Peregrinus – the pilgrim’s sandal

After 326 A.D., the year in which St. Helena, mother of Constantine brought fragments of the true Cross to Rome, the practice of pilgrimage to the Holy Land spread, reaching its peak during the period of the Crusades. Petroglyphs, literally scratch carvings on rock, accompanied pilgrims to mark their passage by signaling places of welcome and refreshment. By tracing the outline of shoehorns, garments that were custom-made for wayfarers, they intended to leave an indelible trace of their passage in a sacred place. Matera is a destination where three pilgrim’s sandal marks are recorded to date: on the west facade of the church of St. John the Baptist; halfway down the south facade; and on the west facade of the Cathedral of Maria Santissima della Bruna. Dated around the mid-1400s, the graffiti of the three sandals most likely represent Poulanies, which were widespread in Europe between 1300 and 1400.