Penitential stations are places of prescribed devotional exercise, typically involving circuits walked on bare knees, prayers recited at particular stones or crosses, and a physical choreography of penance that could take hours to complete. They are closely related to the tradition of the turas, a ritual pilgrimage performed at holy wells, early medieval church sites, or other locations considered sacred, often on the feast day of a locally venerated saint. Many such stations remained in active use long after the Reformation, sustained by a form of popular religious practice that operated largely outside institutional oversight.