The Pilgrim Journey: A History of Pilgrimage in the Western World - Softcover

This book provides an engrossing read. We share in the joys and tribulations of pilgrims far and near and are enriched in mind and heart. The author shows much skill in weaving together a rich crisscross of narratives about what it meant to undertake adventurous journeys in premodern times, and about the benefits of pilgrimage today. I highly recommend this inspiring account.
--Amazon Reviewer

Pilgrimage in the Western world is enjoying a growing popularity, perhaps more so now than at any time since the Middle Ages. The Pilgrim Journey tells the fascinating story of how pilgrimage was born and grew in antiquity, how it blossomed in the Middle Ages and faltered in subsequent centuries, only to re-emerge stronger than before in modern times. James Harpur describes the pilgrim routes and sacred destinations past and present, the men and women making the journey, the many challenges of travel, and the spiritual motivations and rewards. He also explores the traditional stages of pilgrimage, from preparation, departure, and the time on the road, to the arrival at the shrine and the return home. At the heart of pilgrimage is a spiritual longing that has existed from time immemorial. The Pilgrim Journey is both the colourful chronicle of numerous pilgrims of centuries past searching for heaven on earth, and an illuminating guide for today's spiritual traveller.