At the end of the fourteenth century two very different women lived in the county of Norfolk, in eastern England. One was an anchoress* in the city of Norwich, living in a small room attached to the church of St.Julian that she never left. We know her as Dame Julian of Norwich, though nobody knows whether the name Julian was her own, or was simply taken from the church in which she lived. The other woman, Margery Kempe, was married, a mother of fourteen children, and was to become known for the many pilgrimages she undertook and which were recorded for posterity in the Book of Margery Kempe. At first sight it seems the two women could hardly have been more different than the secluded Julian and the wandering Margery, but they also had a great deal in common – both were passionately devoted to their religion, both experienced visions, and both were in their own way typical examples of religious life in late medieval England.
Have you heard the words “mystic” or “mysticism” before? They are a little hard to understand, as they talk about something that most people never experience. Mysticism means trying to reach a state of extraordinary closeness with God, to be united to Him as much as is possible in this life (for true union with God can only be found in heaven). A mystic is someone whose prayer life focuses on developing this close relationship, often bringing them special gifts such as visions or direct revelations of God’s will. There have been mystics throughout the history of Christianity, right up to the present day.
In the late middle ages – from around 1300 to 1500 – there lived a number of important mystics whose writings are still read today and still bring their readers closer to God. One of these was Dame Julian of Norwich. Julian tells us that in May 1373 she became gravely ill. As she lay at the point of death she received a series of sixteen visions of the crucified Christ. After she recovered she wrote them down in a book called Revelations of Divine Love. Her first account was a short one, but later she expanded it into a longer version. Some time after experiencing her visions she became an anchoress and remained in her little “cell” at St. Julian’s for the rest of her life. After her death Julian was for a time largely forgotten and her writings were almost lost, but in the seventeenth century they were saved when a number of copies were made by English nuns living in exile in France. Today the work of “a simple woman, unlettered”, as Julian described herself, is widely read by Christians around the world because of the message it gives of God’s love and care for us. Julian tells us “all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well”.
Margery Kempe was a very different character. She also experienced visions, but instead of leading her to shut herself away for a life of prayer as Julian did, they inspired her to set off on a series of pilgrimages. She describes her journeys in The Book of Margery Kempe, one of the earliest autobiographies written in English. We know from the Book that she travelled both in England and abroad – to Rome, to the shrine of Saint James at Compostella in Spain, and even as far as the Holy Land. Unfortunately Margery was not the easiest travelling companion. She had a habit of weeping and wailing loudly in the throes of religious enthusiasm, and was also fond of preaching none too tactfully to those around her. Pilgrims often travelled in groups for safety and for company, and many must have wished they had chosen a different party!
During the middle ages pilgrimages were commonplace. Almost everyone must have taken part in a pilgrimage at some time – though many required only a short, local journey, and few people travelled as far or as often as Margery. Some of the most famous stories ever written in English are tales supposed to have been told by a motley group of pilgrims to the shrine of St.Thomas Becket: the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, written not long before Margery Kempe began her travels. Chaucer’s pilgrims came from all walks of life, including a knight, a nun, a priest, a married woman, a miller, a cook, a merchant, and a doctor. Even kings went on pilgrimages, often both frequently and enthusiastically. King Edward I made many pilgrimages to the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham to whom he was especially devoted – he believed she had saved him from death when the ceiling of a room in which he had been playing chess collapsed. King Henry VI was another enthusiastic pilgirm, visiting more than a dozen different shrines in a single year.
Walsingham and Canterbury were the most popular pilgrimage destinations within England, but there were many others – some important enough to attract visitors from far-flung places, others small and of interest only to people living locally. There were a number of shrines to Our Lady besides Walsingham, and devotion to the Mother of Jesus in England was such that by 1400 the country was being spoken of as “Mary’s dowry”. Hailes Abbey in Gloucestershire held a relic which attracted many pilgrims: a few drops of the Holy Blood shed by Jesus during his Passion. Fragments of the True Cross (the Holy Rood) could also be visited, for example the Rood of Bromholm in Norfolk. Other pilgrimage sites held the remains of popular saints, such as St.Etheldreda at Ely, St.Cuthbert at Durham, St.Winifred at Shrewsbury, and – of course – St.Thomas at Canterbury.
Why did so many people choose to make what cold be both difficult and long journeys as pilgrims? Many were inspired simply by religious enthusiasm, but there were also other reasons for setting out on a journey to a popular shrine. In an age when medical help was often either non-existent or more dangerous and unpleasant than the condition it was meant to treat, the sick and disabled often went on pilgrimage in the hope of a healing miracle. Others went in thanksgiving for answered prayers. Sinners could be ordered to undertake a pilgrimage as a penance; and some people travelled simply as an excuse for an adventure or a change of scenery. Whatever their motivation, most returned from their journey with their faith strengthened and a store of tales to tell!
* An anchoress (or anchorite) spent a life of prayer in an enclosed room, usually attached to a church, which she never left.
PRAYER: Lord, You know what I desire,
but I desire it only if it is Your will that I should have it.
If it is not Your will, good Lord, do not be displeased,
for my will is to do Your will. Amen. (Dame Julian of Norwich)
FEAST DAYS:
Julian of Norwich – 13 May
TIMELINE:
Julian of Norwich: born 1342, died c.1416
Margery Kempe: born c.1373, died after 1439
HISTORICAL NOTE: Examples of modern twentieth century mystics are the Anglican Evelyn Underhill and the Catholic Adrienne von Speyr. Other medieval mystics included Thomas a Kempis, who wrote the classic devotional work The Imitation of Christ, and the unknown English author of The Cloud of Unknowing.
© Kathryn Faulkner 2005. All rights reserved.
