christian pilgrims and pilgrimages

Depicts the journey of Christian and his companions through mortal life to their entrance into the Celestial City.

An annotated selection from Geoffrey Chaucer's medieval classic, "The Canterbury Tales," a series of stories narrated by pilgrims on their way to the shrine of Saint Thomas a Becket in Canterbury Cathedral.

"... tells the fascinating story of sacred travel in the West over the course of two millennia: how pilgrimage was born and grew in antiquity, how it blossomed in the Middle Ages and faltered in subsequent centuries, only to reemerge stronger than before in modern times. It describes the pilgrim routes and sacred destinations past and present, the men and women making the journey, the many challeges of travel, and the spiritual motivations and rewards. And it 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."--Provided by publisher.

"Explores the mysterious and often paradoxical lives and legacies of the Twelve Apostles."--Dust jacket.

Short selection from the Canterbury Tales--a group of stories told by pilgrims on their way to Canterbury Catherdral--in the original Middle English with definitions, followed by essays on the background of each story, plus criticisms of the texts.

Dunne describes three journeys to Jerusalem: the first, a pilgrimage of the mind; the second, a pilgrimage of the heart; and the third, a pilgrimage of the soul. Writing in an almost musical voice, he comes back over and over to themes developed in earlier chapters to orchestrate a most insightful story that ends with a discovery of the home of "the human spirit in a life larger than life." As with most of his books, the central issues are front and center: "Where do you come from?" and "Where are you going?" And he asks this of Jews, Muslims, and Christians in this city that is so sacred to these religions.

In 1858 a young girl, Bernadette Soubirous, experienced a series of visions of the Virgin Mary in a small town in the French Pyrenees. Today, with some 4 million visitors a year (more than go to Mecca), Lourdes has become the most popular pilgrimage site in the world.