Dr Anne E Bailey

A pilgrim's scallop shell found with a burial at Whitby Abbey cemetery, 14th-15th centuries, and displayed at the Whitby Abbey Museum. Note the holes at the top: a chord would have threaded through to attach the shell to the pilgrim's clothing.

2/2 ... featuring St Hild and Caedmon.

1/2 Also at St Mary's, the striking Caedmon Memorial, 1898 ...

2/2 St Mary's, Whitby.

More from St Mary's, Whitby.
1/2. Artefacts from the Saxon period, the 15th century (font) and the 17th century (parish chest).
The font is one of two displayed in the church after being discovered at a local farm where they were being used as livestock troughs.

2/2 Despite its remote location and invisibility from the road, the well seems to be frequented by pilgrims leaving rags and more unfathomable ex votos in the trees!

Second holy well of last weekend's pilgrimage trip: Old Wives Well near Stape and close to the Roman Road known as Wades Causeway on the North Yorkshire moors. May have pre-Christians origins.
1/2

More than pasties and beaches: Cornwall celebrates St Piran’s Day amid cultural revival In Launceston, revellers are celebrating ‘Cornishness becoming cool’ as well as the region’s patron saint

More than pasties and beaches: Cornwall celebrates St Piran’s Day amid cultural revival
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Catholic Pilgrims Take to the Seas Cruises are becoming an increasingly popular choice for faith-based vacationing.

Catholic Pilgrims Take to the Seas| National Catholic Register
www.ncregister.com/features/cat...

Pilgrims flock to Assisi as relics of St Francis are unveiled More than 100,000 pilgrims have passed through the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi during the first week of the first public exposition of the saint’s mortal remains in 800 years

Pilgrims flock to Assisi as relics of St Francis are unveiled thecatholicherald.com/article/pilg...

And the nearby St Piran's Well.
📸2015

A few reading suggestions for #WorldBookDay !📚👣

Discover the Ecce Homo Pilgrimage in Valletta Join the Ecce Homo penitential pilgrimage in Valletta, a historic journey of faith and community.

Discover the Ecce Homo Pilgrimage in Valletta
hotmalta.net/2026/03/05/d...

On the feast day of St Piran, patron saint of Cornwall, some images of his oratory (preserved behind a retaining wall) and stone cross at Perranporth.
📸2015.

And, close by, and near the Roman road known as Wades Causeway high on the windswept moors, the enigmatic Wheeldale Stones of unknown date and origin.

CSI St Patrick: just where is the saint's body? The exact location of the body of St Patrick has been a bone of contention for over a millennium

CSI St Patrick: just where is the saint's body? www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

On our way home, a quick stop at the Mauley Cross, a medieval wayside cross at Cropton Forest, North Yorkshire.

2/2. St Mary's is remarkable for its large number of box pews ... apparently able to accommodate 2,000 souls! The triple-tiered pulpit is pretty striking too.

St Mary's, Whitby! Established in the 12th century as the parish church for the town, and a role it still plays today. (No vampires here!!)
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Amid escalating attacks, Catholic groups visiting Holy Land are stranded Catholic pilgrims visiting the Holy Land have been stranded in Israel and the West Bank after the rapid escalation of hostilities between the U.S., Israel and Iran triggered widespread airspace closur...

Amid escalating attacks, Catholic groups visiting Holy Land are stranded
www.ncronline.org/node/325271

A sacred journey: Camino pilgrimage for Spanish professor was a family affair The Mack family in front of the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela. Courtesy | Todd Mack When Spanish professor Todd Mack told his wife he wanted to spend his sabbatical hiking the Camino de Santiago...

A sacred journey: Camino pilgrimage for Spanish professor was a family affair
hillsdalecollegian.com/2026/02/a-sa...

And close to Whitby Abbey: St Hilda's Well, Hinderwell.
A place of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages reputed to cure eye ailments. The spring is said to have miraculously appeared in response to Hild's prayers during a drought. The St Hilda's Way begins here. 👣

2/2. More from Whitby!

Thrilled to finally visit Whitby Abbey (North Yorks) at the weekend, the once-time home of St Hild and the poet Caedmon, and venue for the Synod of Whitby in 664!
Ruins of the Benedictine Abbey, 1220s.
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Churches invited to become ‘Pilgrim Places’ for reflection and prayer Churches are being invited to become “Pilgrim Places” for reflection and prayer as part of the Faith in the North initiative

Churches invited to become ‘Pilgrim Places’ for reflection and prayer
www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/2589020...

Inside the Vatican studio preserving the mosaics of St. Peter's Basilica Since the late 1500s, a small workshop in the Vatican has cared for the hundreds of mosaics that decorate the interior of St. Peter's Basilica in a sea of colour.

Inside the Vatican studio preserving the mosaics of St. Peter's Basilica
www.reuters.com/lifestyle/in...

Saint Patrick’s Way: The pilgrimage route promising a very personal journey www.msn.com/en-gb/travel...

Walking in Faith: Goa’s Annual Pilgrimage Draws Thousands to Sancoale The Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, in southwest India, hosted its annual Walking Pilgrimage to Sancoale, drawing thousands of faithful and turning the historic site into a vibrant gathering of devotion...

Walking in Faith: Goa’s Annual Pilgrimage Draws Thousands to Sancoale
www.rvasia.org/feature-stor...

St. Peter’s Basilica Digital Ecosystem and Fourth Centenary: Innovation, Pilgrimage and Religious Tourism Discover how St. Peter’s Basilica’s Fourth Centenary introduces the Digital Ecosystem, Smart Pass, and “Beyond the Visible” project, transforming pilgrimage, heritage conservation, and religious touri...

St. Peter’s Basilica Digital Ecosystem and Fourth Centenary: Innovation, Pilgrimage and Religious Tourism
eturbonews.com/st-peters-ba...

Newly unearthed temple in Nepal revealed to be major ancient Buddhist pilgrimage site - Tibetan Review (TibetanReview.net, Feb23’26) – While Lumbini in ancient Sakya Kingdom is recognized as the place where the Buddha was born more than 2,500 years ago, a temple built in the palatial remains in Tilaura...

Newly unearthed temple in Nepal revealed to be major ancient Buddhist pilgrimage site tibetanreview.net/newly-uneart...