Pilgrimage in the Netherlands

Based on a national survey of pilgrimage practices, this article explores the development of pilgrimage culture in the Netherlands from the beginning of the Common Era to the 21st century. The article opens with a historiographical overview, examining both the scholarly research on pilgrimage and the key figures involved in its study. It then traces the main phases of pilgrimage activity in the Low Countries: from late antiquity, through the Middle Ages—marked by a proliferation of Eucharistic and Marian shrines—to the post-Reformation period, during which pilgrimages were officially banned. This prohibition prompted a significant shift, as pilgrims were forced to go for alternative shrines outside the Dutch Republic. The 19th and 20th century were characterized by a mass introduction of patron saint shrines and subsequently a pluriform pilgrimage behavior of multiple short distance pilgrimage. This dense network remained intact until the 1960s, after which due to unchurchization a rapid collapse of pilgrimage culture happened.