The Highs and Lows of Spanish Pilgrimages

Some years ago a close relative of mine was diagnosed with a serious illness that required major surgery. One day I learned of a Spanish saint who was associated with miraculous cures for this disease and I started praying to him, urging him to intercede and cure her. I pledged that if she got better I would go to Spain and make a pilgrimage, passing through all the places associated with him. I would travel by bus, stay in the humblest accommodation, eat the simplest food and drink only water. After about two months I realized there would be no miracle and I dropped the saint from my daily prayer list. I did not blame him for letting me down but wonder if I should have made that pilgrimage, if not for my relative then for someone else suffering from that disease.

A few years later I found a book that belonged to my father-in-law called “Cathedrals of Spain”. It was so old that the pictures were in black and white, grainy and not well focused and showed more gloomy shadowy corners and dark altars than glorious places of worship illuminated by light streaming in through stained glass windows. Despite this, it grabbed my attention and the idea of a pilgrimage arose again.

Four years ago my wife and I decided to make a trip to northern Spain. Our itinerary took us from Madrid to Salamanca, Santiago de Compostella, Oviedo, Bilbao, San Sebastian and Burgos, cities with famous cathedrals, churches and monasteries. It was a memorable month. Last month we went to Catalonia for a family visit during which I took the opportunity to visit holy places in Barcelona and Montserrat.

I tried to go to mass in these places every day, with mixed results. First of all, while some of the places of worship were awesome, such as the cathedrals in Salamanca, Oviedo, Burgos and Barcelona, others were a letdown. These included what should have been the most spectacular, Santiago de Compostella, La Sagrada Familia and Montserrat monastery.

Salamanca, Oviedo and Burgos were rewarding spiritually and personally as I was enchanted by the towns themselves. In Salamanca and Burgos I felt I had stepped back several centuries to a period when life was slower, cellphones did not exist and nobody knew what a selfie was. In Oviedo, I was fortunate enough to arrive at the start of a celebration of the town´s patron saint, St. Matthew. The weather was terrible, windy and wet, but I did not care. I attended a packed mass in the cathedral filled with color, music, incense and faith. To my delight an Asturian folk group appeared in the main square after the mass and played the bagpipes, a heartwarming surprise to a Scotsman in Spain.

Another high spot was Barcelona cathedral. Again we arrived at the start of a local festival called the Mercè. My first impression was not good as the area around the cathedral had been taken over for shows and performances. There were crowds everywhere and it was noisy and difficult to move. However, I went back several times and attended mass. While hundreds of tourists were being given guided tours and taking photographs in the main cathedral, dozens of locals and visitors like myself celebrated mass in the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament. The mass was a mixture of Spanish and Catalan and was celebrated by two priests, one of whom was getting on in age and obviously not in good health. He moved and spoke slowly, paused for breath and reflection yet when he sang the Sanctus - “Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Hosts” - his voice gained a strength that was a sign from God for me.

On the other hand, my experiences at Barcelona´s main religious attraction, the Sagrada Familia church, which is still under construction over a century after work started, were depressing. I went twice and simply could not get near on the first occasion for the hordes of tourists, buses, traffic and touts. On the second occasion I decided I would skip the crowds and simply go to mass but that was not possible as there were no masses in the morning. The crowd was slightly smaller but still unbearable, with huge queues and entry only by online reservation. The surrounding area is filled with global brands – McDonald´s, Burger King, Pizza Hut etc. To my disgust, right outside the main entrance a Moslem, dressed like a Taliban militant, with a skullcap, baggy pants and waistcoat had spread a cloth on which he displayed trinkets for sale. I was outraged at this and did not know how the Catholic authorities in the city could allow it. Could you imagine a Christian selling junk souvenirs outside a Moslem holy shrine?

The monastery at Montserrat lies about 50 kilometers from Barcelona in a Tolkienesque landscape of wildly shaped mountain peaks and plunging ravines. Getting there by public transport requires a funicular or cable car ride. The location is splendid yet unfortunately it was like being back in La Sagrada Familia with thousands of tourists, many of whom were not even Christian, making it impossible to feel any spirituality. I queued for an hour to see the Black Madonna but left immediately as it was impossible to get near the altar. I had a similar experience four years earlier in Santiago de Compostella on the other side of Spain where there were such huge crowds that I could not even get into the cathedral where St. James´s bones lie. Believe it or not but on the days I went to Montserrat and Santiago de Compostella I ended up watching the mass on the Internet in English.

I have written before* about pilgrimages on this site as I feel they are an important element in upholding faith but in the modern world of mass tourism and instant transportation they can a disappointment. Still I don´t regret these two attempts and intend returning to visit other holy sites in Spain, a country to which the Catholic Church owes an enormous debt.

*Is Making a Pilgrimage Worth the Effort? May 4, 2025

(c) John Brander Fitzpatrick 2025