Top 10 Historic Pilgrimages
More than
250,000 people participated in the March on Washington in 1963 where they heard
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech.
Photograph
by AP
From the
National Geographic book Sacred Places of a Lifetime
- March for Jobs and Freedom, Washington, D.C.
Photos of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and
Freedom show a sea of people flooding the National Mall and enjoying the
festive mood. More than 250,000 joined the rally between the
Washington
Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, some having traveled up from the Deep South.
Their reward—Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech—is
surely one of the most stirring orations ever delivered.www.crmvet.org, www.africanamericans.com
- Mormon Pioneer Trail, United States
In 1846, more than 70,000 Mormons, driven by a wish to
find somewhere they could follow their creed in peace, traveled west from
Nauvoo, Illinois, to Salt Lake City, Utah. Using wagons and handcarts, they
crossed 1,300 miles (2,092 kilometers) of rough terrain. The lucky ones reached
Utah in 1847.
- eBodh Gaya, Gaya District, Bihar, India
India’s spiritual center of Buddhism is Bodh Gaya,
whose bodhi (fig) tree, it is said, sheltered the meditating Buddha Gautama for
seven weeks in his quest for enlightenment. Today the tree (a descendant of the
original) and the nearby pyramid-shaped Mahabodhi Temple are among Buddhism’s
holiest sites.
- Salt Satyagraha, India
In 1930, Mahatma Gandhi set out with 78 followers from
Sabarmati Ashram to walk to the sea at Dandi, Gujarat, in nonviolent protest
against the British salt tax. The 248-mile (400-kilometer) Salt Satyagraha
march lasted from March 12 to April 5 and instigated widespread resistance to
British rule of India.
- St. Paul Trail, Turkey
This rugged 310-mile (500-kilometer) trail partly
follows St. Paul’s footsteps as he set out to preach Christianity. Leading from
Perge or Aspendos, both near Antalya, to Antioch in Pisidia, near Yalvaç, the
route forges through dramatic landscapes—from fragrant forests of pine to
crystal clear lakes.
6. Route of Saints, Kraków, Poland
Nowhere else in Europe mingles religion and royalty
more richly than Wawel Hill. The dreamy 14th-century cathedral has 18 chapels
and an alluring cluster of tombs—one of Poland’s patron, St. Stanislaus. The
cathedral museum has a 500-year-old robe, Kmita’s chasuble, embroidered with
intricate scenes from his life. Away from the hill, follow Kraków’s Route of
Saints, linking its 16 beautiful churches.
www.wawel.krakow.pl, www.cracow.org
www.wawel.krakow.pl, www.cracow.org
- Canterbury Cathedral, Kent, England
A pilgrimage to Canterbury pays homage to a beloved
saint, a glorious cathedral, a giant work of literature, and simple human
history. Archbishop Thomas Becket’s murder on the altar by four knights of
Henry II in 1170 almost immediately secured his fame as a miracle worker. His
shrine drew pilgrims seeking cures—or simply a roistering good time—as
immortalized in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
- Eleanor Crosses, England
Devoted to Eleanor of Castile, his queen and the
mother of his 17 children, Edward I was distraught when she died of a sudden
fever in 1290. He had her body carried from Lincoln to London, 108 miles (174
kilometers) south, for the funeral. He ordered a memorial cross to be built
wherever the cortege rested. One even gave its name to London’s official
center, Charing Cross.
- St. Patrick’s Footsteps, Ireland
Retracing St. Patrick’s steps in Ireland is serious
spiritual—and physical—exercise. You can undertake an austere retreat on the
island of Lough Derg, or you can climb—barefoot is the painful custom—Croagh
Patrick. But other sites associated with him require less effort to visit, such
as the Northern Irish town of Downpatrick, with his grave, near the ancient
Down Cathedral, and a museum with an exhibition dedicated to the saint.
www.loughderg.org, www.saintpatrickscountry.com
www.loughderg.org, www.saintpatrickscountry.com
- Moffat Mission, Northern Cape, South Africa
In 1838, missionary Rev. Robert Moffat set up his
thatched-roof “Cathedral of the Kalahari,” aiming to convert the locals to
Christianity. He arduously translated the Bible into Setswana, printing it on a
press still in use at the mission. Source Article
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