medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
This has been a very interesting thread. The case that provoked my initial question is that of the Reliquary of St. Piat at Chartres Cathedral. There are records of it being opened several times, usually at the request of a high-profile visitor to the cathedral. What has always struck me as curious about this is that the relics of St. Piat were far from being the major relics held at Chartres, the principal of which was the Virgin's Tunic, which was kept in the Sainte-Chasse and never (officially) opened until 1712, probably for the very good reason that when it was opened, no tunic was actually found in it. To my knowledge, no bits of St. Piat were ever snipped off to provide relics for others, and I've never been able to figure out why they kept opening his reliquary, seemlingly alone of all the reliquaries held by the cathedral, other than to check to see if it was still incorrupt (it always appears to have been).
Cheers,
Jim
________________________________________
From: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious culture [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Sherry Reames [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: October 18, 2012 4:33 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [M-R] St Francis exhumed
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
The only medieval exhumation I've studied is the one of Thomas Becket that preceded the translation of his relics in 1220. Besides physically moving the saint's remains from his original, obscure tomb in the crypt of the Cathedral to the ornate casket that would go into his shrine, the ceremony symbolically transferred custody of the relics from the monks of the cathedral priory to Archbishop Stephen Langton, who reportedly used the occasion to remove some small bones which he subsequently presented to the pope and other important friends within the church. There's a somewhat fuller account and citations of the sources in my article on the Translation liturgy in volume 80 of Speculum (2005), pp. 149-50.
Sherry Reames
On 10/17/12, James Bugslag wrote:
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
> So far, nobody has mentioned the perhaps obvious fact that this modern examination of a saint's body relics quite closely reflects medieval practice. Although, perhaps, modern examiners are not so obsessively concerned with reporting on the unchanged state of the saint's body -- let alone the fragrance of holiness emanating from the remains -- the comment on the whiteness of his teeth certainly reflects such an expectation. Such examinations were a very high-profile aspect of the medieval cult of saints. What has always perplexed me, however, is the exact motivation for such examinations. They don't seem to reflect doubt about the authenticity of the saint's relics, but rather enthusiasm for them. If anyone can enunciate further the motivation for such examinations, in a medieval context of course, I'd be very interested.
> Cheers,
> Jim
>
> ________________________________________
> From: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious culture [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Carol Anne Fountain Cimini [[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: October 17, 2012 6:17 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [M-R] St Francis exhumed
>
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
> Here is a further reference of St Francis' exhumation
> Hugs
> Carol
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Shinners
> Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2012 12:23 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [M-R] St Francis exhumed
>
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
> Adrian House's bio of Francis, "Francis of Assisi, A Revolutionary Life"
> (2000) has a color picture of his remains from the 1978 exhumation. House
> also recounts scholarly/medical opinion about the possible causes of his
> death (pp. 261-63: inconclusive). He mentions that the skeleton's
> dimensions suggest that Francis was 5'3". He also mentions that John
> Moorman (who likewise wrote a bio) was present at the 1978 exhumation and
> commented on how white Francis' teeth were (94).
>
> Best,
> John
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "George Piero FERZOCO" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2012 11:37:49 AM
> Subject: Re: [M-R] St Francis exhumed
>
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
> Dear Anna,
>
> In 1818, Pope Pius VII ordered a *recognitio* of Francis's remains. As I
> recall, only bones were found. These were placed in a bronze casket in a
> stone sarcophagus under the high altar of the lower basilica of St Francis.
> In early 1978, Pope Paul VI ordered an re-examination of these remains of
> Francis. If I remember correctly, the remains were put into a glass or
> plexiglass box, but whether they were put on display as such, or simply
> placed back in the casket and sarcophagus immediately, I do not recall. I
> might be in Assisi next month, and will inform myself and, in turn, you,
> should no one else shed further light on this.
>
> I think the recognition was just that -- a declaration that these were
> indeed the remains of Francis -- and not in any way a forsenic study.
>
> Best wishes, George
>
>
> On Wed, Oct 17, 2012 at 2:41 PM, Anna Kirkwood Graham < [log in to unmask] >
> wrote:
>
> Â
>
>
>
> Â Greetings, listmembers,
> I have read that St. Francis of Assisi's body was moved during the late
> 1970s, and while it was "out," his remains were subjected to scientific
> analysis. I have not been able to determine, however, whether the results
> of the analysis were ever published. Does anyone on this list know?
> Many thanks,
> Anna
>
> Anna Kirkwood Graham, J.D., Ph.D.
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> --
> John Shinners
> Professor, Schlesinger Chair in Humanistic Studies
> Saint Mary's College
> Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
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