page_title: Pilgrimage of the Relics, Maastricht
section_title: Middle Ages: Apogee of the Maastricht pilgrimage
hierarchical_section_title: Pilgrimage of the Relics, Maastricht / History / Middle Ages: Apogee of the Maastricht pilgrimage
caption_attribution_description: English: Pilgrim souvenir engraving for the 7-yearly pilgrimages (Heiligtumsfahrt) of Maastricht, Aachen and Kornelimünster, printed in Mainz or the Middle Rhine Area in 1468(?). The engraving shows the main relics in these three towns, that were shown to the pilgrims once in seven years around the same time. Paper, 27,5 x 37,5 cm. Collection: Staatliche Graphische Sammlung, Munich.
context_page_description: The Pilgrimage of the Relics or Maastricht Septennial Pilgrimage is a seven-yearly Catholic event in the Dutch city of Maastricht. Originating in the Middle Ages, it developed from a pilgrimage to the grave of Saint Servatius into the present-day religious, historical, cultural and commercial enterprise. Highlights in the programme are the displaying or unveiling of the relics in the main churches and secondly, the processions with the town's main relics. The next pilgrimage will take place in 2025.
context_section_description: The Dutch word heiligdomsvaart (German: Heiligtumsfahrt) means "journey to the holy relics". It is probably derived from the older German terms Römerfahrt and Aachener Fahrt, the medieval journeys or pilgrimages to Rome and Aachen. The Maastricht heiligdomsvaart was long held simultaneously with Aachen and Kornelimünster Abbey. Together they offered some of the best relics to be seen in Europe. A papal bull of 1249 is the oldest document referring to the Maastricht pilgrimage around the traditional dates in mid-July, although the name heyldomsvaert is not mentioned until 1440. The term used in 1391 was heiligdomskermis ("fair of the holy relics"). The popularity of the Maastricht-Aachen-Kornelimünster pilgrimage reached its zenith in the 15th century when up to 140,000 pilgrims visited these towns in mid-July.
  The septennial pilgrimage in medieval Maastricht was centred around the Church of Saint Servatius, although Our Lady's and other churches undoubtedly benefitted with their indoors activities. The traditional date was one week before and one week after 16 July, the feast of the holy bishops Monulph and Gondulph. It is not known when this date became the focal point of the Maastricht pilgrimage but in 1289 auxiliary bishop Bonaventura of Liège offered an indulgence to pilgrims visiting the grave of Saint Servatius around this time of the year. The year in which a septennial pilgrimage took place was a Jubilee, which meant that extra indulgences were granted. The majority of pilgrims aimed to earn indulgences by visiting the grave of Saint Servatius, drinking holy water from the cup of Saint Servatius and attending at least one of the daily relics displays. No indulgences could be obtained without going to confession and doing penance. After fulfilling the requirements pilgrims received a pre-printed confessional certificate. A chaplain would fill in the name of the pilgrim and attach the seal of the church.
  In Maastricht the Collegiate Church of Saint Servatius had the sole right of showing relics in the open air. During the septennial pilgrimage this took place once a day at Vrijthof Square. In the 15th-century so many pilgrims gathered there, that the walls around the square had to be taken down. After celebrating an open-air mass, a selection of the church's relics were shown from the dwarf gallery, the arcaded gallery just below the apse's roof. The dwarf gallery was decorated for the occasion with cloths printed with angels and Saint Servatius' keys.
  The showing of the relics must have been a theatrical event during which many pilgrims were overcome with emotion. Throughout the ceremony loud cries could be heard. Some pilgrims were sitting on rooftops around Vrijthof to get a better view of the relics and to benefit from their exposure. Many took bread, meat and personal objects with them in order to be blessed by the relics. The relics were shown in four groups. Each group was announced with a formula that started with: "Thou shall be shown...", followed by a brief description of the objects and a prayer. The fixed order was: 1. the sudarium of Saint Servatius (one of the three "heavenly cloths", lost during the Siege of Maastricht of 1579) along with his crozier; 2. the red shroud of Saint Servatius along with his pilgrim's staff; 3. the white cloth that covered the sarcophagus of Saint Servatius, along with his chalice and paten; 4. the reliquary bust of Saint Servatius, the reliquary arm of Saint Thomas and the silver pectoral cross made by Saint Luke for the Virgin Mary. The pilgrims were then invited to visit the grave inside the church and see the other relics on display there. The ceremony was concluded by bell ringing and pilgrims blowing their pilgrim horns.
  Throughout the Middle Ages tens of thousands visited Maastricht during the septennial pilgrimage. Monasteries, hospitals, alms houses and individual citizens offered shelter, as only a limited number could be admitted to the town's official pilgrims' hospitiums. Pilgrims came from all over Europe, notably from the Low Countries, France (Normandy an
caption: Relics form of the 1468 pilgrimages of Maastricht, Aachen and Kornelimünster Abbey
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