Lunchtime Talk: How pilgrimage changed the world

For nearly 1000 years, Westminster Abbey has welcome pilgrims to the shrine of St Edward the Confessor. Explore the connection between this long-standing pilgrimage and the wider politics of the medieval world.

Professor Kathryn Hurlock, the author of Holy Places: How Pilgrimage Changes the World, will explore how the phenomenon of pilgrimage has played a role in shaping both our religions and our world. Discover how centuries of pilgrimage have transformed the fates of cities, anointed dynasties and offered people from across the globe an opportunity for reflection.

Copies of Professor Hurlock’s book Holy Places will be available for purchase at the end of the talk.

This event is part of our monthly Lunchtime Talk series. On the second Wednesday of every month, join us at St Margaret’s Church for an in-depth exploration of part of the Abbey’s history.

About Kathryn Hurlcok

Kathryn Hurlock is Professor of Religious and Military History at Manchester Metropolitan University. She is a religious historian, whose work focuses on how people have engaged in major religious activities from the middle ages to the present day. She has written several books on pilgrimage and crusading, most recently the global history of pilgrimage Holy Places: How Pilgrimage Changed the World (Profile, 2025). She has featured on BBC Breakfast and You're Dead To Me and has written for the Independent and the New European.