According to Dominique Iogna-Prat, La Maison Dieu. Une histoire monumentale de l'Eglise au Moyen Age (v.800-v.1200) (Paris, 2006) -- which I believe I learned about from someone on this list -- this is part of the consecration rite that arose during the Carolingian period, and was performed by the officiating bishop, who entered the church alone while the rest of the officiants waited outside with the relics to be inserted in the altar. After inscribing the alphabets on the floor of the church, he exorcised, blessed and mixed the salt, water and cinders used for the aspersion of the church. He also prepared the mortar with which the relics would be sealed into their confessio in the altar. Finally, he blessed the whole building, its ornaments, vestments and liturgical vessels. He then left the church to join the other officiants outside, and after a litany and the blessing of the principal entrance, and a relic procession around the church, he preached a sermon before leading the procession with relics into the church.
Cheers,

Jim

This is very much the sort of thing I've read in the Pontificales - except the bishop enters the church with all the clergy after knocking on the door three times and calling 'Tollite portas'. One deacon had previously entered and closed the door. He responds 'Quis est rex glorie' and the third time the bishop answers, 'Dominus uirtutum ipse est rex glorie'.

I suppose my next question will be about the significance of salt, water and ashes - symbolising life and death I presume?

thank you everyone for your help so far! especially Rosemary for pointing me in the direction of episcopal registers - I'm pretty sure, although we're in the north of the county, the parish was in the London diocese.

Cate

AndrewLarsen wrote:

medieval-religion: Scholarlydiscussions of medieval religion and culture

Might the use of the abcedarium be related to Christ's status as the Alpha and the Omega, ie the totality of the alphabet?

Andrew E. Larsen

On Mar 30, 2010, at 7:34 AM, John Briggs <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

On 30/03/2010 12:04, Cate Gunn wrote:
The consecration ceremonies (in the 10th cent. Pontificale Lanaletense and the 12th century Pontifical of Magdalen college) require the 'abcdarium' to be inscribed in the corners of the church - would this be the whole alphabet? What was the significance of this?

The abcedarium (the whole alphabet) is inscribed (in ashes or sand) diagonally across the church from corner to corner, once in the Latin alphabet and the other time in the Greek alphabet. What was the significance of this? Well, the best guess (see John Wordsworth, On the Consectration of Churches, Especially in the Church of England: A Lecture [1899]) is that this is replicating the initiation ceremonies (baptism, confirmation, first communion) i.e. welcoming the church building as a member of the Christian community! The earliest ordos have the catechism with elements (e.g. the Creed) in both Latin and Greek.

John Briggs

Cate

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