A belief in a corporeal resurrection and the body’s reunion with the soul after death began in late antiquity and spread widely throughout medieval Europe. The graves of holy people became sites of ecclesiastical life by the 6th century, since they represented the union of Heaven and Earth. As the idea of the final judgment became increasingly real in people’s minds, both the clergy and laity frequently sought out the patronage of the Virgin Mary and the saints to intercede with Christ on their behalf. Whether they simply reflected on a sculpture or made a pilgrimage to the saint’s burial site, medieval people attempted to remain in constant communion with their heavenly patrons.