Pilgrimages of the World

Explanation: The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and every Muslim has the duty to perform it at least once in their life if their means allow. Nearly two million faithful gather there each year. Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the holy city.

Explanation: Santiago de Compostela is in Galicia, in the northwest. The route went through a historic low in the 18th century, people even wondered if it would survive. It exploded from the 1990s onward, driven by spiritual tourism: today more than 400,000 pilgrims receive their compostela each year.

Explanation: The Kumbh Mela attracts up to 120 million Hindu pilgrims over several weeks, making it visibly the largest human gathering in history. It takes place in rotation every three years in four sacred cities on a river: Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain.

Explanation: The apparitions at Lourdes took place in 1858. Young Bernadette Soubirous, 14 years old, reported seeing the Virgin 18 times in the Massabielle grotto. The Church authenticated the apparitions four years later. Today, the sanctuary receives around 3 million visitors each year.

Explanation: The Shikoku pilgrimage strings together 88 temples over about 1,200 kilometers. Tradition traces its origin back to the monk Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi) in the 9th century. Count about thirty days on foot, two months if you take your time. The number 88 is said to correspond to the number of evil passions one frees oneself from.

Explanation: The shrine of Fatima commemorates the apparitions of the Virgin to three young shepherds in 1917, in the middle of World War I. Two of the children would die soon after in the Spanish flu pandemic. The third, Sister Lúcia, would live to 97. Pope John Paul II would attribute his survival of the 1981 assassination attempt to Our Lady of Fatima.

Explanation: St. Peter's Basilica is built on what tradition holds to be the tomb of the apostle Peter. It is the largest Christian religious building in the world. Its dome, designed by Michelangelo, peaks at 136 meters. The construction site lasted more than 120 years and involved about ten successive architects.

Explanation: The Ganges is considered the goddess Ganga descended to Earth. Bathing in Benares is believed to wash away all sins. The city also hosts many cremations on the banks of the river: for a Hindu, dying in Benares guarantees moksha, liberation from the cycle of reincarnations.

Explanation: Mount Athos hosts about twenty monasteries, an autonomous state within Greece. Surprising detail: since a Byzantine edict of the 11th century, access has been forbidden to all women. And even to female animals, with rare exceptions (cats for mice, hens for eggs).

Explanation: Karbala commemorates the death of Husayn, grandson of the prophet Muhammad, killed in 680 during a battle foundational for Shi'ism. During the annual Arba'een commemoration, up to 20 million pilgrims converge on the city, making it one of the largest religious gatherings in the world.