Going on pilgrimage was an important part of Christian life in medieval Europe. Pilgrims often travelled hundreds or even thousands of miles to visit a saint’s shrine. Some just wished to be close to the remains of the saint, while others hoped to find miraculous cures or forgiveness for sins.
Hundreds of pilgrim badges like this one, depicting St. George, have been found in Britain. They were cheap and mass-produced, so everyone could afford them. People wore them to show where they had been on pilgrimage, or threw them into rivers or wells for good luck, or placed them in the fabric of their houses. The souvenirs usually show a saint, their symbol, or a scene from their life. This badge was probably a souvenir of a pilgrimage to the Royal Chapel at Windsor. It contained relics of St. George, whose cult was particularly popular at the end of the XV century.
From England, c.
AD 1400-1550.
Ht. 2,9 cm.
Hundreds of pilgrim badges like this one, depicting St. George, have been found in Britain. They were cheap and mass-produced, so everyone could afford them. People wore them to show where they had been on pilgrimage, or threw them into rivers or wells for good luck, or placed them in the fabric of their houses. The souvenirs usually show a saint, their symbol, or a scene from their life. This badge was probably a souvenir of a pilgrimage to the Royal Chapel at Windsor. It contained relics of St. George, whose cult was particularly popular at the end of the XV century.
From England, c.
AD 1400-1550.
Ht. 2,9 cm.