medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
- patron of Denmark (?)
Reminds me of an incidence when I was a student. The Institute of Art History was next door to the St.Ansgar Church in Copenhagen, and we visited the church one day, where the priest told us a curious story. A few years before (around 1960) had the National Museum cleaned up on the shelves, and discovered what was supposed to be the scull of Ansgar (according to a label), excavated a century or more ago somewhere beneath a church floor. The National Museum was at their wits end what to do with the thing, and asked the church of St.Ansgar for advise. The church was not exactly happy about the situation, but they finally accepted to take the scull into their custody. The priest then showed us a little insignificant cubic niche in the wall, covered by a glass pane measuring about 20x20 cm. Inside could we see the old scull in the dark, placed on a bare brick. No label or inscription did identify it. There was certainly nothing medieval about the priest - he told us the story with great humour and irony, and asked us with a broad smile 'what else could we have done?'
Ansgars day, by the way, had been transposed to the 4 February in the later 15th century in greater parts of Denmark (especially in the diocese of Roeskilde where Copenhagen is, and the degree reduced to an ordinary 9 lesson office).
The significance of this is open to interpretation;-)
Cheers
Erik
At 2:42 +0100 03/02/04, Phyllis Jestice wrote:
>Today (3. February) is the feast day of:
>Ansgar (d. 865) Ansgar was educated at Corbie; he became a monk there and
>then at Corvey. From there he went as missionary to Sweden. He became
>first archbishop of Hamburg in 832 ( see combined with Bremen in 845 when
>vikings destroyed Hamburg). A. spent the rest of hs life as a missionary
>in Sweden and Denmark, without much lasting success but a lot of good will;
>he is the patron of Denmark.
>
_____________________________________________________________________
Mag.art. Erik Drigsdahl CHD Center for Haandskriftstudier i Danmark
Kapelvej 25B 3.tv Phone: +45 +35 37 20 47
DK-2200 Copenhagen N Email: <[log in to unmask]>
DENMARK http://www.chd.dk
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