PILGRIMAGE BY SPIRITUAL PURPOSE · THE CHURCH’S YEAR
Advent & Christmas Pilgrimage
I want Christmas to be about Christ again. Where can I go to wait for him, and to seek him as the Magi did?
A pilgrimage made in Advent to Cologne, where the Magi have been honoured for more than eight centuries, to seek Christ as they did and to prepare for his coming.
December is, for many people, the most crowded month of the year and the least prayerful. This pilgrimage begins in a simple wish: to have Christmas be about Christ again. The Magi are the companions of that wish. They saw a sign, left what they knew, asked the way when they lost it, and knelt when they found a child. Advent asks the same of anyone who keeps it.
Cologne has honoured them for more than eight centuries. The city keeps Advent as a Catholic city does, with the liturgy in its cathedral, cribs in its churches and markets in its squares, and it is possible there to enjoy the season and still to pray through it. You would come home before Christmas, to keep the feast with your own parish and family.
THE JOURNEY
Advent in Cologne: the Shrine of the Three Kings, the City's Cribs and Aachen
Where
Germany
Length
About six days
Status
Under consideration
This journey would be made in Advent from a single base in Cologne, within reach of the cathedral on foot. It would follow the Magi, who left home to look for a child and found him. The pilgrim would pray before the Shrine of the Three Kings, which holds the relics venerated as theirs; in Advent the shrine is closed and the relics are not shown, so the prayer would be made before the closed shrine. From there the days would move outward through the city, to its churches and cribs as Advent deepens and to the tombs of the scholars and pastors who lived and died in Cologne. One day by train would be given to Aachen, whose cathedral keeps, unseen in their shrine, the cloths venerated as the swaddling clothes of Jesus and the dress Mary wore on the night of his birth. A further day at the Marian shrine of Kevelaer could be added by those who wish, and the last full day would return to the cathedral for the Sunday liturgy of Advent. The Christmas markets would belong to the free hours and would not be the reason for the days.
The route, and why each place belongs
1
Cologne Cathedral and the Shrine of the Three Kings
Why it belongs
Since 1164 Cologne has kept the relics venerated as those of the Magi, brought from Milan by Archbishop Rainald of Dassel. Their coming is documented; their identity rests on tradition, and the cathedral itself tells parts of the story as legend. The gold shrine made for them between about 1190 and 1220 stands behind the high altar, and the cathedral says the relics were a decisive reason for the Gothic building begun in 1248. Benedict XVI prayed before the shrine in 2005 and said that in Cologne the Church in some sense keeps the Epiphany every day of the year. The Magi are the Gospel's first pilgrims, and Advent is their road.
What you would do there
The pilgrim would come first simply to pray, entering by the north portal to the prayer area in the north transept, which the cathedral keeps free outside service times. Prayer before the shrine itself would be made on a visit with the cathedral's own ticket or guide, because the cathedral's pages do not say whether the shrine can be approached from the free prayer area. In Advent the front of the shrine is closed and the relics are not shown: the pilgrim would pray before the shrine that holds them and would see the Adoration of the Magi worked in gold on its front. Mass in the cathedral would be attended where the schedule permits, and the cathedral offers Confession, with special times before Christmas mentioned on its services page. The Schmuckmadonna, where candles are lit, and the Sacrament Chapel, reserved for prayer and adoration, would be places to stay.
2
The churches and cribs of Cologne
Why it belongs
Cologne keeps Advent in its churches as well as in its squares. From late November a way of cribs runs through the city, with more than a hundred stations in churches, windows and public buildings; it is a volunteer project, and the Archdiocese lists it among its Advent recommendations. At St. Maria in Lyskirchen the birth of Christ is set in the church's own riverside quarter in the hard years of the 1930s, and in recent years that crib has stood from the First Sunday of Advent until 2 February. At St. Maria im Kapitol, which the city's tourist board describes as the largest of Cologne's twelve Romanesque churches, a carved wooden door of about 1060 tells the childhood of Jesus on one leaf and his Passion and Resurrection on the other.
What you would do there
The pilgrim would walk from church to church within the old city, stopping to pray before each crib and not only to look. At St. Maria im Kapitol the door could be read panel by panel as a meditation on the infancy of Christ. The walk could be made with a local guide to the cribs or alone, and it would be kept short enough to leave the afternoon free. A pilgrim who hoped for a Rorate Mass, the Advent Mass by candlelight traditionally said before dawn, would look for one in a city parish, where one is offered.
3
Cologne's saints: the Minoritenkirche and St. Andreas
Why it belongs
Two churches in the old city hold the graves of men whose lives belong to Advent. In the Minoritenkirche, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, lies Bl. John Duns Scotus, who died in Cologne and whose reasoning, as Benedict XVI recalled, Pius IX drew on in defining that dogma; in the same church lies Bl. Adolph Kolping, the priest of working men, whose memorial the Archdiocese keeps on 4 December. In the crypt of St. Andreas rests St. Albert the Great, Doctor of the Church and teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas, who also died in Cologne. Benedict XVI named St. Albert and Adolph Kolping among the saints of the city when he spoke in the cathedral.
What you would do there
The pilgrim would pray at the tomb of Duns Scotus with the Gospel of the Annunciation, ideally near 8 December, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. At Kolping's grave a prayer could be offered for those who work and those without work. In the crypt of St. Andreas the pilgrim would pray at the tomb of St. Albert for the wisdom of the Magi, who read the sky and still had to ask the way. A visit to the crypt would be arranged in advance with the church, and neither church would be visited during services.
4
Aachen Cathedral
Why it belongs
Charlemagne's church of St. Mary, begun at the end of the eighth century, has kept four cloths in its Shrine of the Virgin Mary since 1239. Two of them are venerated as the swaddling clothes of Jesus and the dress Mary wore on the night of his birth. The cathedral presents their origin as legend and does not claim proof, and the Cathedral Chapter reads the swaddling clothes as a reminder of the poverty in which Christ was born. The cloths are shown only every seven years; the Chapter expects the next showing in 2028.
What you would do there
The pilgrim would travel from Cologne by train and enter the cathedral, which is free to enter, to pray beneath Charlemagne's octagon. The cloths would not be seen: they stay closed in their shrine until the next showing. The golden shrine that holds them would be seen as the cathedral's arrangements allow. The cathedral's guided tour, which opens the choir and Charlemagne's throne, would be booked ahead, as would the treasury. Mass in Aachen would be sought where the schedule permits. The meditation of the day would be Luke 2:7: she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger. The afternoon in Aachen's old town would be free.
5
Kevelaer (an optional day)
Why it belongs
Kevelaer, on the Lower Rhine in the Diocese of Münster, is a Marian shrine where, in the sanctuary's words, hundreds of thousands come to pray. By the shrine's own account its story begins around Christmas 1641, when the pedlar Hendrick Busman heard a voice asking him to build a small chapel; a little print of Our Lady of Luxembourg was placed there on 1 June 1642, and a church synod took his sworn testimony in 1647. Mary is honoured there as Consoler of the Afflicted. Advent is Mary's season of waiting, and the shrine's published Advent programmes have included Rorate Masses and Confession. Its link to this pilgrimage is Mary and the season, not the Magi.
What you would do there
The pilgrim would pray at the Chapel of Grace before the small image, light a candle, and take time in the Confession chapel, where Confession is offered as the sanctuary's programme provides. If the day allowed, the pilgrim would join the sanctuary's own Advent prayer, whether a Rorate Mass, the Rosary or Vespers, as its programme for that year provides. This would be the quietest day of the journey and the one most given to prayer for others. It is the longest transfer of the journey, and those who prefer could keep the day in Cologne instead.
Prayer and the sacraments
The days would be built around the liturgy the cathedral and parishes of Cologne already keep: Mass where the schedule permits, with clergy arrangements confirmed for each departure, and the Sunday of Advent kept at the cathedral. Confession would be encouraged early in the journey, at the cathedral or at Kevelaer, as each offers it. The cathedral's Sacrament Chapel is reserved for Eucharistic adoration and quiet prayer. A Rorate Mass, Evening Prayer with the O Antiphons in the last week of Advent, the Angelus and the Joyful Mysteries could mark the days, as each is offered. Nothing here is promised, and no celebration at the shrine itself can be assumed.
Pilgrim’s Time
Pilgrim's Time would be generous on this journey, because Cologne in Advent rewards it. The Christmas markets, the cafés, the food of the season and the shopping all belong here, in free afternoons and evenings: the market beside the cathedral and those in the old city, a long meal, gifts to carry home. The same hours could be spent in a Romanesque church with a crib, or back in the cathedral's prayer area in the evening.
Pilgrim Pace
This is a winter journey in a northern city: cold, often wet, with daylight gone by late afternoon. The days would be on foot over cobbles and church steps, with long periods standing in a cold cathedral and in crowds that are heaviest at December weekends. There are no hills, and one base serves the whole journey. The day in Aachen would mean a short train ride each way; the optional day at Kevelaer would be a longer transfer, whose timing would be confirmed before any itinerary is set. Large bags are not admitted to Cologne Cathedral.
Epiphany in Cologne: when the shrine is opened. On 6 January the plate on the front of the shrine is removed and the skulls venerated as those of the Magi can be seen behind a grille, and in recent years it has stayed open until the following Sunday; a journey made then would keep the solemnity at the cathedral, in a quieter city and after the market at the cathedral has closed, and the cathedral announces each year's arrangements.
Christmas Time in Rome with Greccio. The Holy Crib at St. Mary Major, the Pope's Christmas and the rock chapel at Greccio where St. Francis arranged the first Nativity scene in 1223 could be made a pilgrimage of about a week in the days after 25 December.
Advent in the Holy Land: Nazareth to Bethlehem. Subject to conditions at the time, an Advent journey could follow the Gospels of the season from the Basilica of the Annunciation at Nazareth to the Grotto of the Nativity at Bethlehem.
No dated departures are currently announced. This is a journey Bold Pilgrim is considering, described so you can picture it. Dates, priest, Gateway Airport and price are published on a departure itself, and only when confirmed.
WHAT YOU MAY EXPERIENCE
What a pilgrim may experience
Expect a city, not a retreat house. The cathedral stands beside the railway station, and in December the squares around it are full. The pilgrimage happens inside that: in the north transept kept free for prayer, at a weekday Mass, in a Romanesque church with a crib and few people in it. The markets are part of how this city keeps Advent, and an evening among them is a pleasure the journey leaves room for in its free hours.
Expect honesty about relics. Neither cathedral claims that science has proved anything. What can be said is that Christians have prayed in these places for many centuries, and that the Magi and the cloths of Aachen point beyond themselves to the Child.
Expect winter. The days are short and cold, the cathedral is a cold stone church, and the quietest hours for prayer are likely to be early and late.
In practice
Praying before the Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral, closed in Advent, which holds the relics venerated as those of the Magi
Mass at the cathedral on a Sunday of Advent, where the schedule permits
Walking from crib to crib through the churches of Cologne
Praying at the tombs of Bl. John Duns Scotus and St. Albert the Great
Luke 2:7 read in Aachen Cathedral, which keeps, unseen in their shrine, the cloths venerated as the swaddling clothes of Jesus
On the optional day, Confession and a candle at Kevelaer, as the sanctuary offers it
An evening at the Christmas market under the cathedral towers, as Pilgrim's Time
Who it may be for
It suits people who want a prayerful Advent and can travel in the first weeks of December, parish groups who want to be home for the feast, and families with older children who would enjoy the cribs and the markets and can manage days on foot in the cold. It suits Catholics who have drifted, for whom the Magi, people who came from far off and did not know the way, may be easy company.
It is a gentle journey physically: one base, flat streets, a short train ride to Aachen. It asks patience with crowds and weather. Bold Pilgrim has no dated departure for this journey at present.
Catholics who want to keep Advent as a season of prayer and be home for Christmas
Parish groups making an Advent journey together
Families with older children who would enjoy the cribs and can manage winter days on foot
Couples and friends choosing a shared pilgrimage in place of gifts
Catholics returning to the faith, for whom the Magi are natural companions
People who love Europe's Advent and want it to be a pilgrimage and not only a holiday
A spiritual purpose has no pace rating; the actual itinerary determines the Pilgrim Pace. Typical physical considerations for these places: northern winter weather with cold, rain and short daylight; days on foot over cobbles; standing in cold churches and in heavy December crowds; a day trip by train to Aachen, and a longer transfer if the optional day at Kevelaer is taken. The route is flat and uses one base.
PLACES AND PEOPLE THAT MATTER
The holy places
Cologne Cathedral and the Shrine of the Three Kings
The cathedral that holds the shrine of the relics venerated as those of the Magi, brought from Milan in 1164. Their arrival is documented history; their identity is tradition, and the cathedral says so. The shrine is closed for most of the year, Advent included, and the relics are shown only around the Epiphany.
Aachen Cathedral
Charlemagne's church of St. Mary, which keeps cloths venerated as the swaddling clothes of Jesus and the dress of Mary from the night of his birth. The cathedral presents their origin as legend; they are shown every seven years, and the next showing is expected in 2028.
St. Maria im Kapitol and St. Maria in Lyskirchen, Cologne
Two of the city's Romanesque churches: one with an eleventh-century door carved with the childhood of Jesus, the other with a well known crib set in its own riverside quarter, shown in recent years from Advent to 2 February.
Minoritenkirche and St. Andreas, Cologne
The graves of Bl. John Duns Scotus and Bl. Adolph Kolping, and the tomb of St. Albert the Great, in the old city.
Kevelaer
A Marian shrine on the Lower Rhine, where Mary has been honoured as Consoler of the Afflicted since 1642. The founding account is the shrine's own tradition; a synod took sworn testimony about it in 1647. An optional day on this journey.
Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major and the Holy Crib
Rome's basilica of the Nativity, where wood venerated as the manger is kept; the heart of the Rome and Greccio form of this pilgrimage. · Rome pilgrimage hub
Sanctuary of Greccio
Where St. Francis arranged the Christmas celebration of 1223 from which the Nativity scene descends.
Basilica and Grotto of the Nativity, Bethlehem
The place venerated as the birthplace of Jesus, to which the Magi came; subject to conditions at the time. · The Holy Land pilgrimage hub
Saints and holy people
The Magi
The first pilgrims from the nations to the Child, honoured in Cologne as the Holy Three Kings since 1164; the Church remembers their coming at the Epiphany.
St. Joseph
Guardian of the Redeemer, who witnessed the homage of the Magi (Redemptoris Custos 10), and patron of the Archdiocese of Cologne, which keeps his solemnity on 19 March.
St. John the Baptist
The Lord's forerunner and the great figure of the Advent Gospels.
Bl. John Duns Scotus
Franciscan theologian of the Immaculate Conception, buried in Cologne's Minoritenkirche; the Archdiocese keeps his memorial on 8 November.
St. Albert the Great
Doctor of the Church and teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas, whose tomb is in the crypt of St. Andreas in Cologne.
Bl. Adolph Kolping
Cologne priest and apostle of working men, buried in the Minoritenkirche; his memorial falls on 4 December.
He arranged the first Nativity scene at Greccio in 1223; the Rome and Greccio form of this pilgrimage is his.
Devotions and practices
The Advent liturgy and the O Antiphons
The Church's own prayer of waiting; the O Antiphons have been sung with the Magnificat at Evening Prayer from 17 to 23 December since at least the eighth century.
Prayer before the Shrine of the Three Kings
Prayer before the shrine that holds the relics venerated in Cologne since 1164 as those of the Magi, asking to seek and adore Christ as they did. In Advent the shrine is closed and the relics are not shown.
Confession before Christmas
The most direct way to prepare the way of the Lord; Cologne Cathedral offers Confession, and Kevelaer has a Confession chapel.
The crib
Prayer before the Nativity scenes of Cologne's churches, along the city's way of cribs.
The Rorate Mass
An Advent Mass by candlelight in honour of Our Lady, traditionally said before dawn; where one is offered, at Kevelaer or in a parish of the Archdiocese of Cologne, the pilgrim could join it.
The Angelus and the Joyful Mysteries
The daily prayers of the Incarnation, fitting for the day at Aachen and for Kevelaer.
Our Lady and this pilgrimage
Advent is Mary's season of waiting. On this journey the pilgrim would meet her at the Immaculate Conception on 8 December, in a Cologne church dedicated to that mystery; at Aachen, in the cathedral of St. Mary that keeps the cloth venerated as her dress from the night of the Nativity; and, on the optional day, at Kevelaer, where she is honoured as Consoler of the Afflicted. In Matthew's Gospel the Magi find the child with Mary his mother.
UNDERSTANDING THIS PILGRIMAGE
An Advent and Christmas pilgrimage is a journey of prayer made in the weeks when the Church waits for the birth of Jesus Christ and then celebrates it. Bold Pilgrim's journey would be made in Advent to Cologne, whose cathedral holds the shrine of the relics venerated since 1164 as those of the Magi, the first pilgrims to the Child, with a day at Aachen and an optional day at the Marian shrine of Kevelaer. In Advent the shrine is closed and the relics are not shown; pilgrims pray before the shrine that holds them. The purpose is the purpose of the season: to set out, as the Magi did, and to arrive at Christmas having looked for Christ.
What this pilgrimage means: the first pilgrims
Advent has two movements. It prepares for Christmas, when the first coming of the Son of God is remembered, and it turns the heart toward his coming again. The Church's norms call it a time of devout and expectant delight, and from 17 December the liturgy is ordered more directly toward the Nativity, with the O Antiphons sung at Evening Prayer.
The Gospel of Matthew tells of magi from the East who followed a star to Bethlehem, offered gold, frankincense and myrrh, and went home by another way. The Catechism sees in them the first-fruits of the nations: the first people from outside Israel to find Christ and adore him. They are the Gospel's first pilgrims, and the Church remembers their coming at the Epiphany of the Lord, on 6 January.
John Paul II gave their words to the young people he called to Cologne in 2005: We have come to worship him. He read their return by another way as an image of conversion. That is the shape of this pilgrimage: to set out, to seek, to adore, and to go home changed.
The Three Kings in Cologne: what is history and what is tradition
What is documented is this. In 1164, after Emperor Frederick Barbarossa had subdued Milan, Archbishop Rainald of Dassel received the bodies venerated there as the Three Kings and brought them to Cologne. Between about 1190 and 1220 the workshop of Nicholas of Verdun and the goldsmiths who followed made for them what the cathedral calls the largest reliquary of the Middle Ages, and the cathedral says the relics were a decisive reason for the new Gothic building begun in 1248.
What is tradition is their identity. The Gospel gives the Magi no number, no names and no crowns; the cathedral's own account says the number three and the title of kings arose around the year 200 and the names later, and it tells the story of how the bodies reached Milan as legend. John Paul II spoke of the relics as venerated in Cologne according to a pious tradition, and the dean of the cathedral said in 2020 that there is no firm proof, only a long tradition.
What Cologne does is honour them. The Archdiocese of Cologne says that the three kings are venerated as saints in the Catholic Church, though its own broadcaster notes that they were never formally canonized, and it keeps the day their relics arrived, 23 July. Benedict XVI prayed before the shrine in 2005 and said that Cologne would not be what it is without the Magi. A pilgrim venerates the relics as a sign pointing to the Child the Magi came to adore.
Advent or Epiphany: when to go
In Advent the cathedral keeps the season's liturgy, and its services page mentions special times for Confession before Christmas. The city's way of cribs opens in late November, and Christmas markets stand beside the cathedral and in the old city; the market at the cathedral closes shortly before Christmas Eve. St. Nicholas falls on 6 December and the Immaculate Conception on 8 December. The shrine is closed, as it is for most of the year. The relics are not shown in Advent: a pilgrim prays before the shrine that holds them and sees its gold, not the relics. You are home for Christmas.
At the Epiphany the cathedral is at its most solemn. On 6 January the plate on the front of the shrine is removed so that the three skulls can be seen behind a grille, and in recent years it has stayed open until the following Sunday; the cathedral announces each year's arrangements. Around that day children dressed as the kings, the star singers, go from door to door to bless homes. The market at the cathedral has closed by then.
This journey is shaped for Advent, because that is when a pilgrim can prepare for Christmas and still keep the feast at home, and because the Magi can be honoured at their shrine in any season. The Epiphany is offered as another way to make it.
The places that serve it
Cologne Cathedral is the centre: a working cathedral that calls itself above all a house of prayer and worship, with Mass and Confession, a chapel for adoration and a place to light a candle before Our Lady. Benedict XVI named Cologne with Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostela among the most important places of pilgrimage in the Christian West. This journey uses a few of the city's churches: St. Maria im Kapitol and St. Maria in Lyskirchen for the infancy of Christ and the crib, the Minoritenkirche for Bl. John Duns Scotus and Bl. Adolph Kolping, and St. Andreas for St. Albert the Great.
Aachen, to the west, has kept four cloths in its cathedral since the Middle Ages. Two are venerated as the swaddling clothes of Jesus and the dress Mary wore on the night of his birth. The cathedral presents their origin as legend and shows them only every seven years; the next showing is expected in 2028. What a pilgrim finds in Advent is Charlemagne's church of St. Mary, the shrine that holds the cloths, and the Gospel verse they recall. The cloths themselves are not seen.
Kevelaer, to the north, is a Marian shrine on the Lower Rhine, where Mary has been honoured since 1642 as Consoler of the Afflicted. Its published Advent programmes have included Rorate Masses and Confession; the sanctuary publishes each year's arrangements. On this journey it is an optional day.
Christ at the centre
The Magi did not come to Bethlehem for the star. They came for the one it led to, and when they found him they fell down and worshipped him. What bears their name in Cologne, the shrine and the cathedral raised around it, exists to repeat that one act.
The Child they adored is the Lord who died and rose and who gives himself now in the Eucharist. The prayer of Advent is the one to carry home: Come, Lord Jesus.
Questions pilgrims ask
What is an Advent and Christmas pilgrimage?
It is a journey of prayer made during Advent or the Christmas season to a place bound to the coming of Jesus Christ. Bold Pilgrim's journey would go in Advent to Cologne, whose cathedral holds the shrine of the relics venerated as those of the Magi, with a day at Aachen and an optional day at Kevelaer. Other forms of the same pilgrimage keep Christmas Time in Rome and at Greccio, or follow the Gospels from Nazareth to Bethlehem. In each, Mass, Confession and the liturgy of the season hold the centre of the days.
What is the Shrine of the Three Kings, and are the relics really those of the Magi?
It is the gold reliquary behind the high altar of Cologne Cathedral, which the cathedral dates to about 1190 to 1220, and it holds the relics brought from Milan in 1164 and venerated as those of the Magi. That they are the wise men of Matthew's Gospel cannot be shown: John Paul II called it a pious tradition, and the dean of the cathedral said in 2020 that there is no firm proof, only a long tradition.
Can you see the relics of the Three Kings in Advent?
No. In Advent, as for most of the year, the shrine is closed: pilgrims pray before the shrine that holds the relics and see the reliquary itself, not the relics. On 6 January a plate on the front of the shrine is removed so that the three skulls can be seen behind a grille, and since 2020 the cathedral chapter has kept it open until the following Sunday or the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The cathedral announces each year's arrangements, so confirm them before travelling.
Should I go to Cologne in Advent or for the Epiphany?
They are different journeys. In Advent you find the season's liturgy, cribs in the churches from late November, and the Christmas markets, of which the one at the cathedral closes shortly before Christmas Eve; the shrine is closed, the relics are not shown, and you are home for Christmas. At the Epiphany, 6 January, the shrine is opened and the relics can be seen, the cathedral keeps the solemnity with pontifical Masses, and the star singers go out around that day; the market at the cathedral has closed. Choose Advent to prepare for Christmas, the Epiphany to honour the Magi on the day the Church remembers them.
Do I need a ticket to pray in Cologne Cathedral?
No. Since 1 July 2026 the cathedral has required a ticket for sightseeing, but services are free and the prayer area in the north transept, on the railway-station side, remains free outside service times, entered by the north portal. The cathedral's pages do not say whether the Shrine of the Three Kings can be approached from that prayer area, so check its own website for what a prayer visit includes before you travel.
Not by itself. A pilgrimage is defined by its purpose: prayer, the sacraments and a holy place. An Advent journey becomes a pilgrimage when Mass and prayer hold the centre of the days and the route is chosen for its shrines and churches, with a market as an evening's pleasure in the free hours. When comparing itineraries, look at how many days name a shrine, Mass or time for Confession.
What are the relics of Aachen Cathedral, and can pilgrims see them?
Aachen Cathedral keeps four cloths venerated as the dress of the Virgin Mary from the night Jesus was born, the swaddling clothes of Jesus, the loincloth he is said to have worn on the cross, and the cloth that held the head of John the Baptist. The cathedral presents their origin as legend and does not claim proof. They have been shown to pilgrims every seven years since 1349; the last showing was in June 2023 and the Cathedral Chapter names 2028 for the next. Between showings they stay closed in the Shrine of the Virgin Mary and are not seen.
Is there a U.S. travel advisory for Germany in the Advent season?
Yes. The U.S. Department of State lists Germany at Level 2, exercise increased caution, because of terrorism. The advisory was issued on 13 May 2025 and was read for this page on 8 October 2026; it names holiday events and markets among the places that could be targeted. Advisories change, so read the current one before you travel.
Church documents are cited for doctrine and discipline; shrine and diocesan pages for institutional facts. Where a claim rests on tradition or private revelation, the page says so.
Its Rome days include St. Mary Major, where the Holy Crib is venerated; made in Advent or Christmas Time it would serve the Rome and Greccio form of this pilgrimage, though its outline does not include Greccio or Cologne, and no dated departures are currently announced.
Classic Pilgrimages begin with the place. They are sample itineraries; confirmed departures and prices have not been announced.
Other journeys we are considering
Under considerationThe Aachen Pilgrimage of 2028
The four cloths of Aachen are shown only every seven years, and the Cathedral Chapter expects the next showing in 2028, without dates so far. A journey for that showing is an idea only; nothing is planned.
Under considerationThe Three Kings pilgrimage in Cologne in September
Each year around 27 September, the cathedral's dedication day, Cologne keeps a Three Kings pilgrimage whose services end with a procession through the inner choir, passing under the shrine. An idea only; nothing is planned.
Upcoming departures
No dated departures are currently announced.
Dates, priest, Gateway Airport, price and availability are published on the departure itself, and only when confirmed. This page describes a reason for going, not a departure.
Advent & Christmas Pilgrimage: I want Christmas to be about Christ again. Where can I go to wait for him, and to seek him as the Magi did? | Bold Pilgrim
