Saints, Relics, and Sacred Sites in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

An exploration of the Christian practice of sacred travel from the fourth century through the ninth, with special attention to circuits that include sites in Rome, the Holy Land, Africa, and Egypt. Students will study archeological remains (monuments), pilgrims' itineraries and diaries (documents), holy relics, and souvenirs that travelers produced, obtained, and carried back home. Christian pilgrimage will be compared with contemporary polytheist travel to shrines and temples as well as tourism in general to define its distinctive forms and purposes. Course requirements will include the production of a research paper that may include reflections on an actual pilgrimage experience.