Pilgrim's staff

Background

In Rome, in the Middle Ages the pilgrims used to leave their stick in the church of San Giacomo Scossacavalli, whose first denomination was San Salvatore de Bordonia, where Bordone is the Italian word for Stick. After that, they bought a new stick by sellers named Vergari, whose shops were in today's Borgo Santo Spirito near the church of Santa Maria dei Vergari.

Generally, the stick has a hook on it so that something may be hung from it. The walking stick sometimes has a cross piece on it. The pilgrim's staff has a strong association with the veneration of Saint James the Great and the Way of St. James. The pilgrim's staff commonly features in heraldry, especially ecclesiastical heraldry.

A pilgrim's staff features prominently in the design of Luce, the official mascot of the 2025 Jubilee.

References

Sources

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References

1. "[http://www.turismo.navarra.es/eng/propuestas/camino-santiago/informacion-general-camino/curiosidades-camino.htm Pilgrim's Way to Santiago in Navarre: Curiosities]". Navarre Tourism Board.
2. Gigli (1992) p. 8
3. Borgatti (1926) p. 156
4. Borgatti (1926) p. 51
5. Pilgrim's or Palmer's Staff, (fr. bourdon): this was used as a device in a coat of arms as early at least as Edward II.'s reign, as will be seen. The Staff and the Escallop shell(q.v.) were the badge of the pilgrim, and hence it is but natural it should find its way into the shields of those who had visited the Holy Land. The usual form of representation is [http://www.heraldsnet.org/saitou/parker/images/m460b.gif figure 1], but is some the hook is wanting, and when this is the case it is scarcely distinguishable from a pastoral staff as borne by some of the monasteries: it is shown in [http://www.heraldsnet.org/saitou/parker/images/m460b.gif figure 2]. While, too, it is represented under different forms, it is blazoned as will be seen also, under different names, e.g. a pilgrim's crutch, a crutch-staff, &c., but there is no reason to suppose that the different names can be correlated with different figures. The crutch, perhaps, should be represented with the transverse piece on the top of the staff (like the letter T) instead of across it. [http://www.heraldsnet.org/saitou/parker/Jpglossj.htm heraldsnet.org]
6. "The pilgrim's staff on the Way of St. James".
7. (2018-02-14). "Pilgrims and Heraldry".
8. Mares, Courtney. "Meet ‘Luce’: The Vatican’s cartoon mascot for Jubilee 2025".