Pilgrimage
St Gabriel's is named after the Archangel Gabriel, who - according to the opening chaper of the Gospel according to St Luke - appeared to the Blessed Virgin Mary at her home in Nazareth, to announce that she would give birth to Jesus. This is of central importance for Walsingham, because the village has come to be known as "England's Nazareth", following a very special happening in the year 1061. The local lady of the manor, a Saxon noblewoman by the name of Richeldis de Faverches, received a series of visions that year, in which the Virgin Mary asked her to build an exact replica of the house in Nazareth where the Archangel Gabriel had brought his message of good news.
Soon after, with the replica complete, pilgrims began to arrive in huge numbers. An Augustian priory was built alongside the holy house, and continued its work of prayer and hospitality until the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII in the 16th century.
The 20th century has seen a revival in pilgrimage, for Anglicans , Catholics and the Orthodox.
At St Gabriel's, you will find a range of books and guides that will take you deeper into the spiritual significance and history of this remarkable site. There are also two shops, at the other end of the High Street, devoted to everything that a pilgrim might need to enrich their time here, the Pilgrim Shop and the SHRINE SHOP.
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