Christian Religious Sites |Cathedrals and Churches| |The Merriam
Webster online dictionary defines a pilgrimage as: a journey of
a pilgrim, especially: one to a shrine or a sacred place.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia Online "Pilgrimages may
be defined as journeys made to some place with the purpose of
venerating it, or in order to ask there for supernatural aid, or
to discharge some religious obligation."| At right, Pilgrims
seek Holy Water at the Monastery of Ivrion at Mount Athos
copyright B. Mavridis may not be reproduced without permission
|The sites venerated by Christian pilgrims include sites of
miraculous divine occurrences and/or appearances, famous
cathedrals, and places made sacred by holy persons or martyrs:
"Even after their [martyrs’] deaths, their tombs and the scenes
of their martyrdom were considered to be capable also – if
devoutly venerated – of removing the taints and penalties of
sin" (Catholic Encyclopedia Online). In fact, this idea of
pilgrimage as penitence came to be looked