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This episode is the first in our three-part series looking at encounters with the remains of St. Cuthbert, starting in this installment with a quick look at the discovery that his body had not decayed in 698, eleven years after his death, as recounted by the Venerable Bede, and then taking a longer look at the so-called “Anonymous Account” of the inspection of his body during his translation into Durham Cathedral in 1104.
This Episode’s Texts:
- Bede. The Life and Miracles of Saint Cudberct. Church Historians of England, edited and translated by Joseph Stevenson, vol. 1, part 2, Seeley’s, 1853, pp. 546-603. [Available on Google Books.]
- The Anonymous Account. Translated in James Raine’s St. Cuthbert, with an Account of the State in Which His Remains Were Found upon the Opening of His Tomb in Durham Cathedral, in the Year MDCCCXXVII. Geo. Andrews, 1828. [Available at Google Books.]
Other References:
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The Canterbury Tales Project: http://www.petermwrobinson.me.uk/canterburytalesproject.com/
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EXARC (Experimental Archaeology): http://exarc.net/
Image: Detail of the opening of Cuthbert’s tomb from British Library
Additional Show Notes [Coming soon!]
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The account of the opening of St Cuthberts tomb…well, it sounds pretty contrived. Almost Monty Python like. Everyone gasps, everyone steps back from the corpse aware of their sins, everyone cats themsevles upon their faces upon floor. I understand the florid Medieval style was required in Church documents, in an effort to sanctify the actions undertaken, but it also muddies the waters. I will be paying Cuthbert (and Bede) a visit in the next few months, and will not be able to help but wonder if it didn’t go something more like “We opened the box and shifted the shrivelled remains as quickly as possible. Some parts were missing. I washed my hands”.
Sorting the fact from the fluff, is what makes the period so mysterious, I suppose.
Indeed. You often get these accounts that give off a real “too good to be true” vibe. But then you do occasionally get ones that are surprisingly candid, but they still try to make the best of it. I’m blanking on a specific source, but I know I’ve read some relic inspections that went like “The skin of the saint had become dark brown and hard like wood… but other than that, he looked like he was just sleeping and hardly put out any smell!”