Sacred tracks - James Harpur

Ever since the Magi trekked from the East to witness the birth of Jesus, pilgrims have undertaken long and often dangerous journeys to seek out holy Christian places. This book tells the 2000-year story of Christian pilgrimage and the saints, pilgrims, shrines, relics and practices of a tradition that is still flourishing today.;Drawing on contemporary accounts and a wealth of illustration, "Sacred Tracks" captures the atmosphere of pilgrimage through the ages. It describes the difficult conditions of travel, and the great sites such as Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela and Canterbury. It looks at the pilgrims themselves, from St Brendan who is said to have set out across the seas in search of a paradise-like island, to the penitents, cure-seekers and adventurers who in the later Middle Ages journeyed into the unknown in their thousands.;In recent times pilgrimage has recaptured the imagination. For the increasing numbers who each year follow in the footsteps of their medieval forebears, this book describes contemporary places of pilgrimage such as Lourdes, Fatima, Walsingham and Knock.