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The Name  “VIE FRANCIGENE” - What does it mean ? The authentic route of the pilgrims.

The name “Francigena” was given to a road which assumed different names as it unfolded, but which  always had just one international “horizon” as it was used to connect cities of the Italic kingdom with the countries on the other side of the Alps.

The name meant “way coming from France”, bearing in mind that in medieval times the term “France” not only referred to present-day France, but also the large Rhine Valley in Germany.

Related link: Vatican Guide

The "inventor" of VIA FRANCIGENA: The Archibishop SIGERIC

We are able to reconstruct the itinerary of the pilgrimage routes thanks to a document left behind by Archbishop Sigericus of Canterbury who, upon his return from Rome to his dioceses in 994, wrote down the names of the places/twons that had formed the stages of his journey.

Upon receiving his nomination as Archbishop of Canterbury, Sigeric travelled from England to Rome to receive the “pallium”, bestowed by Pope John XV and reserved to the  metropolitans and primates as a symbol of their jurisdiction. He entered Italy via the Gran S. Bernardo pass on the Alps, and then crossed the entire Aosta Valley.

He reached Pavia through Ivrea and Vercelli, where the road links up with ancient Longboard route and then on to Tuscany, Umbria and Rome.

HISTORY of the VIA FRANCIGENA - A pathway to Paradise

Following the edict of Milan of the Emperor Constantine in 313 tolerating Christians' worship, Christian pilgrimage started to the burial places of the Apostles Peter and Paul, but also of the other Saints of the Catholic Faith. The road system of the vie Francigene became increasingly important after Archibishop Sigeiric and so a huge number of pilgrims began crossing Europe in search of the lost “Celestial Land”.

The pilgrims travelled to three major destinations: 1) Rome, the city of the martyrdom of St Peter and St Paul, the founders of the Christian church; 2) The Holy Land, site of Calvary, where the pilgrims sought out the places of Christ’s Passion; 3) Santiago de Compostela, the furthest point of western Europe (Finis Terrae) which the Holy Apostle James chose as his final resting place.
1) and 2) were some how connected. In fact, the routes of the Pilgrims then continued towards the ports of Apulia (Puglia) using the same consular Roman roads known as the Via Appia, Via Casilina and Via Appia Traiana, which then headed on towards Jerusalem or through the "Via Langobardorum".

In the Late Middle Ages, the Via Francigena started also to be called as Via Romea and Vie Romee, namely different roads (vie) that led to Rome (Romee). The way to Rome was probably the most important road of the those times, the Via Francigena or Via Romea which led to the Eternal City. It has been used for seven centuries by sovereigns, emperors, plebeians and clergymen.

The Via Appia Traiana was one of the greatest thoroughfares of the past centuries. The documents showed that the Via Appia and Via Casilina were the natural continuation of the via Francigena through the South of Italy.

Beyond Rome, it headed towards Capua and then onto Benevento, Canosa, where it headed towards the ports of Puglia. From here (Brindisi) merchants and travellers would set sail for the eastern Mediterranean. During the Middle Ages, it was covered by pilgrims going to the Sanctuary of San Michele Arcangelo on Mount Gargano, and to St. Nicolas of Bari (San Nicola di Bari)*, as well as those heading to the Holy Land via sea.

* His Holyness, Pope Benedict XVI, as of 12/06/2008 gave the administration of the Cathedral to the brothers Russian Orthodox.

For more info, see the Apulia's Official Tourism Portal, www.viaggiareinpuglia.it

All Pigrimages Lead to Rome.

As now we know the Via Francigena led all the way from Canterbury to Rome and was one of the pathways of European history. It was a main thoroughfare along which hundreds of thousands of pilgrims passed on their way to Rome. In those days, the journey was not just an adventure or a risk but an act of devotion in itself, and the pilgrims would stop off along the way at places deemed holy by the Roman Catholic Church.

It is also known that pigrims often made testaments before leaving their homes to Rome. Or, once they left Rome on the way back home. The reason for the testaments were multiples: on the way, there were too many diseases, brigands, illness. The Notaries of those centuries got hundreds of documents that are still available.