Is an Orthodox pilgrimage a kind of tourism for believers, or something more? How not to turn your trip into an excursion? And is it even necessary to travel to holy places if God is the same everywhere? In this article, you will find tips for pilgrims, as well as interesting facts from the history of the pilgrimage.

Who is a pilgrim?

An Orthodox pilgrimage is not "excursions for believers", but visits to Christian shrines for the purpose of prayer worship, repentance and labor. The very word "pilgrim" comes from "palma". But what kind of palm are we talking about?

You should refer to the gospel story about the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. Local residents and people from the outskirts of the city greeted Him as the king of the Jews and therefore laid it under His feet palm branches.

With the spread of Christianity, more and more people came to Jerusalem to pray and worship shrines. The seven days before Easter were of particular importance for the believers. On the feast of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem, they came with palm branches - in memory of the solemn meeting of Christ with the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Believers very often brought these branches from the Holy Land. Therefore, Christians who visited Jerusalem began to be called pilgrims.

But the very worship of holy places as a special phenomenon in the life of a believer arose long before Christianity. Moreover, what we call a pilgrimage has been and is being done by representatives of different religions. But such travels reached the greatest development in the era of Christianity. But first things first.

From Jewish traditions to Orthodox pilgrimage

According to Old Testament history, godly Jews were sent for prayer and sacrifices to the Tabernacle with the Ark of the Covenant. Later it was replaced by the Jerusalem Temple.

On Passover, it was customary for the Jews to visit Jerusalem. We see this in the example of the Virgin Mary and Joseph the Betrothed, who, together with 12-year-old Jesus, went on a “pilgrimage”.

Representatives of other religions are also sent to worship shrines. For example, an important part of the life of Muslims is considered hajj- visit to Mecca and Medina. Hindus, Buddhists, Shintoists have their counterparts.

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

The Christian and, accordingly, the Orthodox pilgrimage reached its greatest flowering. The first route was precisely the Holy Land, directly connected with the life of Christ.

During Holy Week, many pilgrims from different countries passed Way of the Cross of the Savior... It stretches from the place where Pilate sentenced Jesus to death, to the crucifixion on Calvary and burial.

A marble chapel, the so-called cuvuklia, was built over the Savior's tomb. It is in this edifice that the Greek patriarch prays on Holy Saturday. According to his prayers and the expectations of many of the assembled believers, fire descends from heaven, called the Blessed One. The miracle of convergence Holy fire- another reason for pilgrimages to Jerusalem.

It is not known exactly when such grace was first manifested, but the first descriptions of the miracle of the descent of fire from heaven date back to the 9th century. Even in our time, many pilgrims, regardless of religion, on the eve of Orthodox Easter go to Jerusalem, to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

But back to history. Among the popular directions of Orthodox pilgrimage were Constantinople and Athos, among the Catholics - Rome, Loreto, the Way of St. James.

Pilgrimages in the lands of Russia

In Russia, after the adoption of Christianity, the practice of worshiping shrines also spread. But not everyone could afford to visit the Holy Land. This took a long time and a lot of money.

In a few centuries, domestic pilgrimages will become popular. Our great-great-grandmothers did not know anything about the pilgrimage trips: they went on foot.

To pray and worship shrines, believers came to Kiev-Pechersk Lavra(in the caves today there are the relics of over 120 saints), Pochaev(to the foot of the Mother of God and the relics of St. Job), in Trinity-Sergius Monastery(place of spiritual exploits of Sergius of Radonezh). Over time added Diveevo(here are the relics of Seraphim of Sarov). It was also customary to visit lesser-known monasteries and temples (their list looks impressive today).

Even in the secular literature of the 19th century, one can find evidence of how during Great Lent believers went to Kiev or Pochaev to venerate the holy relics, pray to the Lord and the Mother of God, confess, take communion and prayerfully return back.

Why are Orthodox pilgrimages not religious tourism?

Some people believe that traveling to holy places is a time of cultural and religious pastime. Allegedly secular people go on vacation to the sea or to the mountains, while Christians go on pilgrimages. There they get acquainted with outstanding shrines, architectural monuments, learn a lot from the guides ... But this is nothing more than religious tourism.

A pilgrim is not such a happy traveler with a camera in his hands and a backpack on his back.

The benefits of walking pilgrimages

Orthodox pilgrimage is prayer and spiritual work. Of course, modern conditions have spoiled the faithful. You no longer have to travel decades to the Holy Land or devote 40 days of Lent to walking to Kiev or Pochaev, Trinity-Sergius Lavra or Diveyevo.

When you walk for more than one week with a specific purpose - to ask God for forgiveness and to worship holy things, then you especially hope for the help of the Lord. You feel how much God you need, how He keeps you. And the Lord, accordingly, through people sends you food and shelter.

When people went to worship shrines on foot and without strangers, they had enough time to be alone with God.

Escape from the hustle and bustle

Today, conditions have changed, pilgrimages on foot have practically supplanted pilgrimage trips, but ideally, the main emphasis has been preserved: a prayer attitude and spiritual work.

You are not going to take pictures of the sights and listen to the guide. You are going to escape from the bustle of the world, reflect on the main thing, thank the Lord and ask Him for something important, as people often say, to draw grace. To do this, waste your time, partially refuse to communicate with loved ones, do not spare money to pay for the pilgrimage trip.

Someone will ask: is it really necessary to get ready for the journey, if you can take communion on the spot, and God will hear our prayer in any corner of the world - be it in Jerusalem or in the Arctic? ..

Yes, God is everywhere One and the same, the Eucharist is no different in any Orthodox church. But our condition is different. Thanks to the Orthodox pilgrimage, we have the opportunity, at least for a short time, to escape from the hustle and bustle and concentrate on prayer. Moreover, the social circle plays an important role. As modern psychologists often like to say, we are 90% composed of our environment.

So, pilgrimage trips are a great chance to expand the circle of Christian fellowship. Seasoned pilgrims also point out that the composition of the group plays an important role. If truly believers have gathered, then even in a short time you will fully experience the meaning of Christian life - the atmosphere of love, spiritual joy, attentiveness, benevolence, prayer and the Eucharist.

1. Prepare for your trip. Collect the things you really need, learn more about the shrines to which you are going. Do all of this with a prayerful attitude.
2. If possible, confess and partake of the Holy Communion before the pilgrimage trip. If possible and desired, take a blessing from your confessor, discuss with him issues of concern to you.
3. Write notes in advance so that when visiting temples and monasteries, you can use the time for prayer and worship, and not wandering around the candle box.
4. Leave the worldly burden. Do not take it with you on the bus, train, or plane. This is what distracts you from prayer in the first place.
5. Disconnect your phone. The most dear ones already know where you are. Do not think about what problems await you at home, what the boss will say and, in general, how an honest Christian can survive in this sinful world.
6. If you are traveling with friends, then try to waste precious time on empty conversations or, even worse, condemnation. Try to keep your heart clean.
7. Usually on the bus, pilgrims pray together, sing psalms, or watch helpful videos about the shrines being visited. Tune in for a good time.
8. Focus on the purpose of your specific pilgrimage trip.
9. When visiting temples and monasteries, pay attention to divine services and the Sacraments. On long pilgrimages, believers are blessed to receive communion frequently. Try to use this moment, and not constantly be distracted by candles, notes, flyers.
10. Try to keep the received grace in your heart for a longer time. After visiting the holy places, your life should change so that it does not work out like this: in the monastery you behaved righteously and piously, and at home you returned to all your old sins.
11. First of all, change yourself, and not your relatives, other participants in the pilgrimage trip. Your actions will be a hundred times more eloquent than words.
12. Don't turn your Orthodox pilgrimage into religious tourism. Yes, we are far from our ancestors, who traveled hundreds of kilometers to worship shrines. But we are able to invest in our trip at least a few mites of spiritual achievement and prayer.

This video also tells about the history and importance of the pilgrimage:

For modern man, pilgrimage trips are one of the essential attributes of church life. Many companies, both ecclesiastical and secular, offer today trips to the shrines of Russia and abroad. It is often from such a trip that a person's acquaintance with the Orthodox Church begins. But does this acquaintance always entail churching? How to prepare for the trip so that it becomes a real pilgrimage and not an entertaining journey? The rector of the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Saratov, hegumen Pakhomiy (Bruskov), reflects on this in his article.

A scene that has become familiar to many priests. In the church a woman comes up to me and asks: "Father, bless me on a pilgrimage trip to the elder." I answer: “God bless. Why are you going? " And I often don't hear an intelligible answer. “Well, everyone is going… No health…. I want to be healed, they say, it helps ”- these are the most widespread opinions on this matter. Meanwhile, every person who goes on a pilgrimage must ask himself two questions: what is a pilgrimage in general and why do I personally go to holy places? And try to give yourself an honest answer to them.

Worship holy places

Pilgrimage to holy places is one of the manifestations of piety, caused by the desire to see great shrines, to pray in places that are especially significant for the Christian heart, in this way to render visible worship to the Lord, the Mother of God, the saints. Since ancient times, Christians have gone on a journey to see places associated with the earthly life of the Savior, to pray at the Holy Sepulcher. Also, from the first centuries of Christianity, monastic monasteries in Palestine, Egypt, and Syria are born and become a place of pilgrimage for believers. Later, other places of pilgrimage appeared and became famous. This is Rome, Athos, and Bari, where pilgrims from all over the world go.

In Russia, since the time of Epiphany, pilgrimage has also become very popular. Russian people make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and other holy places. The lack of modern means of transportation made such travel a feat, very difficult and dangerous for the life of the pilgrim. Gradually, national shrines appear in Russia and become well-known: the Kiev-Pechersk and Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Valaam, Solovki and other places associated with the places of life and exploits of the holy fathers.

The pilgrimage reaches its heyday in Russia in the 19th century. Then there was, for example, a pious tradition to visit the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra at least once in a lifetime. Thousands of pilgrims of very different social status and material well-being went on pilgrimage, at best, on horseback, and most often on foot with a bag of rusks on their backs. These pilgrims not only joined the shrine themselves, but also made it possible for many people to learn about the holy places. Throughout the ages, Russian people have lived a love for pilgrims. Strange love was a special kind of piety, allowing not only to listen to the pilgrim, but also to take part in his feat by personal donation.

It was at this time that the activities of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in the Holy Land reached their peak. Through the efforts of the head of the mission, Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin), large plots of land are acquired in the property of our Fatherland in Palestine, where not only churches and monasteries are being erected, but also spacious hotels for pilgrims.

The revolution destroyed the traditions of pilgrimage in our country. Monasteries and churches were destroyed, sections of the Russian mission abroad were largely lost, and the Russian people for many years were deprived of the opportunity to freely make pilgrimage trips.

Nowadays, the tradition of making pilgrimages is reviving, many people go to both well-known and little-known monasteries. In this area, there are many companies that organize transport, accommodation, and visits to temples. But often the spirit of these trips is fundamentally different from those that were made in past centuries.

And the point is not that the living conditions have changed and modern man began to use high-speed transport. If in ancient times there was such an opportunity to facilitate movement, people would also use it. Then, after all, not everyone walked, someone rode in carts, which also made the journey easier. These days, having to pay the money earned for a ticket can be seen as equivalent to the efforts of ancient pilgrims.

The main difference, in my opinion, is that at that time the pilgrimage was perceived as work, as service to God. The Christian perceived family, work, and relationships with neighbors as a field in which a person must sacrifice something, endure some hardships, and through this grow spiritually, become closer to God. The book "The Stranger's Frank Stories to His Spiritual Father" gained wide popularity in the last century, the hero of which walked thousands of kilometers from central Russia to Siberia, visiting holy places. Of course, having accomplished such a feat, he perceived his pilgrimage differently than a modern man. And his main acquisition in his travels was not pleasant impressions and memorable souvenirs, but the skill in doing prayer.

And we often perceive both the pilgrimage and all other spheres of our life as a means of gaining some kind of benefit for ourselves personally, to get pleasure, no matter sensual, spiritual or even spiritual. A consumerist, selfish attitude towards the world is characteristic of a modern person. To return to the experience of ancient pilgrims, one cannot go with the flow, one must make an effort on oneself and try to change something.

Pilgrim or tourist?

Every Orthodox Christian, going on a pilgrimage trip, must clearly define for himself: why is he doing this? Why does he deprive himself of basic amenities, give money, waste time? What does this trip mean to him? Travel along the Golden Ring of Russia with a tour of historical and cultural attractions, which include temples, icons, church utensils. Or is it a desire to know more deeply the life of the Church, to work for Christ. Although the former is not bad, the latter is much more important.

Someone goes to a monastery to receive the grace of the Holy Spirit, to get acquainted with the monastic life. And someone on a pilgrimage is attracted by more mundane goals: to ask and certainly receive material benefits, health, success in business. This is how a special type of piety develops in the modern church environment - the so-called "spiritual tourism". It also includes trips to a well-known or little-known elder, where people hope for a material reward through external, semi-magical actions to get a guaranteed result. I went exactly seven times for a lecture or treatment with a copy, and you are guaranteed healing. But the question arises: what is the nature of this healing? What are the forces behind the activity of this healer?

You cannot perceive spiritual life through the prism of material wealth - health, luck, or getting a lucrative position at work. This is a big mistake, because when striving for material things, one may not notice more, not appreciate the spiritual gift that the Lord gives to a person.

A person, going on a pilgrimage trip, must first of all ask himself: in what relationship he is with God, with the Church. Pilgrimage is a form of church life. But the spiritual life of a Christian begins not with a pilgrimage, but with repentance. As the Gospel says: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." We must begin with the reading of the Gospel, with repentance, with the Sacrament. In this case, a person will be able to correctly understand everything that he sees during the trip. And even when faced with everyday difficulties, the wrong (as it seems to him) behavior of priests, monks or laity, he will not be tempted by this, he will not be upset.

Today you can often hear that many people began their church life precisely with a pilgrimage. For example, we went to Diveyevo on the recommendation of relatives or friends and started churchgoing. But the question arises: did they actually go to church? Did they accept the experience and traditions of the Church, did they humble themselves before its rules? Indeed, today, along with church Christians who attend divine services, receive communion, confess, there is an environment of so-called church-going people. They think that they are in the fence of the Church, they consider themselves deeply religious people. But at the same time they do not participate in the life of the Church, do not confess, do not receive communion, or do it occasionally to solve personal problems. A whole generation of Christians grows out of this environment, who not only perceive the Christian life in their own way, but also preach their attitude, far from the Gospel and the experience of the Church, to other people. Today, this is also helped by unlimited opportunities for communication, both in real life and in the virtual space, where people discuss travel, share their thoughts, assess church life, knowing little about it.

Today there is a well-developed pilgrim-oriented business. The organizers of the trips gather everyone who can pay for the trip. At the same time, no one is interested in what is in the minds of these people, what mark the trip will leave in their souls.

Meanwhile, pilgrimage is one of the means of spiritual improvement of a person, which allows you not only to visit new places or worship a shrine, but also to see your shortcomings, weaknesses, as well as the power of God, His help and support. When a person on a trip suffers everyday inconveniences, voluntary deprivation, he begins to relate deeper to life, to feel grateful for the simplest things. After all, a piece of bread can be eaten in very different ways. For example, when Optina Hermitage was being revived, many people went there not on pilgrimage tours, but on their own - by buses, trains, and even a few kilometers they had to walk on foot. And they came there to work for the glory of God, and not to admire the monuments of architecture. Having worked all day at a construction site or in the field, they perceived the meager monastic food as really sent down by God. This is an invaluable experience, and a person who has not acquired it will not be able to truly appreciate what a pilgrimage is.

It is impossible, and indeed not necessary, to close the pilgrimage services or prohibit everyone from going on pilgrimage trips. But every Christian must understand what his heart is looking for on this trip. Then ask the blessing for the trip from the priest from whom he confesses. Do not just confront the fact: “Bless me, I am going to a monastery or to an elder,” but try to explain in more detail the reasons for my decision. The priest will be able to advise what to look for in the monastery, how to behave, how to prepare for this trip. Before the trip, you need to read something about the history of the monastery, about spiritual life, about prayer. Of course, not only ancient pilgrims, but also modern ones can and should try to pray more on a trip, including the Jesus Prayer. Then the trip will turn into a real pilgrimage.

If a person is going on a pilgrimage trip to a monastery, it is very important to try to join the monastic life, hidden from prying inattentive eyes. Why are springs, crackers, blessed butter so popular? It lies on the surface and is accessible without spiritual labor. And monastic life, virtues, one must be able to consider, applying spiritual labor. Therefore, it is important to look closely, listen, not succumb to the spirit of vanity that often arises in pilgrimage groups. Even if you didn’t manage to swim in the spring once again, buy another souvenir in the candle shop, it’s not scary. An attentive pilgrim can receive immeasurably great benefits for the soul.

And the last thing. A church person should perceive a pilgrimage trip as a kind of addition to his daily ministry, as a reward for work, as a gift sent down from the Lord. And in no case should we substitute pilgrimage for everyday spiritual work, participation in the sacraments, in the life of the Church.

Pilgrimage has long been revered throughout the world. Places of Orthodox pilgrimage in Russia, filled with sources of holiness, annually receive thousands of travelers who wish to enrich themselves with spiritual growth in contact with the shrine.

Who are the pilgrims and when did they appear in Orthodoxy

The word “pilgrim” is derived from “palm”. After the death and Resurrection of Jesus, Christians all over the world made trips to Jerusalem to Mount Calvary and the Holy Sepulcher, carrying palm branches in memory of the Savior's solemn entry into the city before the celebration of Easter.

About Christ:

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land of Israel

Pilgrims or, as they were called in Russia, pilgrims traveled on foot, overcoming the hardships of the path in fasting and prayer, in order to grow spiritually as they approached the shrine.

The ultimate goal of the pilgrimage is one of the shrines revered in Orthodoxy:

• pieces of Jesus' clothing;
• the instruments of His death;
• particles of the Life-giving Cross;
• miraculous icons;
• graves of the Holy Saints;
• springs with the healing power of water.

The desire to be filled with spiritual strength drives the pilgrims to make long journeys in order to touch the places consecrated by the presence of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and the saints. The striving to be filled with holiness and to be cleansed from sins gives strength to accomplish the feat of pilgrimage.

Someone himself demanded spiritual cleansing, and penance was imposed on someone. The main thing is that a person, going on a walk to places consecrated with shrines, temporarily renounced earthly riches and conveniences, living practically in poverty.

Entrusting himself completely to the will of the Lord, a person rushed to the holy place in order to pray in the holy place and put on a new person. (Ephesians 4: 22-24).

The Old Testament says that the Jews tried to get to Jerusalem for the celebration of Passover, which at that time symbolized the exit from Egyptian slavery, for which they hired ships, some made pedestrian crossings.

Overcoming the dusty roads of Anatolia, passing through the heated deserts of Cilicia, traveling through the mountains and plains, the pilgrims took only the necessary things with them.

Wandering and pilgrimage

Sometimes the pilgrimage life, filled with trials and dangers, lasted months, and even years. The only guide for itinerant pilgrims was the will of God and faith in His mercy.

Important! People who spiritually believed in praying were performed; in hardship and suffering, they grew in faith.

The feat of faith in ancient times also consisted in the fact that the pilgrim, leaving the family, did not know whether he would return back, surrendering himself to the will of the Creator.

Christian pilgrims

In the fourth century, by order of Queen Helen, the Life-Giving Cross was found, on which Jesus was crucified. This event caused a stir among Christians, many of whom went on pilgrimage trips to the holy site in Jerusalem.

The veneration of the places associated with the sojourn of the Savior spreads throughout Palestine, which has come to be called the Holy Land. By the grace of Constantine the Great, pious excavations were carried out throughout the country, which continue to this day.

Archaeological site in Jerusalem

The Council of Nicea in 325 blessed the opening of the holy sites of Palestine and Jerusalem.

At the site of the Nativity of Christ in Bethlehem, on Mount Calvary and the site of the Ascension, temples are being built, which have become mandatory on pilgrimage trips to Palestine.

Features of the Russian Orthodox pilgrimage

A special boom in pilgrimage in Russia began at the beginning of the twentieth century, which radically influenced the lives of people. Russian shrines, God's people, elders and ascetics attracted pilgrims who wanted to strengthen their faith and cleanse themselves from filth.

The pilgrimage can be:

• One day.

During one day, pilgrims can visit a nearby monastery, or the tomb of a saint. Most often this happens upon the arrival of a well-known priest of high rank or the arrival of a healing icon, the remains of holy relics, or, according to tradition, to visit a holy place on certain days.

• Near.

Nearby pilgrimages are made within one or nearby dioceses. Sometimes pilgrims leave for several days, living in monasteries, worshiping a shrine, which has become the goal of pilgrimage. The good fame of the holy place attracts wanderers from nearby and distant villages, who make nearby pilgrimages several times a year.

• Distant.

Now, as in ancient times, long-distance pilgrimage trips are made to Athos, to the relics of Nicholas the Pleasant in Italy and other holy places.

Pilgrimage to the Turin Shroud, Italy

The first pilgrims took on the role of announcers, when in the first centuries, in order to spread news from the Church or temples, it was necessary to move from village to village. True pilgrims had vows, a staff, and a bag. They had no money and lived off the help of the church they served.

In the eighteenth century, wanderers appear in Russia, people who have left the world. These pilgrims do not know where their journey will end. Having renounced the blessings of the world, pilgrims live in monasteries or near holy places, subsisting on alms. The whole world recognizes the feat of wandering.

The 19th century was the heyday of the pilgrimage movement in Russia.

If modern pilgrims dream of visiting the Holy Sepulcher, then in the old days pilgrims rushed to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. It was a pious feat to make this trip on foot or by carriage, having only water and crackers with you.

About other places of pilgrimage:

• Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg

Kiev-Pechersk Lavra

After the revolution, pilgrims and wanderers were persecuted, some of them were imprisoned for their faith. But the destroyed temples, monasteries, in which the shrines were kept, did not cease to attract faithful Christians.

Purposes of pilgrimages

Pilgrims choose their path, as a rule, focusing not on distance, but on special reasons for life.

• True worshipers of Christ, while walking to holy places, are looking for strengthening in faith or waiting for help in solving some difficult life issue.
• Departure from the Church often prompts worshipers to go on hiking trips to atone for the sin of apostasy, either their own or someone else's.
• The oppressive sins of youth are the reason for people to go to pilgrimage.
• Incurable diseases or the absence of children become the goal of Orthodox pilgrimages.
• Vowed pilgrimages are very important, when in some situation a person makes a vow to God, with a positive outcome, to make a pilgrimage to certain places.

Modern pilgrimage

In the modern Christian world, there is a growing stream of Christians who want to be filled with piety.

The pilgrimage gave impetus to the development of the tourism business, which facilitates movement between cities and countries, saving the time and energy of the pilgrims. If earlier pilgrims sacrificed time and comforts, then modern Christians pay money earned sometimes by hard work.

Christians who have visited holy places partake of the shrines themselves, and then tell other believers about them, causing them to desire to make a pilgrimage.

Modern pilgrimage

Wanderers have not disappeared from the modern world, they have become much less, but they are. Sometimes a husband and wife, to whom God has not given children, take a vow and within a certain time pass from shrine to shrine, asking God for forgiveness for the committed sins of personal and ancestors in order to remove the curse of childlessness.

Every Orthodox believer can join the pilgrims of the pilgrim by donating a certain amount to him for the pilgrimage.

Memo to the modern pilgrim

Going on a pilgrimage trip, first of all, you should understand its spiritual importance. A hike to the shrine is not an excursion, but worship of the saints and God in the person of the Holy Trinity and the Mother of God.

When choosing a trip to holy places, a Christian must clearly define the purpose of his trip.

• If this is just a trip to get acquainted with the history of a temple, an icon or a holy place, then it is enough for him to collect a certain amount and hit the road. This is not bad at all and is not wrong.

• An Orthodox pilgrim, setting off on a journey to learn the depth of Christian teaching, filling the power of the Holy Spirit, must necessarily receive the blessing of a spiritual mentor or priest in the church.
• Heading to the relics or graves of saints, it is necessary to get acquainted with the life of God's saints, find out what their Christian feat was, what grace this place is filled with.

Important! Do not forget that the power of pilgrimage is not in acquiring the visible, but in filling it with the invisible.

Many saints ended their lives with disabilities in the human sense. Thus, Saint Luke went blind, Blessed Matronushka spent her life in bed, and St. Panteleimon was deprived of his head for the Christian faith, but they all remained faithful to Jesus, healed and filled the souls of people with His name.

Losing bodily, the saints gained the Lord's. Nowadays, many false saints have divorced, who take it for money, promising healings and wealth, perhaps the petitioner will receive what he wants, but what is the price to him, and by what power it is given.

Pilgrimage is not tourism, sometimes it is enough to complete the deed of repentance in your church in order to be filled with the Holy Spirit and find an answer to the problem.

While striving abroad, some Christians do not bother to inquire about the holy places located in their hometown or village.

When in Moscow there were many hours of queues to the belt of the Mother of God, few people knew that the Church of the Prophet Elijah protects a piece of the same shrine.

When planning to attend a service in a monastery, be sure to first familiarize yourself with its rules so as not to get into an uncomfortable position when you are not allowed to Communion due to absence from the all-night prayer, for example. Going on a pilgrimage trip, do not forget that spiritual life does not consist only of health, family relationships and material wealth.

For the pilgrims, the main goal is to strengthen their faith and receive the gift of love for their neighbor, through love for Jesus and acceptance of His sacrifice. Mother Russia is rich in shrines, to which pilgrims from all over the world go, so let's first walk through our native places.

On the tradition of Orthodox pilgrimage. Archpriest Vladimir Golovin

Approx. ed., - Pilgrimage is a journey to holy places. Pilgrimage in Orthodox Christianity is often called “Orthodox tourism,” which is not entirely true, because pilgrimage is not very much like a tourist trip. Pilgrims hit the road for prayer, communication with God and the opportunity to see Orthodox shrines. One must prepare spiritually for such a journey. Often, pilgrims overcome difficulties, keep a fast, and specially take certain vows. Many go on pilgrimage to work in a monastery or for missionary work, teaching about Christ along the way. Pilgrimage is an ancient tradition. Many temples and monasteries have special pilgrimage services. Pilgrimage traditions have already formed, and the first pilgrimages took place in apostolic times.

Ordinary nightmare

Personal. 2003 year. Decade of death of Hieromonk Basil, monks Trofim and Ferapont. All of Moscow is removed from the scene and goes to Optina Pustyn. There are so many newcomers in the monastery that some set up tents right on the square in front of the gate.

The decision to go is made spontaneously, when a leaflet with a travel schedule of the pilgrim service with a good name falls into the hands. Call:

- Yes, of course, there is room.

And we are going.

In an amicable way, it was necessary to be on the alert as soon as it became clear that the bus leaves the center of Moscow at 22:00 on Saturday. Moreover, there was an opportunity to leave for the whole weekend.

Theoretically, such a departure time allowed to attend Vespers. Practically - we were just getting across the city to the landing site. Then ... to go back.

The third ring did not exist then, and the driver had no choice but to get out of the city along the radius. Which he did until about one in the morning. So the commercial calculation to collect travelers from all regions multiplied by the evening "rush hour" cost us three or four extra hours of travel.

Five in the morning. The bus finally pulls up to the monastery. According to the guide, there is an hour left before the beginning of the early liturgy. Someone is trying to take a nap in the chair. The most experienced people remember that immersion in the springs after the sacrament is usually not blessed.

Hearing the question: "Where is the source here?" - the accompanying girl is frankly frightened. On this route, she was for the first time, she was provided with some information about the temples and the schedule of services, but for everything else, it is simply useless to pester her.

A group of the most awakened in a line get off the bus and stretch out along the road leading away from the gate. The outline of the monastery is slowly melting in the thick early morning fog. Fortunately, at this early hour one of the locals comes across and, frankly stunned by the sight of a procession of twenty-five people, who had trodden halfway to Kozelsk by that time, asks the question: "Where are you, ... good people?" ...

The same road

Then we endlessly stand in lines - first for confession. (Actually, the morning confession in the monastery is designed for those who go to the late Liturgy, but we will not make it in time - the bus will leave. Fortunately, the line skips us).

Then - during the liturgy itself - over candles, notes and prosphora. If the escort knew about the existence of the shop in the basement of the Kazan Cathedral, at five in the morning it would hardly have helped us.

Closer to noon, having examined Optina at a gallop and, it seems, Skit, a group of completely exhausted and hungry people (they warned us that they would not feed us in the monastery and we had to take food with us) departs for Shamordino ...

Shamordino. Mrs Meadow

Orthodox pilgrimage and Orthodox tourism

In recent years, it has been increasingly said about the existence of two close, but still different phenomena - Orthodox pilgrimage and Orthodox (or "Orthodox-oriented") tourism.

From the point of view of specialists, the second is serviced by personnel trained in the specialty "hotel business". That is, all the usual disciplines are studied - marketing, management, pr basics. It's just that the activity then turns out to be "thematic".

For the user, the main difference lies elsewhere. Pilgrimage is a feat where the main goal is to visit services and shrines. The question of where you will eat / sleep, and how interesting it will be for you, on a trip for this purpose is decided in the second place. (I remember how in the same Optina group of pilgrims they spent the night on rugs right on the Sole of the Vvedensky temple).

Orthodox tourism, in addition to a certain amount of comfort, presupposes a familiar cognitive and familiarization program. That is, “look to the right, look to the left,” albeit with a special theme.

Neither a mouse nor a frog ...

A separate problem is that the field in which most modern pilgrimage services operate is located exactly in the middle between these phenomena.

On the one hand, the trips they offer are declared as "pilgrimage", and therefore most of the participants are set up for two things: 1) to get to the place; 2) for as little money as possible. Especially indignant at the level of comfort and quality of service in such a company is somehow "not comme il faut". On the other hand, it is also unrealistic to let the group go to some Far Abroad for a week without any conveniences and documents.

As a result, terms like "service agreement", "transfer", "hotel reservation" and the like begin to flicker on the horizon only for long-distance, especially foreign travels. In the case of short-term domestic trips, it often happens that no papers are signed with the traveler at all, offering to "transfer money directly to the guide on the bus."

Meanwhile, one must understand that the "pilgrimage service" is the same travel company. And she works with tourists-pilgrims, on the one hand, and with the staff - the drivers accompanying the groups - on the other.

In the worst case, even if the number of groups on the route is limited, and their schedule is determined for six months in advance, this staff may turn out to be one-time hired.

In addition, often, the pilgrimage service (travel company) acts as an intermediary between the customers of services (pilgrims) and their numerous local sellers - carriers, hotels, tour guides, or a grandmother from the private sector in the vicinity of Diveyevo, who rents a corner for the night.

So it is quite possible to go twice along the same route with the same service - and at the same time receive a completely different set of information, services and experiences.

And in general, if you were taken to the place, but they told you almost nothing, mis-oriented and not very well accommodated, be prepared for the objection "and we only undertook to deliver you."

And, it is true, you do not have a contract on hand, and in all advertising brochures from the services provided by the agency itself, only a "comfortable bus" is usually registered.

What to do?

• First things first, define your goals. You can start looking for a trip by typing the word "pilgrimage" into the search engine if you are really ready for a feat. That is, your goal is to visit the shrines and the night spent on the soles of the temple or the two-story bunks of the hotel for workers will not confuse you.
• In any case, it is necessary to ask about the conditions of travel-accommodation-accommodation in advance. Tantrums of people who, as it seemed to them, were just buying a "cheap excursion", when checking into the monastery hotel, too, had to see.
• Practice has shown that the best trips to monasteries are organized from their homesteads. Yes, in this case you will not get any papers either, because formally the group will be voluntary, and the cost of the trip will be considered a donation. But the people who will take you are not staff recruited for one trip. Most likely, they have been working at the church for many years on this particular route (and not on forty different ones). Moreover, they themselves have been to the monastery more than once as pilgrims and therefore they are aware of not only the schedule of services, but they will tell everything about local shrines, the location of candle and icon shops, and even tell the time when they are least crowded. In addition, the courtyard groups, more often than others, settle in monastic hotels and feed in refectories.
• A perfectly ideal pilgrimage option is a group of parishioners who go on a trip with a priest. Of course, such an event may not be the cheapest, not regular and rather troublesome to set up. But all the inconveniences are compensated by the situation when the trip is arranged with their own, for their own, and exactly where they want. In general, the option when the pilgrims are accompanied by a priest (now practiced for foreign trips and by some pilgrim services) has many advantages. On the spot, the group "with the priest" can skip the line to the shrine. Yes, and a prayer service or a litiya can be served without waiting for what is stated in the monastery schedule.
• In general, the timetable on the spot should be listened to most carefully. It is even more convenient to look for fellow travelers on the bus who are not going to the place for the first time. Of course, you don't have to walk from two days to two weeks for your group. A clear understanding of where and when what is served and when the bus leaves will provide you with the optimal amount of freedom.

And a happy pilgrimage.

A pilgrim in a general sense is a person walking to a holy place for him. You can also call such a person returning, for example, to his hometown, to the place of birth, but in the main sense of the word, pilgrimage is a visit to holy places associated with the religion of the pilgrim. The word is derived from the Latin "palma", recalling the palm branches with which people met the Lord Christ at His Entry into Jerusalem, shortly before the death of the cross.
We will tell you where the routes of the most famous Christian pilgrimages are laid and what traditions they are associated with.

Israel pilgrimage

The main pilgrimage in all ages is a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, to Jerusalem, to the places of the earthly life of Christ. Most of the pilgrimages are made on Orthodox Easter. On Holy Saturday, the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire takes place here.
This is truly a miracle that people expect with faith and hope every year. Its meaning is the self-ignition of the lamp on the Holy Sepulcher in the presence of the Patriarch of Constantinople. They prepare for the service of Great Saturday in advance, but no one knows at what hour the Holy Fire will descend. According to legend, in one year he will not appear, and this will mean the onset of the last times, the End of the World.
Every year, on Saturday morning, the Ecumenical Patriarch with a retinue of clergy enters the Church of the Resurrection of Christ and is exposed to the white cassock in its center, at the chapel of the Holy Sepulcher (Kuvukliya), which stands above the very place where Christ was resurrected, above the Stone of His Sepulcher. All light sources are extinguished in the church - from lamps to chandeliers. The Patriarch, according to a tradition that emerged after the Turkish rule in Jerusalem, is searched for anything that contributes to the ignition of the Fire. The sacristan brings into the Cuvuklia cave a lamp, which is placed in the middle of the Holy Sepulcher, and the same torch of 33 Jerusalem candles. As soon as the Orthodox Patriarch enters there, accompanied by the Primate of the Armenian Church, the cave with them is sealed with wax. The worshipers fill the entire church - the words of prayers are heard here, there is a confession of sins in anticipation of the descent of Fire. Typically, such a wait lasts from several minutes to several hours. As soon as lightning flashes appear over the Kuvuklia, meaning the Descent, a bell ringing sounds over the temple. Many millions of people over the centuries have witnessed this miracle, because even today scientists cannot explain by anything, except for God's power, the flash of lightning in the church on Holy Saturday.

The patriarchs pass Jerusalem candles through the window of the chapel, and pilgrims and priests in the temple begin to light their torches from them. Again, from a few minutes to an hour, the Holy Fire does not burn and the pilgrims scoop it up with their hands, wash their faces. Fire ignites neither hair, nor eyebrows, nor beards. All Jerusalem burns with thousands of torches of candles. By air, representatives of Local Churches transport the Holy Fire in special lamps to all countries where there are Orthodox believers.

Pilgrimage in Bari to the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker is world famous and revered by all Christians. He lived in the IV century, but today he remains dear and beloved for many people, because he continues to hear our prayers, help those who turn to him, save from death, poverty, longing and many troubles.
Immediately after he departed to the Lord, his body began to exude myrrh - a wonderful liquid that comes only from miraculous icons and holy relics. He was soon canonized. Remains, bodies of saints are called holy relics.

The relics of Nicholas the Pleasant were in his hometown, in a church in his honor, and in 1087 Italian merchants from the city of Bari deceived the holy relics and took them to Italy. Here they are in a closed white marble sarcophagus in the basilica in honor of St. Nicholas. Many pilgrims from all over the world come here every day.

The relics constantly ooze myrrh and myrrh. Miro is a fragrant, wonderful liquid, the exact composition of which scientists cannot name to this day. Miro exudes miraculous icons and relics of some saints especially blessed by God. This substance is a fragrant oil, and it contains essential oils of unknown plants, as if unearthly.

Pilgrimage to the relics of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky in Corfu

Saint Spyridon is the second miracle worker after Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Mirlikia. After many years of oblivion during the years of atheism of the twentieth century, Russians again pray to Saint Spyridon, and over the past decades, evidence of his miracles has multiplied.

Saint Spyridon is called a miracle worker, as is Saint Nicholas. He is considered one of the great patrons of Greece, his relics rest on the island of Corfu. In all ages people turned to the saint and received help; in Russia of the twentieth century, his name was forgotten, but today the veneration of the saint is revived again.

The relics of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky are located on the island of Corfu and exude great miracles. They are a sign that the saint walks among people and helps them: it has been testified over the centuries that Spiridon's shoes, worn on his holy relics, change annually and their soles are always worn out! This amazing fact strengthens the faith in people that the saint invisibly rises from the grave and himself walks around the world, appearing to people and strengthening them.

Other amazing facts about the relics of the saint: the body of the saint has a constant temperature of a living person, just above 36. His hair and nails continue to grow slightly. And over the centuries it happened many times that the key could not open the lock on the shrine (coffin) with the relics. Then everyone becomes a witness: the saint walks around the world and helps the suffering.

Pilgrimage to Saint James - Saint Jacques in Spain

The relics of Saint James, brother of John the Theologian, are especially venerated in Spain. He preached in those places, passing the wine route from Jerusalem (which is why he is revered as the patron saint of travelers and pilgrims). According to legend, after he was killed by Herod, his body was carried in a boat to the banks of the Ulya River. Now it houses the city of Santiago de Compostela named after him. In 813, one of the Spanish monks had a sign of God: a star, showing with its light the burial place of Jacob's relics. The name of the city, built on the site of their acquisition, is translated from Spanish as "The place of St. James, indicated by a star."

From the 10th century, a pilgrimage began here, which by the 11th century acquired the significance of the second most pilgrimage after visiting Jerusalem. The ancient traditions of pilgrimage are still observed: the pilgrim must reach the city on foot, walking for a hundred kilometers or pedaling a bicycle for two hundred kilometers.

God bless you!