medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Living in Scania, today a part of Sweden, in the Middle Ages the province
where the Danish metropolitan see were situated, I have followed the
discussion about Nordic female saint with great interest. At the same time
I was looking forward to read this, as a former inhabitant of Westgothia:
>Today (31. July) is the feast day of:
>
>
>Helena of Skovde (blessed) (d. 1160) Helena was a Swedish noblewoman.
>After her husband's death she cared for the poor. When she returned from a
>pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1160, she was murdered by relatives. Her cult
>was approved in 1164.
St. Elin (as she is called in Swedish) lived at the same time as St.
Margaret of
Roskilde. Her cult was approved by pope Alexander III when the first
archbishop
of Upsala (Stephen) was consecrated in Sens by the archbishop of Lund
(Eskil),
at the request from the king. It was of course meant to be a symbolical
gesture
and was (as far as I understand) no formal canonization.
Nanna Damsholt was mentioned. When we are waiting for a direct answer
from her about Margaret, I can only contribute by her words in the recently
published Festschrift "Medieval Spirituality in Scandinavia and Europe:
A Collection of Essays in Honour of Tore Nyberg", where she is writing
about "Abbot William of Æbelholt: A Foreigner in Denmark."
"The attempt also to obtain a papal canonization for a member of the Sunesen
family failed however. Margaret, the above-mentioned daughter or relativ of
Sune Ebbesen and so probably sister of Peder Sunesen, was murdered by
her husband in 1176, and she was locally canonized by bishop Absalon of
Roskilde. Absalon supported the cult of her in Roskilde and donated a new
church which he has founded in Scania, Gumløse, with relics of Margaret."
The church of Gumløse is interesting also from other points of wiew, but
here
it only illustrates the fact that her cult was promoted by here mighty and
wealthy
family. Absalon, bishop in both Roskilde and Lund for many years, was her
uncle and his successors, Peder Sunesen in Roskilde and Andreas in Lund,
her brothers. But she remained a local saint for the province of Lund.
Perhaps much of this is facts known by all of you for long. I have been
lurking
here for three months only and I am, strictly spoken, not even a
Medievalist.
I am doing my doctoral research about Gottfrid Billing, who held the chair
of
Eskil and Absalon hundred years ago. He never wanted to leave it for the
chair of Stephen. I fully understand him: Lund is the oldest Scandinavian
metropolitan see.
Fredrik Fernbom
Department of Church history
Theological Faculty
Lund University
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