ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the concept of the holy journey, a pilgrimage, to another important aspect of medieval society, the search for good health. Focusing largely on the miracle lists of eleven canonized and uncanonized saints in medieval England, it will be argued that the search for good health (and help in dealing with other problems) was an important and acceptable reason for people to travel. Adam Bede’s definition notwithstanding, people in medieval England set off on pilgrimages for a variety of reasons—some spiritual and some mundane. Popular sainthood was the first step to gaining canonization, but many popular saints remained uncanonized even though people often treated them the same as canonized saints. The ability to intercede with God in order to produce miracles was an aspect of both popular and official cults so the compiling of miracles, usually by custodians of a saint’s tomb was an essential part of achieving sainthood.
