The Pilgrim Ways to Walsingham

Before Henry VIII outlawed pilgrimage and the veneration of saints in 1538, Walsingham was the most popular pilgrim destination in England. The shrine to Our Lady of Walsingham was the fourth most important site in the Christian World, eclipsed only by Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago. A fantastical tale brought medieval pilgrims to Walsingham. In 1061 a local noblewoman, Lady Richeldis de Faverches, had a number of dreams or visions in which the Virgin Mary transported her soul to Nazareth, and showed her the house that had been her family home. Richeldis was told to build a replica in Walsingham, which she did. This, the Holy House, became a shrine that attracted pilgrims from all over Europe.