medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Dear Jim,
In Vadstena Abbey Church, in central Sweden--one of the major pilgrimage
churches in Scandinavia--there are peculiar marks near one of the doorways
where pilgrims passed, either into the church or out from it (this is not
clear). These marks consist of groups of five holes arranged in form of
crosses. The holes are suitable for the insertion of fingers and they are
worn just as if this has been done by thousands of pilgrims.
The church was completed in 1430, in great fidelity to the plan set up by
St. Birgitta (d. 1373) in her Revelationes extravagantes. The doorways of
the church and their functions are described in detail in the revelations.
The doorway(s) through which the pilgrims passed were called by her
Doorway of the Remission of Sins (Porta remissionis). No mention is made
of holes in the form of crosses, however.
Images can be found in Vadstena klosterkyrka 1: Kyrkobyggnaden by Iwar
Andersson, Stockholm 1991, p. 45, 122, and 125.
Best wishes,
Anders Fröjmark
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