Christian Pilgrimage System

Timeline

1. c. 313–700Jerusalem and Rome · JerusalemAfter Christianity's legalization, pilgrimage by believers to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Rome gradually became institutionalized, with monasteries and churches along the routes providing shelter and guidance.
2. c. 800–1070Pilgrimage routes from Europe to Jerusalem · Near EastFrom the 8th to the 11th centuries, the number of pilgrims grew; papal indulgences, relic veneration, and saints' feast days promoted long-distance pilgrimage, and intra-European holy sites such as Santiago de Compostela were also incorporated into the system.
3. 1081–1090Jerusalem and Rome · RomeIn the 1080s, European Christians still made large-scale pilgrimages to Rome (including the Jubilee tradition) and Jerusalem; Seljuk expansion worsened security on Levant routes, and papal and popular attention to the condition of the Holy Land laid the groundwork for crusade mobilization at the end of the 1090s.