Not specifically chapels but I’m
vaguely aware of archaeological evidence for neonatal burials near the walls of
churches, which I have speculated might be burials of unbaptised children.
And it’s post-medieval but in
Bedwellty in south-east Wales the min-C17 curate recorded in his parish
registers the burials of several infants described as ‘abortivi’
which I took to mean stillborn and possibly premature, but in one case he
recorded twins, one which he baptised, the other described as ‘abortivus’
which he buried.
Maddy
Dr Madeleine Gray, in the
foothills of God's golden
Senior Lecturer in
History
School of Education/Ysgol Addysg
Caerleon Campus/Campws Caerllion, PO
/Blwch Post 179
Newport/Casnewydd NP18 3YG, Wales/Cymru
Tel: +44
(0)1633.432675
'I ask you for help. And all you give me is ...papers!'
(Magda in Gian Carlo Menotti's The Consul)
History at University of Wales,
Newport: http://timezone.newport.ac.uk
Gwent County History Association website: http://gwent-county-history-association.newport.ac.uk
Cistercian Way: http://cistercian-way.newport.ac.uk
From:
medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious culture
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Maureen A. Tilley
Sent: 06 March 2008 03:33
To:
[log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [M-R] Babies &
Glendalough
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
culture
The chapel in Oberburen for the reanimation of stillborn
and other unbaptized babies brings to mind the Women's Church aka
Chapel of St. Mary (Tempall Mhuire) the directly outside the monastic
walls at Glendalough in Ireland. An informant who was amassing lore
about Glendalough mentioned that under the English the grounds
of this abandoned chapel were used to bury not only unbaptized infants but
anyone else who could not be buried in hallowed ground. (Photos at http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~dvess/ids/medieval/glendalough/womchur.htm)
Does anyone on the list know of any documentation on this or similar chapels
specifically for those who could not be buried in Christian cemeteries, e.g.,
excommunicated persons, persons buried in time of interdict, etc?
With thanks in advance,
Maureen A. Tilley
Visiting Professor of Theology
Fordham University
113 W. 60th Street
New York, NY 10023
212-636-6369
-----medieval-religion
- Scholarly discussions of medieval religious culture
<[log in to unmask]> wrote: -----
To: [log in to unmask]
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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