With that said, I've had an idea for a more thematic, less travelogue-ish post in my head for a while. Traveling is still a large cause for this post, as the title "Pilgrimage" implies, but I plan to bore you all less with details and more with my reflections upon some recent experiences.
A huge part of my personal Oxford experience has centered around History, whether as an academic discipline or as a visible, tangible experience. And as enlightening, helpful, and interesting as studying History has been here, really experiencing History through centuries-old buildings and monuments has been a new and unique experience for me. Sure, I went to Philadelphia in 7th grade to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall and such and I've been to numerous museums back in the States (for which I owe my parents many thanks), but never in my life have I had the opportunity to experience such old, rich historical sites first-hand. Just above is a picture of St Paul's Cathedral in London, which was founded in 604 and the current building dates to the 17th century. In just my second week here, I was able to attend an evening service (Anglican Evensong) in that amazing church; and even though I am not Anglican and quite frankly know very little of Anglican tradition itself, it was still a wonderful and special experience to worship God in a place with such deep roots. Certainly, the mosaic, iconic depictions of Christ behind the altar and on the ceilings and walls helped me feel more at home as an Orthodox Christian, but that seems to be only one aspect of the depth felt in such a place. There is something about worshiping in the same location that Christians worshiped in over a millennium ago that makes itself felt, and I truly believe it is more than heightened emotions or an individual feeling.
[De Krijtberg Catholic Church in Amstterdam]
As I think more about that sense of depth that comes in such places, there seem to be two layers to the experience. For one, there is the connection between the experiences of modern pilgrims and pilgrims of earlier times. As sources like the Canterbury Tales indicate, pilgrimage was once a fairly prominent activity in the lives of many. People would travel huge distances to visit special religious sites, often times in hopes of healing or some other type of miracle. And while many people today would look at such an activity and chalk it up to superstition or backwards-mindedness, I think there is something to be commended and even imitated in such actions. Also, I should note that my "pilgrimages" here in England have been far more convenient than those of the medievals or earlier people, so I cannot claim the fullness of their experience. And the second layer is the same one that those (sincere) pilgrims sought in ages past, to share in some way with the Saints who have gone before us. Just like pilgrims from all time periods, we still share in the same Christian foundation that they did, a church founded on Christ, the Apostles, and the martyrs.
This picture is of the shrine of one of those martyrs just mentioned, St Alban, the proto-martyr (first martyr) of Great Britain. My visit to this shrine was a little different than visits in medieval England (I didn't exactly have to shove my way through throngs of excited pilgrims), but brought a sense of connection with the past nonetheless. Despite being in a country thousands of miles from my home, being so near the relics of St Alban brought a sense of being home, or at least being somewhere I belong. And yet, the shrine is also a reminder of the fact that this is not where I, nor any Christians, belong. Persecution is obviously not a present threat here in the UK or back in the States, but as Christians we always live with the knowledge that our citizenship lies elsewhere. We can look back and celebrate the death of St Alban because we know that Christ has defeated death and we (all of us saints) worship alongside Alban and all the Saints now and forever.
And finally, I just want to add a note about how modern pilgrimages to Anglican sites as an Orthodox Christian stand out, both for good and bad. To start with the bad, there are the numerous instances where Reformation iconoclasm is still visible in churches. Walls are filled with empty coves where states of Saints once stood (see the image above), now lost and in most cases reduced to only dust and debris. So it is sad to see that these sites of pilgrimage, places where Saints are celebrated, were once victim to the zeal of iconoclastic reformers. At the same time though, it brings my heart such great joy to see this process being reversed. In nearly every Cathedral, Abbey, and major church that I have visited here, I have been surprised to find at least one icon and sometimes whole walls of them (Winchester Cathedral). And this makes me so glad not just because I use icons in my own worship, but because of the trend of unity it represents. I know that Christianity is far, far away from seeing a unified Church (I don't believe that the Protestant notion of an "invisible Church" holds true weight), but ecumenical dialogues and inter-church relations seem to be heading in a good direction, at least as far as I can see. Not many things bring me more joy than seeing true bonds of love and fellowship between Christians from different backgrounds, and to see such visual representations of that love is a truly beautiful thing. So in these "pilgrimages" I feel that I have been drawn closer to the Saints of the early Church, the pilgrims who made their journeys before me, and all Christians who share in our rich history that traces its way back through the saints, martyrs, and apostles all the way to Christ Himself.
