Cathedral shrines of medieval England

Rochester, NY : Boydell Press, 1998. 1st edition. Hardcover. Near fine cloth copy in a very good if slightly edge-nicked and dust-dulled dust-wrapper. Remains particularly well-preserved overall; tight, bright, clean and strong. J. S. copy. Physical description: 276 pages, illustrations; 24 cm. Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 243-264) and index. Contents: 1. The Origins of Shrines: Canonisation and Translation. The origins of a saint cult. Translations: theory and causes. Translations: preparation. Translations: the exhumation and translation ceremony -- 2. The Shrine as Object: Feretra and Shrine Bases. The feretrum. The shrine base. Feretory chapels. Head relics and empty tombs. Beams and reredoses as bases -- 3. The Architectural Setting. The position of the shrine. Shrines and Romanesque architectural plans. Shrines and post-Norman square-ended plans. The problem of shrine vistas -- 4. Pilgrims and the Shrine. The pilgrim in the city and cathedral. The pilgrim's devotions. The offering. Other activities. Pilgrim numbers and patterns. Royal, noble and ecclesiastical pilgrims -- 5. Cathedral and Shrine. The power of sanctity. Staff and organisation. The shrine as a source of revenue -- 6. Shrine Accounts and Offerings. Canterbury. Ely. Norwich. Lincoln. Hereford. Durham. Westminster. York. Worcester. Other cathedrals -- 7. The Offerings Examined. A model of shrine income. Underlying influences on the level of shrine offerings. The importance of offerings to cathedral finances. Subjects: Alban Saint; Cuthbert Saint, Bishop of Lindisfarne approximately 635-687; Dunstan Saint 909-988; Chad Saint, Bishop of Mercia -672; Hugh of Lincoln, Saint 1140-1200; William of York, Saint -1154; Church of England Cathedrals History; 600-1500; Saints Cult England History.