John Jenkins

John is the Co-Director of the Centre for Pilgrimage Studies at the University. His work currently focuses on the relationship between cathedrals, saints’ cults and pilgrimage from the medieval period to the present day. He first came to York in 2014 as a Research Assistant on the AHRC-funded ‘Pilgrimage and England’s Cathedrals: Past and Present’ project. Following that he was a researcher on projects looking variously at the influence of Thomas Becket’s cult in Canterbury and London, and at exploring ways in which understanding historic uses of space could help with visitor engagement in contemporary churches.

He was a key member of the planning and organisation committees for ‘Becket 2020’, the anniversary commemorations of Thomas Becket’s birth, death and translation. His work on the digital reconstructions of Thomas Becket’s medieval shrine in Canterbury Cathedral, produced by the Centre for the Study of Christianity and Culture at the University, received international media coverage in 2020. He has made several appearances on the BBC and the Smithsonian Channel discussing various aspects of his work on pilgrimage and medieval history.