medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
On Wednesday, May 24, 2006, at 6:10 pm, John Wickstrom wrote:
> I have a vague recollection that when Dominic's sarcophagus was first
> opened, there was a stench of decay which shocked the attendees,
> who had
> been expecting the sweet odor of sanctity.
At her p. 7 Moskowitz cites Marie-Humbert Vicaire, _Saint Dominique de
Caleruega d'apres les documents du XIIIe s._ (Paris, 1955), pp. 281-82,
to the effect that, whereas some had feared both this and the derision
that would ensue, in the event that fear was unfounded. The official
line, as rendered by Jordan of Saxony in his contemporary _Libellus de
principiis ordinis praedicatorum_ (quoted by Dodsworth at her pp.
147-48), was that there was such a great and marvellous odor of sanctity
that all who were present at the opening (this includes J., who makes
himself out to have been a nasal as well as ocular witness) were struck
dumb at the sensation and then reacted emotionally in a variety of ways.
When J.'s narration gets to the deposition of D.'s remains in the
marble sarcophagus, he again notes the odor of sanctity. The length at
which he dwells on this phenomenon could lead one to suspect that he's
countering a very different olfactory assessment, but if such survives
I haven't seen it.
Best again,
John Dillon
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