Canterbury Cathedral, the historic home of English Christianity, is seeking to re-establish its status as a centre of pilgrimage for the nation.
In the Middle Ages Canterbury was a pilgrimage destination on a par even with Rome. Now, with interest in the ancient practice growing once again, Canterbury Cathedral has appointed a dedicated pilgrim officer.
One of the most well-known pilgrimage sites in Canterbury is the tomb of Thomas Becket, the archbishop who was murdered by knights loyal to king Henry II. Seen as a martyr to the faith, pilgrims came from all over Europe to visit his shrine in Canterbury Cathedral.
Coming back to the 21st century, Torin Brown, the new pilgrim officer, first went to Canterbury to study theology. During his studies Brown worked as a shepherd at the cathedral and came into frequent contact with modern-day pilgrims.
Brown was intrigued and moved by their stories and started gathering information about what motivated them to take up a spiritual practice commonly associated with the Middle Ages rather than the modern day.
Spirituality seems to be the driving factor, although other pilgrims appear concerned with expressing their faith in environmentally friendly ways. An end to the confinement brought about by the pandemic appears to have been a factor with others.
Brown says, “There seems to be an undeniable spiritual thirst for what religious people experience as transcendent realities – that characteristic of pilgrimage which can bridge the gap between the sacred and the profane in extraordinary places where the veil is believed to be especially thin.
“It can provide a space where the big questions of life, death and suffering can be offered up for profound contemplation and cathedrals and shrines can represent an axis mundi for this meaning-seeking.”
Canterbury hopes to once again become, according to Brown, “the premier site of pilgrimage in England built around a core strategy of sanctuary and hope”.
The cathedral will also be holding a medieval pageant this summer, again in recognition of its historic place in English culture.
