Synopsis
Pilgrimages are as old as mankind. The mystical and spiritual nature of a pilgrimage holds an eternal, mythic appeal to the imagination of many people. Every year millions of pilgrims of all nationalities, young and old, set out on these voyages of the soul. Pilgrimages of Europe collection are experiential journeys to some of the most sacred routes and holy places throughout Christian Europe. Each half-hour documentary, richly filmed, looks at the spiritual, cultural and historical background of an important pilgrimage sites throughout Europe. However, the people, the pilgrims themselves, are at the heart of these stories -- their purposes and desires, their motivations, and the great sense of the holy and the sacred which they find on their journeys of faith. EL ROCIO, Spain The Romeria de El Rocio, in Andalusia in the deep south of Spain, is the most important pilgrimage to the Blessed Mother on the Iberian Peninsula. The many pilgrims who flock to the little town every year come to venerate the Holy Virgin of El Rocio, also known as the Virgin of the Dew. During the week before Pentecost a million pilgrims, the Rocieros, make their way to El Rocio on foot, on horseback, in oxcarts, on tractors or in cars. The trip often takes many days. During the night after Pentecost Sunday the Virgin emerges from the church to greet her people. For the people of Andalusia there will always be an El Rocio. The day after Pentecost the Rocieros begin preparations for the following year. For them El Rocio is more than just a pilgrimage. It is a way of life. SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, Spain Santiago de Compostela was one of the three holy cities of the world during the Middle Ages. From far and wide pilgrims made their way on foot to the city in northwestern Spain to visit the shrine of the apostle, St. James. According to the legend, James went to Spain after Christ's crucifixion to preach the gospel. On his return to Jerusalem he was captured by King Herod and beheaded. The friends and followers of James put the apostle's body in a boat and pushed it out to sea. After a journey of many months, the body, covered in seashells, washed ashore in Galicia on the western coast of Spain. The shell later became the symbol of St. James Way. James was buried further inland. His tomb was discovered around 850 A.D. and since then pilgrims have visited his shrine in greater or lesser numbers. About 8,000 pilgrims from across Europe still make the journey every year. At the Pyrenees they begin to converge. In Spain only one road, the Camino, leads to Santiago.