pèlerin

Pèlerin is the French noun for a pilgrim, a person who undertakes a pilgrimage—a long journey to a sacred site for religious devotion, penance, or spiritual meaning. In French usage the term covers pilgrims of various faiths, though it is most closely associated with Christian practice, especially in medieval Europe.

The word comes from Old French pelerin, from Latin peregrinus meaning foreigner, traveler; originally described someone traveling beyond his homeland and later specialized to denote a sacred traveler.

During the Middle Ages, pilgrimages were widespread; routes to Rome, Jerusalem, and Santiago de Compostela; indulgences; hospitality along routes.

Today pilgrims continue to travel for religious reasons and even for personal or secular reasons; Camino de Santiago; Hajj for Muslims; other traditions; pilgrimage networks; pilgrimage as cultural phenomenon.