In the northern capital there is an exhibition “The Way to the Shrine. Traditions of pilgrimage in the religions of the world '

In St. Petersburg, in the State Museum of the History of Religion, an exposition dedicated to the spiritual journey in different religious traditions will be open until December 1. The exhibition, which opened in October, has already been attended by thousands of people. At the same time, the number of those wishing to get acquainted with the exhibits presented at it is still large - among them are both Petersburgers and guests of the cultural capital of Russia.

People who go on a spiritual journey to revered shrines and relics are called pilgrims (from the Latin palma - 'palm', the branches of this tree were brought with them by those who visited the Holy Land) or pilgrims (Latin peregrinus - 'stranger, wanderer'). The tradition of pilgrimage is rooted in antiquity: for thousands of years, people traveled long distances on foot or on horseback to worship in places considered sacred, be they sanctuaries or revered natural sites. Since Christianity in the Roman Empire became the state religion in the IV century, it is considered important among its followers to visit Palestine at least once in their lives, to visit Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth and other revered places. Among the exhibits of the exhibition there are many items not only from the Holy Land, but also from others holy places for Christians - such as Mount Athos in Gretz
ii, Constantinople in Asia Minor, Rome and Loretto in Italy, Santiago de Compostelo in Spain, Lourdes in France, Fatima in Portugal, Czestochowa in Poland and many others.