medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
' ... a prior wearing a mitre instantly raised
procedural issues: the bishop and the prior could not be seen in the same cathedral wearing mitres of equivalent grandeur. At Worcester, the argument over mitre design went all the way to Rome. The bishop had to watch his prior carefully to see if he had indeed removed the gold fringe and jewels which, it had been decreed, made his mitre look too much like the bishop’s one, or whether his staff contravened the papal decree which restricted its colours to blue and silver.'
Goodness. I might just have a go at that. I was particularly intrigued by the effigy of a Worcester prior with mitre and a very ornate and hefty-looking staff (a bordon?)
Maddy
Dr Madeleine Gray
Reader in History
School of Education/Ysgol Addysg
University of Wales, Newport/Prifysgol Cymru, Casnewydd
Caerleon Campus/Campws Caerllion,Newport/Casnewydd NP18 3QT, 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 Paul Chandler
Sent: 24 June 2009 14:50
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [M-R] mitred abbots
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
My reference to Herbert Thurston's article "Pontificalia", tucked away at the bottom of a previous post, might have been missed. It briefly indicates the complexities <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12231b.htm>. By the end of the Middle Ages all abbots were mitred, as well as various other non-bishops. Proliferation of mitres and such continued to selected priors, canons, monsignori and other worthies until the bling-restricting legislation of Paul VI.
If you just have to know more, the standard study, AFAIK, is still Pierre Salmon, Étude sur les insignes du pontife dans le rite romain: histoire et liturgie, Rome: Officium Libri Catholici, 1955. -- Paul
--
Paul Chandler, O.Carm. | Institutum Carmelitanum
via Sforza Pallavicini, 10 | 00193 - Roma | Italy
tel: +39-06-6810.0849 | fax: +39-06-6830.7200
[log in to unmask]
********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html