A pilgrim's progress

Religious-themed travel and religious pilgrimages in Europe

The church of Sant'Ambrogio in Milan was founded by Saint Ambrose himself in the 4th century, when he was Bishop of Milan and Milan was, briefly, capital of the Western Roman Empire

Religious convictions and an interest in the roots of one's faith are an important part of many people's trips to Europe, whether it's a full-blown pilgrimage or merely lighting a candle and offering a prayer in each church you visit.

Whether it's paying respects to St. Francis at his basilica in Assisi, hearing the Pope give mass at St. Peter's in Rome, visiting Lourdes or Fatima, or walking the Camino to Santiago de Compostela across northern Spain, thousands of visitors to Europe are there, at least in part, to honor their God and make worship a part of their travel experience.

The resources and books listed below can help point you in the right directions to find the best tools to make your pilgrimage (or just the religious aspects of your trip) as memorable as possible.

For lodgings in convents and monasteries, see this page.

Here is a personal tip: don't miss the 6:45pm Sunday mass at St. Mark's in Venice. It's the only time you get to see the glittering gold mosaics that cover nearly every inch of the walls and ceilings the all lit up.

(Note that, though currently this section is devoted to Christian travelers, I'll be doing up separate ones for Jews and Muslims soon.)

Resources for Religious Tours & Pilgrimages in Europe

Even nuns go on vacation—this group is visiting the shrine of St. Domenic (whose tomb was partly sculpted by a very young Michelangelo) in the Basilica di San Domenico in Bologna, Italy

InfoHub (www.infohub.com) - Some five to ten religious and spiritual tours in each of more than dozen European countries (and around the world), from walking the Camino de Santiago to religious retreats in Assisi.

Religious Resources.org (www.ReligiousResources.org) - The travel page has around three dozen outfits, tour companies, and other resources, a goodly half of them devoted to Europe.

Villes Sanctuaires (www.villes-sanctuaires.com) - The major pilgrimage cities and shrines in France—Chartres, Lourdes, Nevers, Mont-Saint-Michel, Rocamadour, Le-Puy-en-Velay, Paray-le-Monial, Lisieux, and Ars—all banded together in one Website.

Economy Travel (www.economytravel.com) - A well-regarded budget airfare booking site that has a special section devoted to missionary and pilgrimage consolidator fares on ten airlines as well as a groups department adept at helping missionary groups (of 10 or more people) arrange their trips.

Overseas Express (www.ovex.com) - Travel agency specializing in missionaries, church employees, and humanitarian and relief workers.

Unitours (www.unitours.com) - Well-established (1957) Christian tour and pilgrimage company for both Catholics and Protestants, offering dozens of tours and trips, mostly in Europe and the Holy Land.

Journeys of Faith Christian Tours (www.joftours.com) - Monthly, Protestant tours to England, Scotland, and France.

Art to Heart (www.arttoheartweb.com/christian_travel.htm) - Religiously-themed tours of Europe with an emphasis on art (plus on God, of course).

Glory Tours (www.glory-tours.com) - Tour company specializing in overseas religious tours and pilgrimages.

Christus Rex (www.christusrex.org) - A nonprofit devoted to sharing with the world images of art and architecture from churches, cathedrals, and monasteries around the globe. Pretty much since the Web's inception, it's been the best (albeit unofficial) website about the Vatican—including its museums. Plus, in the "Splendors of Christiandom" section, there are links to lots of churches and cathedrals (largely in France and Italy, but also a few in the Netherlands, Ukraine, and Mexico).

Christian Travelers Guide (www.christian-travelers-guides.com) - Website run by Irving Hexham—a professor of Religious Studies at the University of Calgary—with a sampler of sections from his "Chrisitan Travelers Guides" books to Italy, France, Germany, and Great Britain (see below).