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The medieval pilgrimage was a common undertaking during the high and later Middle Ages. They were costly and transactional in nature, often requiring great effort from the pilgrim, in addition to removing themselves from work for long periods of time. Furthermore, the pilgrim was often required pay for food and accommodation while on the road, even in the face of the expectation of monasteries to assist with these needs. Upon completion of a pilgrimage, pilgrims were commonly known to take home souvenirs. These were proof of a completed pilgrimage and could be seen as a physical representation of the saint whose shrine they visited in their own home. Two common forms of souvenir were the ampulla and the badge. Two examples of the souvenirs will be examined below.
Why did people go on pilgrimage in the Middle Ages?
The reasons for going on pilgrimage were often transactional in nature. If you invoked the blessing of a saint in a life-threatening situation and survived, it was seen as a form of divine intervention, and you were often expected to go in pilgrimage to repay your debt to the saint you invoked.
Somebody might also go on pilgrimage in the hopes of receiving miracles or indulgences (relief from time spent in purgatory). Both these reasons demonstrate that medieval pilgrimages were inherently transactional, and the lengths you went on the pilgrimage were believed to be directly related to the miracles or indulgences received.
What did a medieval pilgrimage involve?
Put simply, the pilgrimage involved reaching the destination of the shrine of a patron saint. This was often an arduous journey, especially for peasants and others lower on the social strata, who could not rely on modes of transportation such as horses, carriages and boats.
One of the largest considerations for the medieval pilgrimage was the cost. Food and accommodation were two constant needs, and though monasteries were expected to, and did, provide these, it was not always available. Therefore, the business of providing food and accommodation to pilgrims could be a lucrative one. To afford this, pilgrims often relied on donations, but this too was transactional. The pilgrim would usually be expected to pray for the soul of their benefactors upon reaching the shrine. Though this was not as beneficial to the soul as actually embarking on a pilgrimage yourself, the pilgrim could be seen as a vessel for the benefactor who simply did not have the time or inclination to go on pilgrimage themselves.
Ampulla:
The ampulla was a common souvenir from the medieval pilgrimage, until the fourteenth century. It was a jug-shaped item that could hold holy water from the shrine of the saint visited by the pilgrim. At a pilgrimage site, the pilgrim hoped to be as physically close to the saint as possible, and therefore physical items were present around the shrine. By taking the holy water home with them, the pilgrim was able to always have a physical aspect of the shrine and the saint with them.
This ampulla depicts the saint of St. Thomas Beckett, who was canonised following his assassination during the rule of Henry II. The shrine of St. Thomas Beckett was one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations in England, and therefore ampulla depicting St. Thomas Beckett are among the most found.
Pilgrimage Badge
The pilgrimage badge came to replace the ampulla as the most popular pilgrimage souvenir at the turn of the fourteenth century. Michael Lewis has noted that this was likely due to shifting theological and social circumstances.
The badge served much the same purpose as the ampulla, to prove that you have been on a pilgrimage. It was known that pilgrims would often sew the badges to their hats, occasionally drawing criticism of the over-tourism of pilgrimage.
This badge, like the ampulla, depicts St. Thomas Beckett. It was a common practice in the towns and areas around shrines to craft badges which would be bought by pilgrims. This was a lucrative business, especially in more popular pilgrimage locations, such as the Shrine of Thomas Beckett.
Sources:
Lewis, Michael, 'Lettering on the Late Medieval Lead Ampullae: English and Welsh Finds Within a European Context', Europe of Things 2: Further Consideration of Medieval Small Finds From a Pan-European perspective, (2025), 127-149
Bell, Adrian R., Dale, Richard S., 'The Medieval Pilgrimage Business', Enterprise & Society, 12 (2011), 601-627
Campbell, Greg, 'Ampullae, re-imbursed: a formal analysis of medieval “shellshaped” lead-alloy pilgrim ampullae', Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art and Architecture, 5 (2015), 97-134
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