Abstract

To most modern-day thinkers a pilgrimage entails a journey to a sacred place. Thus, the primary purpose of the voyage is to reach a locale that holds special meaning for the pilgrim. Typically, the end destination is a place where a significant familial, historical, or religious event has occurred. In contrast to the contemporary understanding of pilgrimage, some Irish Christian monks of Late Antiquity undertook sacred journeys of an indefinite duration with no express terminus in mind and they vowed never to return to their homelands: a practice commonly known as peregrinatio. This thesis explores nine potential theological motivations behind the practice of permanent religious self-exile. To ascertain which religious impetuses prompted historical figures such as Saint Columba (521-597 CE) and Saint Columbanus (540-615 CE) to undertake peregrinatio I examine a variety of scriptural and traditional precedents, as well as early Christian treatises and contemporaneous writings associated with these two renowned
peregrini.