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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture St Mildburh: images of Much Wenlock Priory architecture: Much Wenlock Priory, intersecting arcading in Chapter House: https://www.flickr.com/photos/22274117@N08/2227958979 capitals on north wall in Chapter House: https://www.flickr.com/photos/22274117@N08/2227958967 Two apostles on cloister lavatory: https://www.flickr.com/photos/22274117@N08/2227958993 Christ calling St Peter on cloister lavatory https://www.flickr.com/photos/22274117@N08/2227958985 Gordon Plumb -----Original Message----- From: John Dillon <[log in to unmask]> To: MEDIEVAL-RELIGION <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Mon, 23 Feb 2015 17:49 Subject: Re: [M-R] FEAST - A Saint for the Day (Feb. 23): St. Mildburh (Milburg), abbess medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Mildburg (d. early 8th cent.). We know about M. (also Milburg, Milburga, Milburh) chiefly from the so-called _Kentish Royal Legend_ (_Þá hálgan_; between 725 and 974) and other Old English texts of the Mildrith Legend and from the perhaps authentic charters preserved in the "Testament of St Mildburg" preserved in her later eleventh-century Vita (BHL 5959) attributed to Goscelin of Saint-Bertin. A daughter of a sub-king of the Magonsæte in today's Shropshire and Herefordshire and of his queen, a member of the royal family of Kent, she was sister to St. Mildrith (Mildreda), abbess of Minster-in-Thanet. In the 670s or 680s she became abbess of the double monastery founded by her father at today's Much Wenlock in central Shropshire. The charters show Mildburg acquiring other estates for the monastery. St. Boniface's Epistle 10 (dated to 716), which recounts the visions of the Monk of Wenlock, calls the abbey there the _monasterium Milburge abbatiss(a)e_. This formulation has been taken to indicate that Mildburg was still alive at or close to the time of the letter's composition. When Mildburg's cult began is uncertain. She is already a saint in the _Kentish Royal Legend_ and her resting place at Wenlock is listed in the eleventh-century Old English resting-place list _Secgan be pam Godes sanctum pe on Engla lande terost reston_. The abbey at Wenlock was re-founded as a Cluniac priory in the later eleventh century. In 1101 remains believed to be Mildburg's were miraculously discovered in Wenlock's then ruinous church of the Holy Trinity (the predecessor of the present one), whence they were translated to the nearby priory church. Herewith some views of the priory's twelfth- and thirteenth-century architectural remains: http://tinyurl.com/borulb http://www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=3511 Much Wenlock sits at the northern end of Wenlock Edge, along with the Long Mynd one of the two lengthy elevations that dominate central Shropshire's extraordinarily attractive rural landscape. The Wikipedia article from which Matt cites the miracle of Mildburg's veil might have noted that the hanging of an article of apparel from a sunbeam is a hagiographic commonplace. A quick traipse -- using <sunbeam> as the only search term -- through the archives of this list shows it also reported for St. Alexander of Fiesole, St. Amatus / Ame of Sion, St. Bridget of Ireland, St. Goar, and St. Godehard / Gotthard of Hildesheim. Doubtless there are yet other instances. Best, John Dillon (matter from an older post lightly revised) On 02/23/15, Matt Heintzelman wrote: > > https://www.facebook.com/604882972899463/photos/a.624764970911263.1073741830.604882972899463/783022868418805/?type=1&theater > > > > “She is said to have had a mysterious power over birds; they would avoid damaging the local crops when she asked them to. She was also associated with miracles, such as the creation of a spring and the miraculous growth of barley. One story relates that one morning she overslept and woke to find the sun shining on her. Her veil slipped but instead of falling to the ground was suspended on a sunbeam until she collected it.” (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mildburh) > ********************************************************************** 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-religion ********************************************************************** 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-religion