Historical figure or literary resource? Arculfo, the pilgrim

The abbot of Iona relates the pilgrimage of the monk Arculfo to the Holy Land in his book De locis Sanctis written in the 7th century AD. Although some authors such as Denis Meehan and David Woods defend the historicity and existence of Arculfo, the problems presented by the route of his pilgrimage provoke distrust in its veracity. This study sheds light on the enigma of the Arculfo pilgrimage and its figure, starting from the question: Is the Arculfo pilgrimage a literary resource created with the aim of bringing the faithful closer to the Holy Scriptures or is it the first guide to the Holy Land?Our modern approach emphasizes both the truthfulness of the story and the importance of the vita peregrina; a natural leitmotif of medieval and modern theology shown in the work of Adomnán de Iona.