A priest friend of mine refers to it as anointing the body.
Jaye
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: subscribe medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: unsubscribe medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/medieval-religionDear colleagues,
I have been looking at the early 13th-century window dedicated to St Apollinaris in Chartres Cathedral, which contains a scene of the saint, after his martyrdom, laid in his sarcophagus, with a priest and two deacons standing over him. One of the deacons holds a book; the other holds a processional cross and holy-water bucket, into which the priest is reaching with a long-handled implement with a sponge (?) on the end of it (does this have a name?), presumably in order to anoint the body. If the saint were still alive, this would be extreme unction, but is it still considered that after his death? Presumably, the processional cross makes reference to funeral rites, but I don't know these well enough to know whether funeral rites also entailed unction. Is anyone familiar enough with such matters to clarify this situation?
Many thanks,
Jim