Why pilgrims come
A sacred place worth the journey.
The medieval shrine and bodily resting place of St. Edward the Confessor, whose translation on October 13 still draws an annual pilgrimage to the heart of Westminster Abbey.
The pilgrim’s guide
What makes this visit meaningful
Approach Westminster Abbey as the surviving shrine-church of a canonized English king. The heart of the Catholic pilgrimage is not the coronation narrative but St. Edward’s Cosmati shrine behind the High Altar, the medieval traditions surrounding his holiness, and the annual Edwardtide pilgrimage that still brings Christians to pray at his resting place.
Cosmati shrine of St. Edward
Pray near the saint’s bodily remains in the 13th-century shrine commissioned by Henry III.
Edwardtide pilgrimage
The October observance marks the translation of the saint and renews Westminster’s ancient pilgrimage tradition.
Medieval miracle traditions
The Abbey’s surviving imagery recounts traditions including healings, visions and St. John the Evangelist returning Edward’s ring through pilgrims.
Feasts & celebrations
Continue nearby