At 19:00 23/05/99 -0500, you wrote:
>Two summers ago, after a week in Leeds, I visited Durham, staying there
>for a week. During the week I wanted to visit Finchale priory, where the
>famed university monk Uthred of Boldon had been prior, and to see what
>kind of location monks would choose for their vacation house. To my
>dismay, the site of the priory (with the exception of the actual
>buildings themselves) had been turned into a vacation spot for
>day-trippers and other people caravaning. Lots of people sunbathing,
>reading novels, etc. My chagrin turned to amusement when I realized how
>appropriate all the sunbathers were at Finchale priory; they were
>continuing the practices of their monastic forbears who found the site
>peaceful and relaxing, with the river running by.
And did you realise that some of those sunbathers were probably medievalists
relaxing after a hard day at the Corpus Christianorum? I myself have
stretched out the supple limbs on that hallowed turf.
Oriens.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|