Pilgrimage churches

Pilgrimage churches

During the late Middle Ages, from the 1000's to the 1400's, many people made pilgrimages, journeys to sacred places. Groups of pilgrims traveled throughout Europe and Palestine to visit pilgrimage churches, which housed the bones or possessions of certain saints. Important pilgrimage churches were extremely large to accommodate the many visitors. An example is the huge Church of St. Sernin (about 1080-1120) in Toulouse, France. The church has two aisles on each side of the nave. Small chapels open into the ambulatory, a semicircular aisle enclosing the apse. This plan permitted pilgrims to move along the aisles without disturbing services at the main altar.

Excerpt adapted from the "Architecture" article, The World Book Encyclopedia © 1999