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The Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham was established in 1061 when, according to the text of the Pynson Ballad (c 1485), Richeldis de Faverches prayed that she might undertake some special work in honour of Our Lady. In answer to her prayer, the Virgin Mary led her in spirit to Nazareth, showed her the house where the Annunciation occurred, and asked her to build a replica in Walsingham to serve as a perpetual memorial of the Annunciation.
This Holy House was built and a religious community took charge of the foundation. With papal approval the Augustinian Canons built a Priory (c 1150). Walsingham became one of the greatest Shrines in Medieval Christendom.

In 1538, the Reformation caused the Priory property to be handed over to the King's Commissioners and the famous statue of Our Lady of Walsingham was taken to London and burnt. Nothing remains today of the original shrine, but its site is marked on the lawn in "The Abbey Grounds" in the village.
After the destruction of the Shrine, Walsingham ceased to be a place of pilgrimage. Devotion was necessarily in secret until after Catholic Emancipation (1829) when public expressions of faith were allowed.
The Guild of Our Lady of Ransom, brought the first public pilgrimage to Walsingham on 20th August 1897. Visits to the Slipper Chapel became more frequent, and as the years passed devotion and the number of pilgrimages increased.
In 1934, Cardinal Bourne and Bishop Lawrence Youens led the Bishops of England and Wales, together with 10,000 pilgrims to the Slipper Chapel. At this pilgrimage, the Slipper Chapel was declared to be the National Shrine of Our Lady for Roman Catholics in England.

The Shrine now attracts some 150,000 pilgrims during the pilgrimage season with about 35 Major Pilgrimages from Catholic, Diocesan or Ethnic groups and Catholic Societies or Associations as well as many Parish and Overseas groups. At present our largest Pilgrimages are those of the Tamil community who come each May (c.6,000) and again in July with about 15,000 pilgrims, some being Christian and some Hindu in faith. The Syro-Malabar community bring about 5,000 pilgrims on their National Pilgrimage in July

Walsingham holds a unique place in history as the premier place for pilgrimage in England. At its height in medieval times, Walsingham rivalled Canterbury and the great shrines of Europe. Most kings and queens of England made pilgrimages here, from Henry III to Henry VIII. Today, more than 300,000 visitors flock to the village each year to visit the two shrines and experience the deep sense of peace and tranquillity. In April 2005 the local RC Parish Church of the Annunciation (a 1950's temporary structure) in Walsingham village was demolished, and a beautiful new Church with twice the capacity built on the site. Because of its use by pilgrims resident at Elmham House, the Roman Catholic accommodation, the Shrine was instrumental in raising a great deal of the £1,345,000 needed for this project. The Church was consecrated by Bishop Michael Evans of East Anglia on 24th March 2006, and the Tower Sculpture was blessed by his successor Bishop Alan Hopes on May 4th 2017 marking the completion of the project.

Direct visit