Maureen A. Tilley
Visiting Professor of Theology
Fordham University
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From: jbugslag <[log in to unmask]>
Sent by: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious culture <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 03/05/2008 12:31PM
Subject: Re: [M-R] Babies

medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Diana,
In the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the chapel of the Virgin Mary at Oberburen in Switzerland served as a "sanctuaire a repit" where still-born infants were brought for miraculous momentary reanimation, so they could be baptized and buried in consecrated ground. In the 1990s, the cemetery was excavated, and something like 250 skeletons of babies were found, some obviously foetal in development and thus, obviously, premature births. If you're interested in following this up, there is an entry on Oberburen in the exhibition catalogue, Iconoclasme. Vie et mort de l'image medievale (Strasbourg, 2001), pp. 252-53, with the following bibliography:

Susi Ulrich-Bochsler, "Jenseitsvorstellungen im Mittelalter. Die Wiederbelebung von totgeborenen Kindern. Archäologische und anthropologische Untersuchungen im Marienwallfahrtszentrum von Oberbüren im Kanton Bern/Schweiz," in Guy De Boe and Frans Verhaeghe, eds, Death and Burial in Medieval Europe. Papers of the "Medieval Europe Brugge 1997" Conference , vol. 2 (Zellik, 1997), pp. 7-14; Susi Ulrich-Bochsler and Daniel Gutscher, "Wiederentdeckung von Totgeborenen. Ein Schweizer Wallfahrtszentrum im Blick von Archäologie und Anthropologie," in Jürgen Schlumbohm et al., eds, Rituale der Geburt. Eine Kulturgeschichte (Munich, 1998), pp. 244-68; Daniel Gutscher, Susi Ulrich-Bochsler and Kathrin Utz Tremp, "«Hie findt man gesundheit des libes und der sele». Die Wallfahrt im 15. Jahrhundert am Beispiel der wundertätigen Maria von Oberbüren," in Berns grosse Zeit. Das 15. Jahrhundert neu entdeckt , ed. Ellen J. Beer et al. (Berne, 1999), pp. 380-91. A monograph on the ancient pilgrimage centre of Oberbüren is in preparation. It will appear in the collection Publications périodiques de la Direction de l'instruction publique de canton de Berne .

Hope this helps,
Jim Bugslag

On 3 Mar 2008 at 16:09, Diana Wright wrote:

> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
> culture
>
> This is somewhat off the topic of this list, because so many of you
> are medievalists, perhaps you can direct me: I would like to find out
> anything I can about premature medieval babies. Do you know of any
> sources that mention a premature birth & an infant who survives?
>
> DW
>
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