The Pilgrim Center has been operated since its founding in 1997 by the Church of Sweden, Diocese of Linköping, in close collaboration with Vadstena Parish in an ecumenical spirit. From the very beginning, the intention has been to create a spiritual environment with “low thresholds” for seekers - a place to welcome pilgrims coming to Vadstena for prayer, meditation, rest, and accommodation.
The Mission of the Pilgrim Center
The Pilgrim Center aims to welcome pilgrims and to be a meeting place for spiritual deepening and to support parish work by offering courses, hikes, retreats, and seminars, as well as developing opportunities for pilgrimage through trails and information.
The Rhythm of Daily Life
At the Pilgrim Center, there is a daily rhythm focused on prayer, worship, and Bible reading. Throughout the year, 4–5 times a day, prayers or Mass are held in the monastery church. Every morning, Monday through Saturday at 9:00 AM, there is a conversation about faith and life at the Pilgrim Center.
Welcoming Visitors
During the summer months, we welcome many pilgrims and visitors who have traveled or walked here. The monastery church is visited annually by approximately 140,000–160,000 people. We receive and send off pilgrims with prayers and blessings. At the Pilgrim Center, there is a café, shop, pilgrimage information, and lodging where visitors can also obtain a stamp and a Birgitta Certificate. The daily work at the Pilgrim Center is largely carried out by volunteers who share in the community here for a time, participating in both prayer and work.
Part of a Green Movement
The Church of Sweden and the Pilgrim Center have long worked with sustainability and climate issues. By promoting ways to live a simpler life with lighter burdens, the pilgrimage aims to inspire sustainable living, where prayer and rest, as well as service to others, are central.
With the Pilgrim’s Greeting – Pax et Bonum!
Rickard Borgenback
Director, Pilgrim Center
St. Birgitta is one of the most remarkable and influential figures in Swedish history. As a child, she experienced visions of the Virgin Mary and the crucified Christ. At the age of thirteen, she was married and had eight children. After the death of her husband, Ulf, she received revelations instructing her to establish "the new vineyard." Following this, she journeyed to Rome to gain approval for founding a monastery with its own rule in Vadstena. Only 20 years after her death, she was canonized, and in 1999 she was declared one of Europe's three patron saints.
Based on measurements and instructions St. Birgitta received directly from Christ, the Monastery Church was consecrated on February 16, 1430, after roughly 60 years of construction and nearly as many years after her death. Since then, people from all over the world have made pilgrimages to this site, making the Monastery Church one of Europe's most important pilgrimage destinations.
St. Birgitta has inspired people since the 14th century, and her legacy remains very much alive in Vadstena today. Just a short distance from the Monastery Church reside the Birgitta Sisters—nuns who embody St. Birgitta's spirituality in our time. Are you interested in monastic life or perhaps feel a calling to it? If so, reach out to the Birgitta Sisters. You can find more information on their website.
Masses and Liturgy of the Hours in the Monastery Church
Monday – Friday
8:00 Laudes
8:30 Pilgrim Mass
9:00 Bible Sharing*
12:00 Sext
16:00 Vespers
18:00 Pilgrim Mass II**
Saturdays
8:00 Laudes
8:30 Pilgrim Mass
9:00 Bible Sharing*
12:00 Sext
18:00 Pilgrim Mass II**
Sundays
11:00 High Mass
*Bible Sharing takes place at the Pilgrim Center.
**During Summer Season
Check the current program in the Church App or on the Vadstena Parish website.
A Brief Introduction to the Prayer Life
In the Monastery Church, you encounter a rich worship life with daily Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours.
The daily Liturgy of the Hours follows a structure rooted in the Jewish prayer tradition and has been the shared prayer of monasteries since the early days of the Church. The Psalms form the core of these prayers. Here, we join in Jesus’ own prayer to the Father while also giving voice to the longings, struggles, joys, and sorrows of all humanity.
As a visitor to the Monastery Church, you can easily participate by taking one of the prayer books provided and following the written prayers, either aloud or silently.
Every Monday to Saturday at 9:00 AM, everyone who wishes is welcome to gather at the Pilgrim Center for Bible sharing. Together, we read the day’s scripture, let it settle within us, and then share our reflections on the text - how the words spoke to us in that moment. The opportunity to share moves around the group, with each person speaking if they wish. We practice listening to one another without interrupting or adding comments.
The session usually concludes at 9:30 AM with a short blessing or prayer. You’re warmly welcome to join the next time you visit the Pilgrim Center!
PILGRIM RECEPTION
The pilgrim reception is located to the left of the main entrance. Here, you register your arrival as a pilgrim and collect your pilgrim certificate.
CAFÈ
The Heart of Our Community. This is where pilgrims, tourists, and locals come to meet and unwind. Here, you don’t search for “empty” tables but for tables already occupied by others. In our eco-certified café, you’ll find homemade buns, cookies, and bread, as well as simple meals packaged to be heated on-site or taken along in your backpack.
Here, you can find everything from pilgrim literature, maps, guidebooks, and icons to backpacks, patches, socks, and thermoses. Our own products can also be purchased through our online store.
Visit the online store >>
PILGRIM SHOP
GUESTHOUSE
The Pilgrim Center offers 14 beds in shared dormitories with access to toilets, showers, a kitchen, and a common room. It is self-catering with guests responsible for their own cleaning. Bring your own sheets or rent them from us.
Prices
Booking
Book directly here >>
Check-in
By 4:00 PM or as agreed
Check-out
By 12:00 PM or as agreed
Questions?
Phone: +46 143–105 71
Email: pilgrimscentrum@svenskakyrkan.se
LIBRARY
The library offers pilgrim literature, books about Vadstena and St. Birgitta, and Bibles in various languages. You will also find a selection of saint stories, descriptions of monasteries, church history, and Bible commentaries.
The library is also where we hold our Bible sharing sessions for anyone visiting us who wishes to participate.
If you’re visiting Vadstena, don’t miss the Sancta Birgitta Monastery Museum. Alongside the Monastery Church, the Birgitta Sisters, and the Pilgrim Center, the Monastery Museum is one of the “must-see” attractions that complete the experience of this destination.
At the museum, there is much to discover, including the casket that held St. Birgitta’s remains when they were returned to Sweden after her death in Rome. The casket is displayed in the room where Birgitta is believed to have received her vision of the monastery.
ÖPPETTIDER
Cafe/Butik/Reception
Stängt mellan 1/12-15/1
Öppnar igen den 16/1
Tis–Fre kl. 10-16
Lör-Mån Stängt
Röda dagar stängt
Vandrarhem/härbärge:
Öppet alla dagar förutom en del storhelgerna. Kontakta oss eller gör din förfrågan online.
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GUDSTJÄNSTER I KLOSTERKYRKAN
(gäller ej röda dagar)
Måndag–fredag
8:00 Laudes
8:30 Mässa
9:00 Bibeldelande*
12:00 Sext
16:00 Vesper
18:00 Mässa (fredagar)
Lördagar
8:00 Laudes
8:30 Mässa
9:00 Bibeldelande*
12:00 Sext
Söndagar
11:00 Högmässa
* Bibeldelande
Mån–Lör kl. 9:00-9.30
Biblioteket, Pilgrimscentrum
ADRESS
Vadstena Pilgrimscentrum
Klostergatan 7, 592 30 Vadstena
KONTAKTA OSS
mån-fre kl. 10-16
pilgrimscentrum@svenskakyrkan.se
Tlf. 0143-105 71
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