Description
Book SynopsisThis study reconstructs twelfth-century sculptural and architectural finds, found during the restoration of the Perpendicular Great Cloister of Christ Church, Canterbury, as architectural screens constructed around 1173. It proposes that the screens provided monastic privacy and controlled pilgrimage to the Altar of the Sword's Point in the Martyrdom, the site of Archbishop Thomas Becket's murder in 1170.
Excavations in the 1990s discovered evidence of a twelfth-century tunnel leading to the Martyrdom under the crossing of the western transept. Construction would have required rebuilding the crossing stairs and the screens flanking the crossing. The roundels, portraying lions, devils, a 'pagan', Jews, and a personification of the synagogue, are reconstructed on the south side of the crossing as a screening wall framing the entrance to this tunnel. The quatrefoils with images of Old Testament prophets are reconstructed as a rood screen on the west side of the crossing. In the Martyrdom, a screen is proposed with perhaps the earliest known sculptural representation of Thomas Becket. The rood screen, located behind the Altar of the Holy Cross, would have provided a visual focus during Mass, monastic processions, and sermons, especially during Christmas and Holy Week. The row of prophets, pointing upwards at the Rood, would have functioned as the visual equivalent of the dialogue of the ‘Ordo prophetarum’ that predicted the Messiah as proof to Jews and other unbelievers of Christian redemption. The roundels, just around the corner on the south screening wall, can be interpreted as representing the unbelieving Other and forces of evil warning pilgrims to seek penance at the altar of the newly canonized St Thomas.
In addition to this new interpretation, a catalog raisonné and an account of the discovery of the finds offers material for future research that has been unavailable to previous studies. All the finds were photographed by the author as the restoration progressed;16 pieces of which have since been lost, making some of the unpublished photographs essential evidence of the archaeological record.
Trade ReviewThis book will be essential for any student of late 12th-century sculpture. * Medieval Archaeology *
The sculptural finds dramatically illustrate the seamless nature of European art and society in Romanesque times; a society joined, not separated, by the Channel. * Current Archaeology *
This book should stimulate new discussions on the topography of this extraordinary cult, by far the most famous in western Europe. * British Archaeology *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments List of illustrations Part I Screens and the Cult of St Thomas Introduction 1. Previous studies and the location of the finds The king reliefs Earlier scholarship Prior Chillenden’s constructions Conclusion 2. Dating of the sculpture and architectural fragments Carving techniques Figurative sculpture Foliage decoration Architectural motifs Regional impact Conclusion 3. Christ Church, Canterbury (1170–1175) Becket’s murder in the north arm of the transept Analysis of Gervase’s description Crossing of the western transept South arm of the transept North arm of the transept (the Martyrdom) Late twelfth-century alterations in the crossing Prior Odo (1168–1175) Pilgrimage (1171–1175) Conclusion 4. Reconstruction of the screens in the western transept The Martyrdom North–south partitioning screen and north screen East side of partitioning screen and north screen West side of partitioning screen Southern entrance to the tunnel Excavations South screen East side of the crossing Rood screen Conclusion 5. The quatrefoils: prophecy and the theology of redemption The gestures of the prophets The rood screen as a liturgical focus Prophetic testimony in images and texts Liturgical drama
Ysagoge in Theologiam Inscribed images of prophets and liturgical texts The Incarnation: Advent and Christmas Mass at the Altar of the Holy Cross The Passion: Holy Week Conclusion 6. The roundels: the Church’s Other Lions, demons, Jews and a pagan
Synagoga The unbeliever Canterbury’s Jewish community Conclusion Conclusion Plates, Reconstructions
Part II Twelfth-Century Finds from the Perpendicular Great Cloister Introduction to the catalogue Catalogue A. Statue segments B. Quatrefoils C. Roundels D. Shaft-rings E. Arch elements Hood-moulds and head-stops Beaded hood-moulds Voussoirs F. String-course and related elements G. Capitals and base H. Purbeck elements Comparative charts with dimensions of the limestone finds
Bibliography Index
