The glory of some pilgrim destinations spread far beyond the region in which it was sited. In a period when servitude was commonplace, pilgrimage was seen as an opportunity for common people to leave their own domain, and to this day, places of pilgrimage are important meeting points for the people from different countries and social groups. Concepts and decorations used in places of pilgrimage spread widely throughout the surrounding area and influenced local culture. Some places of pilgrimage arose as votive gifts from the aristocracy and were then used as the burial place of the patron as it was thought that interment near the miraculous image guaranteed an afterlife of eternal glory.