United Kingdom

Published Categorised as Ancient Routes

United Kingdom:

Like Ireland, the United Kingdom has several pilgrimage sites tied to ancient Christianity or Celtic Christianity, predating the arrival of St. Augustine and the founding of Canterbury Cathedral. These include:

  • St. Bertram of Ilam, England 
  • St. Cafdan in Wales;
  • St. Columba in Iona, Scotland

The ancient ones associated with Roman Christianity include:

  • Abbey of St. Edmund the Martyr.
  • Bromholm Priory, established in 1113 which is said to have a piece of the Holy Cross;
  • Canterbury Cathedral, Kent. This is associated with the birth of English Christianity (although Celtic Christianity existed before the arrival of St. Augustine);
  • Lindisfarne, England. This is where St. Cuthbert was buried before being moved to the Cathedral of Durham. Lindisfarne is also associated with St. Aidan who evangelized the Northumbria;
  • St. Albans Cathedral, England. Although pre-dating Roman Catholicism in the United Kingdom, St. Albans also pre-dates Celtic Christianity in that he was martyred before the retreat of the Romans from the British Isles;
  • St. Andrews, Scotland. The place is associated with the remains of St. Andrew and was a place of pilgrimage and veneration from ancient times;
  • St. David, Wales. The place is associated with pilgrimage since David was made a saint in the 12th century;
  • St. Patrick, Strell Wells, Northern Ireland, a pilgrimage route associated with the evangelization route of St. Patrick in Northern Ireland;
  • St. Winefride’s Well, a 12th century pilgrim site to a well with healing powers dubbed the Lourdes of Wales;
  • Walshingham Abbey, is a 7th century pilgrim site also associated with the Holy Cross;
  • Winchester Cathedral, is a 7th century Cathedral with early Roman Christianity in Britain and with the Anglo-Saxon bishop St Swithun