SOURCE: Birch, Debra J. “Jacques de Vitry and the Ideology of Pilgrimage.” In Pilgrimage Explored, edited by J. Stopford, pp. 79-93. York, England: York Medieval Press, 1999.

In the following essay, Birch analyzes two sermons Jacques wrote specifically for Christian pilgrims.

Enthusiasm for pilgrimage amongst the peoples of Christendom remained unabated throughout the medieval period. Journeys to the tomb or shrine of a saint or martyr, or a visit to some other holy place, were readily undertaken by men and women, young and old, rich and poor alike. Some travelled only as far as a local holy place, while others ventured much further afield. For the majority of these people the decision to set out on pilgrimage was not the result of any duty or obligation. Rather it was a personal decision, each of them choosing for themselves both the time of their departure and their destination. The motivation...