BBC - Pagans and Pilgrims Britain's Holiest Places (2016) Part 4 Shrines

Pagans and Pilgrims Britain's Holiest Places

Presenter and Welsh poet Ifor ap Glyn explores the wealth of Britain's extraordinary holy places on a pilgrimage that spans almost 2,000 years of history. Travelling across the breadth of the UK, Ifor uncovers the stories and rich history behind many of our most famous sites, explaining the myths and legends of some of Britain's most sacred places. Over six episodes, Ifor visits crumbling ruins, tranquil healing pools, sacred caves, island refuges, towering mountain hideaways and ancient shrines to find out what these historical sites tell us about who we are today. From the divine to the unexpected, the series uncovers Britain's extraordinary variety of inspirational, surprising and half-forgotten holy places and brings to life our spiritual history.

Part 4 Shrines

Ifor sets out to understand the appeal of shrines. For those outside the Catholic and Orthodox Church there is something vaguely unsettling about shrines. How can venerating the bones of a dead person bring you closer to God? From the unlikely starting point of Marc Bolan's roadside shrine in Barnes, Ifor embarks upon perhaps his most surprising journey. Along the way he learns that Scotland's largest city only exists because of a shrine and visits the newly-renovated shrine of St David in Wales. At St Albans Cathedral he learns that shrines are slowly but surely starting to creep back into the Anglican mainstream and that rather than meeting resistance they are being actively embraced.

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