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.
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I think that the French royal practice was to place the heart, intestines
and the rest of the body in three different churches: the heart was usually
returned in the departed's native village church, the intestines were
buried where the departed died and the body at Saint-Denis.
Other references:
Paravicini Bagliani, Agostino. "Enquête sur un rite médiéval: le
démembrement des corps", in L'Histoire, no 208, march 1997, p. 48-53.
Brown, Elizabeth A.R., "Philippe le Bel and the Remains of Saint Louis", in
Gazette des Beaux-Arts, 1980 (95-96), p. 175-182.
Carolus-Barré, Louis. "Saint Louis et la translation des corps saints", in
Études d'histoire du droit canonique dédiées à Gabriel Le Bras, 2 vols.
Paris, 1965.
... but Isabelle of Hainaut's head! Isn't it related to the French
Revolution?
It's easy to lost your head.
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
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