Transcendent Experiences Among Pilgrims to Lourdes: A Qualitative Investigation

Millions of pilgrims visit Lourdes each year, often seeking revitalisation rather than miraculous cures. We sought to understand the phenomenon of transcendent experiences. We spoke with 67 pilgrims including assisted pilgrims, young volunteers and medical staff. About two in five reported a transce...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Rahtz, Emmylou (Author) ; Warber, Sara L. (Author) ; Goldingay, Sarah (Author) ; Dieppe, Paul (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Springer Science + Business Media B. V. 2021
In: Journal of religion and health
Year: 2021, Volume: 60, Issue: 6, Pages: 3788-3806
Further subjects:B Therapeutic landscapes
B Well-being
B Pilgrimage
B Transcendent experience
B Lourdes
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Summary:Millions of pilgrims visit Lourdes each year, often seeking revitalisation rather than miraculous cures. We sought to understand the phenomenon of transcendent experiences. We spoke with 67 pilgrims including assisted pilgrims, young volunteers and medical staff. About two in five reported a transcendent experience: some felt they had communicated or had close contact with a divine presence, while others reported a powerful experience of something intangible and otherworldly. Transcendent experiences are an important feature of pilgrimage to Lourdes and the place offers the faithful a means of connecting with the divine, with nature and with the self.
ISSN:1573-6571
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of religion and health
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/s10943-021-01306-6