The ongoing discussion on body parts and reliquaries has fascinated me. Can
any of the erudite historians who have responded help with a related, not
hagiographic, question? When the coffin of the French queen Isabelle of
Hainaut (d. 1190) was opened for the last time in the nineteenth century,
her bones were not in order and her head was missing. The coffin had
previously been opened in 1699 during work on the choir of Notre-Dame de Paris.
Did the missing head most likely result from of a French royal practice of
placing body parts in various churches, chapels or convents? Or, since she
is described as "religiosissima," and two of her grandchildren were sainted
(St. Louis and St. Isabelle) does a possibility exist that her head was
placed in a reliquary at some point, even though she was not formally
recognized as a saint? As an added problem, since Isabelle of Hainaut died
in childbirth contemporary canon law would have complicated arrangements for
her funeral and entombment had she not been of such exalted rank.
I have been unable to locate a copy in the U.S. of Charpentier's 1797 book
on Notre-Dame (Description historique et chronologique de l'e'glise
me'tropolitaine de Paris, etc.), which might answer some of these questions.
If anyone in the U.S. or Canada on the list has access to it, I would be
grateful to know its whereabouts.
Aline Hornaday
At 09:26 AM 8/31/99 -0500, you wrote:
>Margaret.
>
>Sorry to be so late.
>
>These references could be interresting for you:
>
>
>Shortell, Ellen M. "Dismembering Saint Quentin: Gothic Architecture and the
>Display of Relics", in Gesta, XXXVI/I, 1997, p. 32-47.
>
>from the same journal:
>
>Hahn, Cynthia, "The Voices of the Saints: Speaking Reliquaries", p. 20-29
>
>
>
>Héliot, Pierre and M.-L. Chastang. "Quêtes et voyages des reliques au
>profit des églises françaises su Moyen Âge", in Revue d'histoire
>ecclésiastique, t. LIX (1964), p. 787-822.
>
>
>Taralon, Jean. Les trésors des églises de France. Catalogue d'exposition,
>Musée des Arts décoratifs de Paris, 1965. Paris, Caisse Nationale des
>Monuments Historiques, 1965; translation / with many modifications:
>Treasures of the Churches of France. London, Thames and Hudson, 1966.
>
>Claire
>Claire Labrecque, m.a.
>Historienne de l'art médiéval
>Université Laval, Qc., Ca.
>Courriel: [log in to unmask]
>
>Adresse actuelle: 2202, 80 Plaza Drive, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Ca. R3T 5S2
>Telephone: (204) 453 8067
>
>
>
>
>Claire Labrecque, m.a.
>Historienne de l'art médiéval
>Université Laval, Qc., Ca.
>Courriel: [log in to unmask]
>
>Adresse actuelle: 2202, 80 Plaza Drive, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Ca. R3T 5S2
>Telephone: (204) 453 8067
>
>
>
>
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