History of Via Francigena: Pilgrimage to Rome
Signpost to Via Francigena. Image: Wikipedia
History of Via Francigena: Pilgrimage to Rome
During the 2025 Jubilee Year for the Roman Catholic Church, millions of pilgrims will travel to the “Eternal City” of Rome, the seat of the Catholic Church.
As I mentioned in my previous article, Rome is one of the most important pilgrimage destinations for Christians.
The primary pilgrimage route since the Middle Ages is called the Via Francigena, a 1,200-mile route connecting Canterbury, England, to Rome – via France, the Swiss Alps, and the Italian Apennines – passing churches and shrines devoted to St. Francis and other saints.
What is the meaning of Via Francigena, how old is this pilgrimage, what is its historical significance, what’s it like today?
Meaning of Via Francigena
The phrase in Italian means “the road that comes from France,” and much of the route crosses France from north to south. We learn about it from the A.D. 725 document, the Itinerarium sancti Willibaldi, which describes Bishop Willibald’s travels from Eichstätt, Bavaria (modern Germany). Back then, it was called the Iter Francorum, Latin for “the Frankish Route,” but it went by other names in other languages.
Was this the “Original” Christian Pilgrimage?
The oldest Christian pilgrims’ path was not to Rome, but to the Holy Land, as we learn from the early third-century Christian scholar Origen, “in search of the traces of Jesus, the disciples and the prophets.” Jerusalem features many places where Jesus visited and taught, as I describe in my article on the City.
During the Byzantine period of church history, after Constantine moved his capital to Constantinople (modern Istanbul), we first hear of a pilgrimage route through the city of Jerusalem. It began on the Mount of Olives, down to the Garden of Gethsemane, and then through the Lions’ Gate into what is now called the “Old City.” This route is currently called the Via Dolorosa, the “Way of Suffering.”
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem. Image: Wikipedia
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This route then follows Jesus through his trials and condemnation. The end of this path is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre – built by Constantine in the 4th century – atop the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. I describe this in greater detail in my article on Good Friday.
The Holy Land fell to the Muslim conquests in the 7th century, making pilgrimages from Europe more difficult. Other pilgrimages to destinations in Europe developed, including the previously mentioned Santiago de Compostela in Spain in the 9th century. But Rome had been a destination much earlier than Spain, to visit the places where St. Peter and St. Paul had worked and been martyred. It has remained a major pilgrimage destination since the Middle Ages.
Medieval Background of the Via Francigena
Christian legend tells us that Constantine’s mother, St. Helena, traveled to Jerusalem in the 4th century and brought back to Rome Pontius Pilate‘s stairs, those that led to his praetorium. There, the Roman governor pronounced condemnation upon Jesus, saying, “Crucify him.”
These Sacred Steps, the Scala Sancta, were placed near the Basilica of St. John’s Lateran and were a popular pilgrim destination for centuries. Martin Luther visited them in 1510. They remain there to this day, as I describe in my tourist guide to Rome.
Another favorite is the Catacomb of Priscilla, where early Christians worshiped. I mentioned early Christian art depicting the Magi in Persian attire in my Christmas article on the Wise Men.
Traditionally, during the Middle Ages, pilgrims would visit the seven pilgrimage churches, including the four major Basilicas of Rome, which I’ll describe in my next article.
“The Road that Comes from France”
Via Francigena map. Image: Paulusburg
The first documented mention of this route was in 725, when it was known as the “Lombard Way” and called the “Frankish Route.”
In Italy and Burgundy, it was called the Via Francigena-Francisca. Historically, the “road” was not a single path, but might be several depending on warfare and the weather. It connected abbeys, not cities.
Via Francigena signpost, Valdena, Italy. Image: Wikipedia
About 990, Sigeric the Serious, the Archbishop of Canterbury, journeyed to Rome and back, chronicling 80 stages of about 20 km (12.4 miles) per day. This became the model for the Via Francigena.
The Road Today
Christ Church Gate, Canterbury Cathedral. Image: Wikipedia
A modern pilgrim would start at the South Porch of the Christ Church Gate at Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, England.
Passport cover
Pilgrims would obtain a “passport” in Canterbury, which they could have stamped at stops along the way.
Stamped passport
From the coast at Dover, they cross the English Channel to Sombres, near Calais, France. They pass through many villages and towns in France, cross the Alps in Switzerland at the Great St. Bernard Pass, and then cross the border into the Apennine Mountains in Italy.
Lake at the Great St Bernard Pass, the highest point of the pilgrimage at 8,100 feet, in August 2010. Image: Wikipedia
A pelligrino – Italian for pilgrim – may travel by foot, bicycle, or horseback. In 2022, some 50,000 pilgrims walked the Via Francigena. But it wasn’t a Jubilee Year, like 2025 is.
Who Travels the Via Francigena?
People of all ages and nationalities make this pilgrimage.
- The two largest age populations are 25-34 and 55-64.
- They’re made up of 56% men and 44% women.
- Travelers from over 40 countries participate. Italians are the largest group, followed by the French, Americans, Spanish, Brits, Dutch, Germans, Canadians, and Australians. Pilgrims from Africa, Asia, Oceania, and South America are also represented.
- The months of most travel are (in order) May, April, September, and October. The least months (in order) are July, August, and June.
Indicator of Via Francigena. Image: Wikipedia
Not all start in Canterbury; that whole trip can take 100 days. Other popular starting points for shorter journeys include Lucca, Gambassi Terme, Ivrea, San Miniato, and Sienna. The route from Lucca to Sienna is one of the most beautiful parts of Tuscany.
Viterbo is a popular starting place because it’s just over 100 km from Rome. A pilgrim must walk a minimum of 100 km (or cycle a minimum of 200 km) to qualify for a one-year indulgence awarded this year.
Where Do Pilgrims Stay?
In Italy, monasteries and convents called spedali may be found along the way and accommodate pilgrims. While inexpensive, they require the pilgrim to show their credenziale, a pilgrim’s passport. The Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome publishes a list of accommodations. There are many signposts along the way.
Missionary friends of mine spent time along the route at San Martino Al Cimino, walking and talking with pilgrims as they journeyed south, answering their spiritual and biblical questions.
Pilgrim friend Kirk, along the Via Francigena. He travelled from Sienna to Rome in 14 days, averaging 15-18 miles/day.
Why Do People Make the Pilgrimage?
The two most popular reasons, according to surveys, for taking the journey are the shared experience – most travel in groups of three or more – and spiritual reasons.
Kirk’s Passport, indicating stamps along the way
My friend Kirk, whom I met years ago at University, walked about 280 km along the Via Francigena. He told me he asked an Icelandic pilgrim why she was on the pilgrimage. Her answer:
“For my sins”
Other pilgrims form long-term relationships while on pilgrimage. They continue to walk together years later. He talked to couples who met on the pilgrimage route who later married.
The next most popular reason, according to surveys, is the cultural appeal of the places visited and the tourist appeal. Others do it for the physical exercise or the wine and food along the way.
Some pilgrims go beyond Rome and depart Italy from the “heel” of the boot, then continue on to the Holy Land.
Beyond Rome. Image: Via Francigena
You can visit the official website dedicated to Via Francigena or the Pilgrim’s social network.
What happens when the pilgrim arrives in Rome this year? Please read my next article on the Jubilee Year.
Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
billpetro.com
