Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture (2): Skylar Minick

 Chapter 6:

        At the beginning of this chapter Turner talks about the resurgence of Marian pilgrimages and images. Especially in the nineteenth century there was such an abundance of art focusing on Mary and her baby Jesus. I am currently taking an art history class as well and Mary and her child was a major major theme in art around those time periods, People were fascinated with her purity and obviously the holiness of her son. This was such an important event because it seemed to provide a link between humanity and the divinity of the holy God. Every other divine creature is invisible, not to be seen, heard or even have a proven existence which obviously creates problems because it is impossible to know when or if one's prayer has been heard, making communication to the sacred very difficult. This must explain why pilgrimages begin when there is signs or "evidence" of a supernatural quality or being. The church of El Santuario de Chimayo is a great example for this I believe. The dirt around the chapel in Chimayo is said to have special even miraculous healing qualities and when people found out about this they started making the pilgrimage to the site to use that dirt. Another example is when there is a holy year in Spain way more people walk the Camino de Santiago than usual. In one unusual circumstance two children by the names of Melanie and Maximin were heading cows to a pasture when they reported seeing a glowing transparent figure of a woman who was crying  and seemed to have a rose crown warn them that if people did not repent their religious apathy she could not prevent the heavy arm of her son from falling on the world. She was also said to give many predictions and to spread her word. Many sightings followed after and it is said that it seemed to set the tone for latter-day Marian pilgrimages.