Cathedral Shrines of Medieval England

Almost all of the great medieval shrines disappeared at the Reformation, yet for several centuries they were the outward and visible sign of the spiritual benefits believed to flow from proximity to the saint's body, and an important witness to the spiritual life of the Middle Ages. They were the focal point of prayer and pilgrimage, but also a critical economic factor in the life of the church. Devoted to the cathedral shrines of the Middle Ages, this book draws on surviving cathedral records to describe their nature and development in England from around 1066 to 1540, showing how the shrine itself - the monument enclosing the saint's body - became more and more elaborate. The author discusses the connections between the chapel around the shrine - usually in the most sacred and important area of the church, behind the high altar - and changes in church architecture. Finally he looks at the cathedral clergy who built and managed the shrines, the pilgrims who visited them, and the fluctuating fortunes of the cathedrals which housed them.