medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Thanks Marjorie,
When I was there for St James' day back in the 70's the crowd was also
well-behaved, and that might have been considered miraculous, too, as
both in the square in front of the cathedral the previous evening for
the fireworks and within the church for the Mass, one was squeezed in on
all sides. One of the women I was with had to be taken out, in fact:
she was getting a bit hysterical -- and I can imagine that such
reactions would have been more intense in the less populous Middle
Ages. I was out in one of the transepts, and I have to say, when the
botafumiero whizzed over my head, I greatly felt like invoking the
saints! It was a powerful experience. I'm surprised that there were no
pilgrim badges for sale. I had quite a collection of them by the end of
my "pilgrimage" along the medieval roads, including an extra big one
from Santiago. And -- mirabula dictu -- walking into town (only the
last few kilometres), I looked down by the side of the road, and there
was a scallop shell, which I promptly sewed onto my "pilgrim's hat".
Cheers,
Jim
Marjorie Greene wrote:
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
> I hesitated to reply on-list to this, Jim, but perhaps some will
> consider this within the confines of the list's purpose. I'm also
> assuming that you read the blurb on the share site, so I'll limit my
> remarks to reactions other than those already described.
> The most obvious result of mobs of people in a huge building is that
> of invisibility of what is taking place. The people up front who were
> well positioned must have gotten in line at dawn. Loudspeaker systems
> and television monitors, the latter showing up in some of the photos,
> helped greatly but were a poor substitute for the real thing. I can
> only surmise that in the MA, those positioned where I was saw and
> heard almost nothing of any ceremony or liturgy. The only chance I had
> to see the /botafumeiro/ in action was when it swung to the highest
> points of the arc it made. People were quiet and respectful, no
> pushing or shoving, and the lines for communion were orderly. I had no
> way of telling who was there for the liturgy and who, for the
> spectacle. I did not make it to the Confessio so I have no idea of
> comportment there. The huge line outside seemed to be orderly and
> there were police to ensure a minimum of line jumping. It does make me
> wonder now what, if any, procedures were in place in the MA to keep
> people from getting into fights. The church, though crowded, was not
> filled to capacity. But that may have been b/c of the unappealing
> prospect of standing in line in a freezing gale for hours to gain
> entrance. My own ability to get in for Mass was, as I described,
> somewhat... miraculous? unbelievable? In the MA, I suspect, a person
> in my circumstances would have chalked it up to a special favor from
> Saint James himself! I don't. I think I lucked out with a sympathetic
> policeman. And I wonder about all the people he turned away, what they
> wouild have thought of his - let's face it - unfairness.
> Makeshift flimsy pilgrim scrips of cheap metal with a red cross on top
> were available for sale but no badges. I asked about badges but the
> salespeople didn't know what I was talking about - probably b/c I was
> speaking English. I bought a couple of scrips and a silver cockle
> shell pendant with a pearl set in the middle. I decided that when a
> day needs to be salvaged, buy jewelry. I'm sure similar hawkers were
> in abundance in the MA. I did not see for sale or purchase any
> "relics" :-)))
> I hope I have answered your question adequately and that the list
> members have not been annoyed by the length and personal nature of
> this post.
> George the Great, perhaps you can give me some guidance on responding
> to such queries.
> MG
>
> Marjorie Greene
> http://medrelart.shutterfly.com/
>
> --- On *Wed, 5/19/10, Dr Jim Bugslag /<[log in to unmask]>/* wrote:
>
>
> From: Dr Jim Bugslag <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: [M-R] Photos of Santiago de Compostela posted
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Date: Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 3:50 PM
>
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
> culture
>
> Seconded. I'm always interested, as well, to hear of people's
> reactions to experiencing a huge medieval church filled with
> people and ceremony. Could you, perhaps, share some of your
> impressions of Santiago de Compostela from this perspective?
> Cheers,
> Jim
>
> Rosemary Hayes-Milligan and Andrew Milligan wrote:
> > medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion
> and culture
> > Thank you Marjorie for sharing both the photos and the tale of
> how you got them. Great will be your reward in heaven.
> > Rosemary Hayes
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > *From:* Marjorie Greene <mailto:[log in to unmask]
> <[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">http:[log in to unmask]>>
> > *To:* [log in to unmask]
> <[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">http:[log in to unmask]>
> > <mailto:[log in to unmask]
> <[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">http:[log in to unmask]>>
> > *Sent:* Tuesday, May 18, 2010 10:58 PM
> > *Subject:* [M-R] Photos of Santiago de Compostela posted
> >
> > medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval
> religion and
> > culture
> > Greetings, One and All. I have returned with a scrip full of
> > pictures. Only Santiago de Compostela has been posted and they
> > will disappoint some of you. I'm not going to bore you with the
> > details of what was a pretty awful day; they are posted on the
> > share site and you do not have to read my sorrowful saga to
> get to
> > the pictures.
> > I have some other goodies - the MNAC in Barcelona was a feast -
> > and will let you know when everything worth seeing is up.
> > MG
> >
> > Marjorie Greene
> > http://medrelart.shutterfly.com/
> >
> >
> >
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