revived interest in the ancient
Religious tourism
Touch the holy places
The first – and most common – is visiting iconic places for a given religion. Believers go or go to places where legendary, significant events took place or occur: many pilgrims from time immemorial come to Mecca, Jerusalem, Golgotha, Orthodox churches, the Vatican, major Buddhist temples.
Even in the Middle Ages, people believed that in such “centers of faith” their prayers have a special efficacy. Associated with the name of a prophet, a saint, or a divine sign, these places have always accumulated many pilgrims. For example, today the main center of pilgrimage in France is Lourdes. In the middle of the XIX century, this city in the heart of the Pyrenees was overshadowed by the appearance of the Virgin Mary Bernadette Soubira in the Massabiel grotto. Continue reading