposed to a tourist trip), it is necessary to have the opportunity to pray, defend the Liturgy, and receive communion at the shrine without haste and fuss. Pilgrims often say that prayer at the shrine gives a feeling of special spiritual unity of those praying, a feeling of grace, spiritual joy. The prayer experience gained by pilgrims in communion with the shrines they visit is an element of spiritual growth.
Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy Alexey Ilyich Osipov says: “The purpose of the pilgrimage is to come into contact with the reality that took place centuries and even millennia ago, to find Better conditions for prayer."
"If you just went to explore new monastery, then this is not a pilgrimage, even if believers come. After all, pilgrimage is often associated with preparation for confession, for communion, and attending divine services.
The same journey can become both a pilgrimage and tourism. A person drives just like that, and lo and behold, his soul is touched! Or you can even go to the Holy Land and not think about prayer. But if a person travels in order to live like a Christian for at least a few days, then this is already a pilgrimage. This is asceticism - from the Greek “askeo”, that is, “I exercise.” After all, probably any person will tell you that the most difficult thing is to pray.”
Pilgrimage is initially a religious feat, a feat of asceticism. A man left his reliable world - home, family, village. He became “on the road” - defenseless. This was the case in a world where the law often ended at the outskirts or at the city gates, and on the road the law of force often operated. The pilgrims walked to Jerusalem, knowing that they could die, because passing through Muslim countries without knowing the language is dangerous. In Western Europe in the Middle Ages, a criminal could have his harsh sentence replaced by a pilgrimage, in which a person had to overcome dangers, realize the sinfulness of his actions and beg for forgiveness. In the era of the wars for the Holy Sepulcher, this was a severe test.
In its spiritual essence, pilgrimage is in some way akin to monasticism. Both here and here a person left home and his usual life, with a soul-saving goal in mind. The pilgrim “walks in the footsteps” of the Savior and the Mother of God - this stereotypical expression was widely used in pilgrimage and hagiographic texts. The pilgrim, like the monk, had to pass between the temptations that awaited him, each of which was capable of destroying the spiritual benefits of the pilgrimage.
Pilgrimage is work, it is fact of a person's biography. But between the shrine and the wanderer lies a difficult road test, full of labors and hardships, patience and sorrows, dangers and hardships. Here is the overcoming of one’s own weaknesses and worldly temptations, the acquisition of humility, the test of humility, and sometimes the test and purification of faith.
In what form to undertake the pilgrimage, each person decides for himself. There are people who prefer to travel to holy places on their own. The spiritual benefits of pilgrimage largely depend on the circumstances of the life of the pilgrim himself, on his state of mind, marital status, physical strength and other factors. For some it is good to live and work for two or three weeks in one monastery, while for others, on the contrary, it is useful to go on such a journey with the whole family, moving from place to place in two or three days.
Many mature people come with children. More and more young people are among the pilgrims, including members of Orthodox youth associations.
If you decide to live in a monastery for a week or two and receive the blessing of the governor, in this case you need to make efforts to ensure that your personal life merged with monastic life. We must try to attend all services and perform obediences. Such a stay in the monastery allows you to enter into a rhythm, which even psychologically has a beneficial effect on a worldly person, allows you to calm down and try to comprehend your life without fuss and everyday worries. After all, the monastery has a special atmosphere, a special spiritual atmosphere, which you won’t really feel in two or three days.
The extent and depth of people's churching is different, and their understanding of the meaning and significance of pilgrimage is also different.
Among the visitors there are often those who have recently crossed the threshold of the temple. Sometimes you meet people who are completely unchurched, driven more by curiosity. If a person makes a trip just for the sake of curiosity, it is no longer a pilgrimage.
But, accepting people, including tourists, monastics are obedient - they open up the world of faith for many people. Sometimes it is tourists, and not pilgrims, who turn out to be the most grateful listeners and truly experience the shock of meeting the world of Faith, which they approached with such apprehension. But, of course, the reverent attitude towards the shrine and delicate behavior on the territory of the monastery are the majority modern people Need to learn. Therefore, we still need to remind ourselves of the difference between pilgrimage and tourism.
Compared to a tourist trip, a pilgrimage trip does not have an entertainment section of the program, although health-improving and educational recreation as such is allowed.
One of the important aspects pilgrimage trips is their spiritual and educational component. When visiting holy places, people learn about the history and spiritual traditions of monasteries and churches, the peculiarities of worship, saints and devotees of piety, whose life and work were connected with the shrines included in the pilgrimage route. Pilgrims have the opportunity to talk with the inhabitants of the monasteries, some find confessors for themselves.
Pilgrimage plays an important educational role. Monasteries and churches in Rus' have always been not only places of spiritual activity, but also cultural centers. Books, icons, works of applied art, and folk crafts have been accumulated here for centuries.
Monastery and temple buildings were the main architectural monuments of their era - especially before the 18th century. Therefore, a pilgrimage trip provides an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with the history, architecture, iconography, and craft traditions of Russia.
If you have little experience in pilgrimage trips, you may need advice on various issues.
There are a few important points to make.
It is good to coordinate the trip with the parish priest, taking his blessing for this good cause.
He can answer questions that arise in connection with the pilgrimage of new Christians. You can also turn for help to the pilgrimage center of the Ryazan diocese.
Not worth including on your trip a large number of visited places, so as not to organize “high-speed races” with the goal of “venerating all the icons and shrines” instead of a reverent pilgrimage. During your trip, plan your time so that you can leisurely pray at shrines, attend divine services, and reflect on your experience.
Of course, we need to find time to prepare for the pilgrimage. Such preparation is a purely individual matter. Some pilgrims fast for a week before the pilgrimage, giving up meat and dairy foods, vanity and idle talk during the pilgrimage. Many people consider it necessary to stop using cigarettes, alcohol, and cosmetics. In most cases, people realize that pilgrimage is associated with prayerful efforts. For some participants in pilgrimage trips, they are valuable for the opportunity to communicate with like-minded people, like-minded people, which is missing in everyday life, reading and discussing spiritual literature, communication with brethren, and a feeling of unity in faith.
If your goal is to receive spiritual reinforcement, to feel grace, to mysteriously come into contact with it, then for this need a prayerful attitude. Wherein it is very important that the inner mood of the person with whom he comes to the shrine is sincere.
The revival of Russian pilgrimage was facilitated by the example His Holiness Patriarch Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, who repeatedly visited the Holy Land and many holy places of both domestic and universal Orthodoxy. Great importance had pilgrimage trips V.V. Putin when he was President of the Russian Federation. He was the first in history, as the head of the Russian state, to visit Jerusalem and Holy Mount Athos.
Pilgrimage trips help to understand the depths of Orthodoxy and its history, contribute to churching and deepening of faith, and educate a person in Christian tradition. But what is especially important is that the journey to Orthodox shrines promotes the unity of the Orthodox people, connecting us all with strong spiritual ties with our glorious ancestors, who kept the Russian Faith and State in purity.
The pilgrimage has long been revered throughout the world. Places of Orthodox pilgrimage in Russia, filled with sources of holiness, annually welcome thousands of travelers who want to be enriched by spiritual growth through contact with the shrine.
Who are pilgrims and when did they appear in Orthodoxy?
The word "pilgrim" is derived from "palm tree". After the death and Resurrection of Jesus, Christians all over the world made trips to Jerusalem to Mount Calvary and the Holy Sepulcher, carrying palm branches in memory of the Savior’s triumphal entry into the city before the celebration of Easter.
About Christ:
Pilgrimage to the Holy Land of Israel
Pilgrims, or, as they were called in Russia, pilgrims, traveled on foot, overcoming the hardships of the journey in fasting and prayer, in order to grow spiritually as they approached the shrine.
The final goal of the pilgrimage is one of the shrines revered in Orthodoxy:
- pieces of Jesus' clothing;
- the instruments of His death;
- pieces of the Life-Giving Cross;
- miraculous icons;
- graves of the Holy Saints;
- springs with the healing power of water.
The desire to be filled with spiritual strength drives wanderers to make long journeys in order to touch places consecrated by the presence of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and saints. The desire to be filled with holiness and cleansed of sins gives strength to accomplish the feat of pilgrimage.
Some themselves demanded spiritual cleansing, while others were subject to penance. The main thing is that a person, going on a walk to places consecrated by shrines, temporarily renounced earthly riches and comforts, living practically in poverty.
Committing himself completely to the will of the Lord, a person rushed to the shrine in order to pray in a holy place and put on the new man. (Eph. 4:22-24).
The Old Testament says that the Jews tried to get to Jerusalem to celebrate Easter, which at that time symbolized the exit from Egyptian slavery, for which they hired ships, some made pedestrian crossings.
Overcoming the dusty roads of Anatolia, passing through the heated deserts of Cilicia, traveling through mountains and plains, the pilgrims took with them only the necessary things.
Wandering and pilgrimage
Sometimes pilgrim life, filled with trials and dangers, lasted months and even years. The only guide for wandering pilgrims was the will of God and faith in His mercy.
Important! The pilgrimage was performed by spiritually believing people; in deprivation and suffering they grew in faith.
The feat of faith in ancient times also consisted in the fact that the pilgrim, leaving his family, did not know whether he would return back, surrendering himself to the will of the Creator.
Christian pilgrims
In the fourth century, by order of Queen Helena, the Life-Giving Cross was found on which Jesus was crucified. This event caused a stir among Christians, many of whom went on pilgrimages to the holy place in Jerusalem.
The veneration of places associated with the presence of the Savior spreads throughout Palestine, which began to be called the Holy Land. With the benevolence of Constantine the Great, pious excavations were carried out throughout the country, which do not stop to this day.
Archaeological excavations in Jerusalem
The Council of Nicea in 325 blessed the opening of the holy places of Palestine and Jerusalem.
At the site of the Nativity of Christ in Bethlehem, on Mount Calvary and the site of the Ascension, temples are built, which have become mandatory for pilgrimage trips to Palestine.
Features of Russian Orthodox pilgrimage
A special boom in pilgrimage in Russia began at the beginning of the twentieth century, which radically influenced people's lives. Russian shrines, God's people, elders and ascetics attracted pilgrims who wanted to strengthen their faith and cleanse themselves of filth.
The pilgrimage can be:
- One-day.
During one day, pilgrims can visit a nearby monastery or the grave of a saint. Most often this happens upon the arrival of a famous priest of high rank or the arrival of a healing icon, the remains of holy relics, or according to tradition to visit Holy place on certain days.
- To our neighbors.
Close pilgrimages take place within the same or nearby dioceses. Sometimes pilgrims go out for several days, living in monasteries, worshiping the shrine, which has become the goal of pilgrimage. The good glory of the holy place attracts wanderers from near and far villages, who make nearby pilgrimages several times a year.
- Distant.
Nowadays, as in ancient times, long pilgrimage trips are made to Athos, to the relics of St. Nicholas in Italy and other holy places.
Pilgrimage to the Shroud of Turin, Italy
The first wanderers took on the role of announcers, when in the first centuries it was necessary to move from village to village to spread news from the Church or temples. True wanderers had vows, a staff and a bag. They had no money and lived on the aid of the church they served.
In the eighteenth century, wanderers appeared in Russia, people who left the world. These pilgrims do not know where their journey will end. Having abandoned the blessings of the world, wanderers live in monasteries or near holy places, subsisting on alms. The whole world recognizes the feat of wandering.
The 19th century was the heyday of the pilgrimage movement in Russia.
If modern pilgrims dream of visiting the Holy Sepulcher, then in the old days pilgrims flocked to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. It was a feat of pilgrimage to complete this trek on foot or in a cart, carrying only water and crackers.
About other places of pilgrimage:
- Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg
Kiev-Pechersk Lavra
After the revolution, pilgrims and wanderers were persecuted, some of them were imprisoned for their faith. But the destroyed churches and monasteries in which shrines were kept did not cease to attract faithful Christians.
Purposes of pilgrimages
Pilgrims choose their path, as a rule, focusing not on distance, but on special reasons for life.
- True worshipers of Christ, while walking to holy places, seek strengthening in faith or wait for help in solving some difficult life issue.
- Apostasy from the Church often prompts pilgrims to go on hiking trips to atone for the sin of apostasy, their own or that of someone close to them.
- The oppressive sins of youth are the reason why people go on pilgrimage.
- Incurable illnesses or absence of children become the purpose of Orthodox pilgrimages.
- Votive pilgrimages are very important, when in some situation a person makes a vow to God, if the outcome is positive, to make a pilgrimage to certain places.
Modern pilgrimage
In the modern Christian world there is a growing stream of Christians who want to be filled with piety.
The pilgrimage gave impetus to the development of the tourism business, which facilitates movement between cities and countries, saving the energy and time of pilgrims. If earlier pilgrims sacrificed time and convenience, then modern Christians pay money, sometimes earned through hard work.
Christians who have visited holy places become familiar with the shrines themselves, and then tell other believers about them, arousing in them the desire to make a pilgrimage.
Modern pilgrimage
Haven't disappeared from modern world and wanderers, there are much fewer of them, but they exist. Sometimes a husband and wife, to whom God has not given children, take a vow and for a certain time move from shrine to shrine, asking God for forgiveness for their personal and ancestral sins, in order to lift the curse of childlessness.
Every Orthodox believer can join in the pilgrim’s feat by donating a certain amount to him for the pilgrimage.
A reminder to the modern pilgrim
When going on a pilgrimage, you should first understand its spiritual importance. A trip to the shrine is not an excursion, but a worship of the saints and God in the person of the Holy Trinity and the Mother of God.
When choosing a trip to holy places, a Christian must clearly define the purpose of his trip.
- If this is just a trip to get acquainted with the history of a temple, icon or holy place, then he only needs to collect a certain amount and set off. This is not bad at all and is not something wrong.
- An Orthodox pilgrim, setting out on a journey to understand the depth of Christian teaching, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, must necessarily receive the blessing of a spiritual mentor or priest in the temple.
- When heading to the relics or graves of saints, it is necessary to become familiar with the lives of God’s saints, to find out what their Christian feat was, what grace this place is filled with.
Many saints ended their lives disabled in human terms. So, Saint Luke went blind, blessed Matronushka spent her life in bed, and St. Panteleimon was decapitated for his Christian faith, but they all remained faithful to Jesus, in His name they healed and filled the souls of people with spiritual joy.
By losing their bodies, the saints gained the Lord's things. Nowadays there are many false saints who accept money, promising healing and wealth. Perhaps the applicant will get what he wants, but what is the price for him, and what power is given.
Pilgrimage is not tourism; sometimes it is enough to perform the feat of repentance in your church to be filled with the Holy Spirit and find the answer to the problem.
Rushing abroad, some Christians do not bother to inquire about the holy places located in their hometown or village.
When in Moscow there were hours-long queues for the belt of the Mother of God, few people knew that the Church of the Prophet Elijah was protecting a piece of the same shrine.
When planning to attend a service in a monastery, be sure to first read its rules so as not to find yourself in an awkward position when you are not allowed to receive Communion due to your absence from all-night prayer, for example. When going on a pilgrimage, do not forget that spiritual life does not consist only of health, family relationships and material wealth.
For pilgrims, the main goal is to strengthen faith and receive the gift of love for one's neighbor, through love for Jesus and acceptance of His sacrifice. Mother Russia is rich in shrines to which pilgrims from all over the world travel, so let’s first go through our native places.
About the tradition of Orthodox pilgrimage. Archpriest Vladimir Golovin
) for the purpose of worship and prayer; In general, believers go to holy places to worship.
Christian custom is based on the desire of believers to worship places and shrines associated with Christ, the apostles, the Blessed Virgin Mary, pray in front of miraculous icons, and plunge into the sacred waters of the Jordan River and holy springs. Other religions have similar customs:
- Hajj - Muslims visiting Mecca, Medina and performing prescribed rituals there;
- Kora - a ritual circumambulation around a shrine in the religions of India, Nepal and Tibet;
- for Lamaists - a visit to Lhasa (Tibet);
- among the Hindus - a visit to Prayag and Varanasi (Benares, India) (the latter also among the Jains and Mahayanists);
- Buddhists - Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India
- among Japanese Buddhists and Shintoists - a visit to Nara.
- in Judaism of the First and Second Temple period, three annual holidays (Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot) involved pilgrimage to the Temple.
- accepted among the Baha'is pilgrimage to Haifa and Acre
History of the pilgrimage
The going of believers to holy places to worship has been known since ancient times. The centers of pilgrimage in ancient times were the temples of Amun in Egyptian Thebes, Osiris in Abydos, Apollo in Delphi, etc.
Modern pilgrimage in Russia
Currently, the pilgrimage of believers to holy places is beginning to revive in Russia. Active monasteries and churches play a big role in this by organizing such events. Pilgrimage services have emerged, specializing in organizing pilgrimage trips around the world. Some travel companies are also actively involved in this process.
According to the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem, Orthodox Christians from Russia, Ukraine and Moldova who come to this city on pilgrimage make up about half of the spiritual pilgrims from all over the world.
Outside of Russia, Russian pilgrims, in addition to Palestine, visit the Greek Athos, the Italian city of Bari, where the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker rest, the Montenegrin capital Cetinje, where the right hand of John the Baptist and other Christian shrines are located.
Despite the apparent external similarity between pilgrimage and excursion tourism, their internal essence is very different: while excursion tourism aims to visit interesting places, pilgrimage involves preliminary spiritual work, “cleansing the soul,” before visiting the shrine. However, pilgrimage is often replaced by excursion tourism, when people are simply taken to “excursion sites” without prior internal, spiritual preparation. Therefore, back in the spring of 2003, the Interreligious Council of Russia submitted a proposal to the State Duma of the Russian Federation to distinguish between the concepts of “pilgrimage” and “tourism” at the legal level.
The meaning of pilgrimage
To encourage pilgrimages, numerous guidebooks (itineraries) were compiled, many of which, like descriptions of the pilgrimages themselves, subsequently became important historical sources. Descriptions of “walks” to the Holy Land, compiled by some pilgrims, played a huge role in the spread of legends and apocryphal literature in Rus'.
