Accidental Pilgrims

Abstract

This chapter describes how some Catholic pilgrims tried to reconcile the Jesuit official advice of mental self-discipline with their first intense encounters with the Madonna of Loreto. The pilgrims' stories involve both contemplative quests for spiritual improvement and transformative run-ins with the material manifestations of Catholicism. Yet they flip the order recommended by Richeòme of contemplation first and real world next. The first pilgrims considered are the Jesuits who loom large behind the good-pilgrimage rubrics of this time period. Then, the Jesuit template for pilgrimage is tested against the reported experiences of two non-Jesuit travelers to Loreto, Nicolà Albani and Pierre Chaumonot.