In many countries of the world there are great Christian shrines. For many centuries, the stream of Christians who want to visit places of blessing has not dried up.
The Orthodox pilgrimage can be called the journey of a Christian to holy places or various shrines of the Christian world in order to receive divine grace. At the same time, the main difference between pilgrimage and simple travel is that in the first case, a person is not just a spectator of historical places, but also seeks to receive beneficial benefits. Pilgrims come to holy places in order to pray, to ask God or other holy personalities for help in their needs.
Pilgrimages can take place both in places that are important witnesses of historical gospel events, and in churches in which specific Christian shrines are located. For example, in the first case, one of the main places for a Christian is Jerusalem. This land is called Holy Land. In Jerusalem and the surrounding area of the city are the places of the last days of the earthly life of Jesus Christ, as well as the place of his resurrection. Another major Christian holy place of universal significance is Bethlehem, the city in which the Savior was born.
Holy places are in Russia. So, they can be called the place of occurrence of various miraculous icons. One of the most revered holy places in Russia are Diveevo (there is a female monastery with the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov), the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the Alexander Svirsky monastery and other cloisters and churches with their great Christian shrines.
In some temples of the world are the holy relics of the saints of God or the so-called secondary relics - particles of the garments of the Lord, the Virgin or saints. Orthodox people also travel to these shrines in order to touch a certain object exuding divine grace and turn in a prayer petition, for example, to a saint.
Pilgrimage can also take place at various miraculous sources. On them believers collect holy water, which they later use for their pious needs.
The Orthodox pilgrimage can also be characterized by the fact that believers, arriving at holy places, are preparing for the sacrament of communion. The pious tradition for the Orthodox Christian is the confession and acceptance of the holy mysteries of Christ in places marked by special divine grace. There are temples in holy places in which worship is performed. Therefore, if there is no language barrier, a believer can confess and take communion in an Orthodox church.
A Christian on pilgrimage may not be an ordinary traveler, but a specific participant in the life of the Church and its history.
