medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Erik,
Point 1 is not entirely accurate. Matrimony became listed as a
sacrament at least by the 12th century. See this heading from Hugh of
St. Victor, De sacramentis:
TRACTATUS SEPTIMUS. DE SACRAMENTO CONJUGII.
The classic list of 7 sacraments took shape in that period.
Tom Izbicki
Erik Drigsdahl wrote:
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
> Dear Steve,
>
> Before the 16th century was a marriage a purely secular proceeding. *
> When a couple prepared a wedding did they need a barrister and not a priest.
>
> In "Medieval" times was Matrimony
> 1° Not a sacrament
> 2° Weddings never took place in church
>
> If so wanted could a newly wed couple turn up *outside* the church, and
> pay a priest to come outside and read a blessing and sprinkle them with holy water.
>
> Not so much different as the day when peasants could drag their cattle around a church to have them blessed (as I have seen it myself in Rome on St. Anthony's day, that is before the Vatican Council had finished its last session).
>
> Pictorial representations of such blessings are from around, or after 1500.
> A well known illustration of such a ceremony was made by Jean Pichore,
> and printed for the first time in 1509.
> [Tenschert: HORAE B.M.V., 2003, no.58, reproduced in C. Zöhl: Jean Pichore, 2004]
>
> The couple with family is standing outside the porch of a church, where a priest is giving his blessing.
> (Stricktly speaking is this is of course only representative for customs in France).
>
> Best regards
> Erik Drigsdahl
>
> * See an excellent brief account of wedding practise in Erwin Panofsky's "Early Netherlandish Painting" (1st ed. 1952) - it is the famous Arnolfini wedding painted by Jan van Eyck.
>
>
> At 18:17 +0000 26/08/09, Steve Higham wrote:
>
>> In his book on The Civilising Process (1994), Elias remarks that on their wedding night the medieval bride would be undressed by her maids and mounted "in the presence of witnesses if the marriage was to be valid" (1994:146). He was referring to Germany and it is not clear which class of medieval bride he is referring to.
>>
>> Was this common and does this crowded bedroom not undermine the role of the Church - or did the Church give its blessing?
>>
>
>
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