By the 11th century, the structure at the top of the mountain was inadequate for pilgrims,
and construction of the massive hilltop abbey was begun. By the 12th century, additional
lodgings were added, and the lower town began to grow. The 13th century saw Gothic
additions to the monastery. The town increased in size each successive century, moving
farther up the mount to meet the abbey perched on top.
The 12th century saw ever-greater numbers of people going on pilgrimage. Without
doubt, the Crusades popularized the idea of pilgrimage. It was, however, the enormous
popularity of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain that increased the
numbers of pilgrims traveling through France and visiting shrines on the route. The tomb
of St. James, discovered at Compostela in the northwest corner of Spain in the 9th
century, saw its first recorded French pilgrim, Godescalc of Le Puy, in 950–51. Large
numbers of pilgrims from all over Europe were arriving by the end of the 11th century,
and except for those traveling by sea almost all had to go through France.
The earliest western European guidebook for pilgrims was written by a Frenchman
(ca. 1135–39) for those going from France to Compostela. The author gives four routes
through France toward Spain, mostly following old Roman roads. Each route began at a
major cultic center: Paris, Vézelay, Le Puy, or Arles. The three westernmost routes met at
Ostabat and crossed the Pyrénées at Roncevaux, while the route from Arles crossed the
Somport pass farther east. Hospices at both passes existed from the late 11th or early 12th
century.
A forerunner of the modern travel guide, the text of this guidebook provides
information on where to find provisions and drinking water, describes the characteristics
of the peoples to be encountered along the way, and provides cautionary tales on the
location of thieves and other hazards, as well as instruction on the proper treatment of
pilgrims. Of importance for French pilgrimage is a long chapter describing twenty-one
shrines in France (and four in Spain) to be visited along the way. It is clear that those on
long pilgrimages would visit many shrines and that shrines with important relics located
on major pilgrimage routes could benefit greatly. Competition for pilgrims and the funds
they donated was so strong during the 12th century that some institutions resorted to
advertising to attract pilgrims. The Norman abbey of the Trinity at Fècamp had a vial of
Christ’s blood by 1120, which they advertised in a poem: “...remember that you are
never far from Fécamp, where the Lord has sent his precious blood for your benefit....”
The late 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries appear to have been the high point of
pilgrimage in France, coinciding with a period when roads were safest and travel most se-
Medieval france: an encyclopedia 1398