Pilgrimage arose out of the intersection of two theological ideas: the need to do penance for sins and the cult of relics. A pilgrimage was considered penitential, like fasting or alms giving, because it required a great sacrifice of time and money. It was also dangerous. Many pilgrims died of disease or shipwreck or at the hands of robbers; some were enslaved. But to the medieval pilgrim, the risks were worth the reward: forgiveness of sins and renewed faith. Pilgrimage was rooted in the veneration