![]() However, many other leaves have survived in the bindings of early-modern Unitarian and Jesuit books. from 1509-14 (Biblioteca Centrală Universitară, MS 1030), or a large choir books from St Michael’s parish church (Alba Iulia, Bibl. the Inventarium conventus Coloswariensis O. Only a few of these books are still extant - e.g. Digitizing and cataloging these fragments could help reconstitute some of the medieval collections of our region.įor instance, the Benedictine abbey of Cluj-Mănăștur, established in the mid-eleventh century, had a collection of manuscripts attested by an inventory drafted in 1427, and so did the Dominican convent of Cluj, and the parish church of St Michael. However, hitherto unfathomed amounts of fragmenta codicum have been preserved in the bindings of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century books and manuscripts. In addition, the five wounds were focal to Bromholm Priory's key devotional feasts-the Passion and the Exaltation of the Cross-when pilgrims came to venerate the Rood.Due to massive destructions in the modern age, very little has survived from the book collections of medieval Transylvania – the easternmost rampart of Western European civilization. Symbols representing the five wounds are depicted on Underwood's tomb in Norwich, despite not being commonly found in Norfolk's churches. A passionate supporter of the Roman Catholic church, Underwood became auxiliary bishop of Norfolk in 1505 then lost his position in 1535 so it's likely the roll was made between these dates.įurther connections between the roll, the Rood and Underwood can be made through the imagery of the five wounds Christ received during his crucifixion, according to the study. ![]() ![]() Turner has been able to estimate the document's age through a reference in the roll to 'John of Chalcedon' or John Underwood, the penultimate prior of Bromholm. Indeed, the historian reveals abrasion marks are visible on the Bromholm roll where the owner has engaged in such a 'devotional act identified in other similar rolls'. Worshippers regularly touched or kissed images of Jesus on the cross in an attempt, says Turner, "to experience Christ's Passion more directly and powerfully". The relic transformed the Priory into a popular pilgrimage site mentioned by Geoffrey Chaucer and in The Vision of Piers Plowman. ![]() The 'Rood of Bromholm', as it is known to historians, supposedly contained a fragment of the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. "It gives insight into the devotional rituals connected to a large crucifix ('Rood') at Bromholm Priory, in Norfolk, and uncovers a direct link between this 16 th century artifact and a famous religious relic once associated among Christians with miracles." "In particular," art historian, and study author, Gail Turner states, "the study demonstrates Christian devotion in medieval England. Now in private hands and previously unknown to experts, this meter-long roll provides fresh insights into Christian pilgrimage, and the cult of the Cross before Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries.Įxamination of the ancient roll's illustrations and text, including religious verse in Latin and English, are published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the British Archaeological Association.
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