Devotion and Pilgrimage / Pilgrimage

Many religions attach spiritual significance to particular places.

Many religions attach spiritual significance to particular places: the place of the birth or death of founders or saints; the place of their "calling" or spiritual awakening; a place with a connection (visual or verbal) to the Divine; locations where miracles were performed or witnessed; locations where a deity is said to have lived or been accommodated; or any other site that is seen to have special spiritual significance. Donors from the ranks of the higher nobility, ecclesiastical dignitaries, border officers and prominent citizens participated in the construction and reconstruction of sacred buildings, their furnishings and artefacts. In many cases the architecture of these sanctuaries has significant symbolic form.

NameDynastyDetailsJustification
Santuario della Beata Vergine di San Luca1723–1765Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, ItalyFirst a new altar was built in honour of the miraculous picture of the Virgin Mary; some years later the church was enlarged to accommodate the many visitors that came to see the image.
NameDynastyDetailsJustification
The portico1674–1721Exterior, Santuario della Beata Vergine di san LucaBologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Interior of the church1722–1765Santuario della Beata Vergine di san Luca
Monumental arch so called ‘del Meloncello’1714–1732Exterior, Santuario della Beata Vergine di san Luca
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Cape EspichelBetween the 15th and 18th centuriesParish of Sesimbra, Castelo, Setúbal, PortugalA most important and popular place of pilgrimage that was founded, according to the legend, as a result of two elderly people who dreamt about Our Lady.
NameDynastyDetailsJustification
Azulejos depicting the legend of the Miraculous Finding of the Image of Our Lady18th centuryMemory Hermitage, interior, Sanctuary of Our Lady of Cape EspichelParish of Sesimbra, Castelo, Setúbal, Portugal
Main Chapel, interiorEarly 18th century Sanctuary of Our Lady of Cape Espichel
Water Housec. 1760–1770Sanctuary of Our Lady of Cape Espichel, East end
Pilgrimage Church of the Name of the Virgin Mary, Křtiny1660–1661; 1712–1718; 1728; 1738–1750; 1771Křtiny, Moravia, Czech RepublicLegend has it that saints Cyril and Methodius once baptised pagans in Křtiny Valley. The architect, Santini, was acquainted with the numerical symbolism of the Jewish Cabbala, also developed by prominent Catholic scholars, and applied its principles to this extraordinary composition.
NameDynastyDetailsJustification
Pilgrimage Church of the Name of the Virgin Mary, Křtiny1660–1661; 1712–1718; 1728; 1738–1750; 1771Křtiny, Moravia, Czech RepublicThe statue dates from the first-half of the 14th century. The significance of the pilgrimage site grew during the Thirty Years' War, when it became a destination for two major thanksgiving pilgrimages to the Virgin Mary, who was protectoress of the country.
Celebration of the Virgin Mary1745Křtiny, Moravia, Czech Republic
Church of the Name of the Virgin Mary with residence of the Premonstratensian order 1977
Pilgrimage Church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross, Jaroměřice u Jevíčka1712–1714; 1720–1735Jaroměřice u Jevíčka, Moravia, Czech RepublicThis extraordinary pilgrimage complex was built as a site of mediation for Christ's suffering and death. The location of the site evokes Golgotha, with the church as a metaphorical representation of the Temple of Jerusalem.
NameDynastyDetailsJustification
Pilgrimage Church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross, Jaroměřice u Jevíčka1712–1714; 1720–1735Jaroměřice u Jevíčka, Moravia, Czech RepublicA striking semi-folk interior enhances the mystical air of the church, which was among about 140 sites in rural areas in the region where the pilgrimage tradition was particularly strong, and where hosts of pilgrims would gather in order to "find the wellspring of all virtue".
Frontage1712–1713Pilgrimage Church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross, Jaroměřice u JevíčkaJaroměřice u Jevíčka, Moravia, Czech Republic
High altar1713; 1735Interior, Pilgrimage Church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross, Jaroměřice u Jevíčka
Catholic Pilgrimage Church of the Holy Cross1764–1766Pill (Unterinntal), Tyrol, AustriaSymbolic church building in a cruciform shape.
NameDynastyDetailsJustification
Frescos on the ceiling of the cupola1767 (inscription)Crossing cupola, Catholic Pilgrimage Church of the Holy CrossPill (Unterinntal), Tyrol, Austria
High altarc. 1766Choir (southern cross arm), Catholic Pilgrimage Church of the Holy Cross
Pilgrimage Church of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows1661–68Sielenbach, Upper Bavaria, GermanyAn Early Baroque example of church architecture symbolic of pilgrimage: the rotunda form alludes to the Pantheon, the old Marianic Sanctuary of Rome.
NameDynastyDetailsJustification
Main altar1674–1675Pilgrimage Church of Our Lady of the Seven SorrowsSielenbach, Upper Bavaria, Germany
Main altar1674–1675Pilgrimage Church of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows