Leprosy, Dropsy, a Head Injury, and a Shrine

In early 2020, one of the Thomas Becket stained glass “miracle windows” of Canterbury Cathedral, numbered nIII for its position on the north ambulatory aisle according to the Corpus Vitrearum numbering system, was removed for a British Museum exhibition. Close investigation of nIII’s glass led to a much-improved understanding of its original medieval content and how the window was restored by George Austin Jr. in 1857. This essay argues for new readings of seven problematic panels, including a famous panel showing Becket emerging from a shrine. All seven panels can now be securely linked to stories told by the miracle collector Benedict of Peterborough (d. 1193), which allows for a much better grasp of the narrative design of the window as a whole. All of the window’s stories were drawn from a specific section within Benedict’s collection and were meant to illustrate a distinct phase within Becket’s cult, namely, the period when the cult began to blossom well outside of Canterbury. Pilgrimage, the use of the Becket water relic, Becket’s ability to cure dangerous illnesses, and the spectacular recovery of a blinded and castrated man are the major themes of the window. When the glass was reinstalled in January 2024, panels within the window were rearranged—for the first time since 1857—so that they correspond with their narratives

Aisle · Cult · George (robot) · Miracle · Narrative · Period (music) · Section (typography) · Window (computing) · Historical and Religious Studies of Rome · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · Medieval Literature and History

• Gifts of Thomas Becket’s Clothing Made by the Monks of Canterbury Cathedral

  Rachel Koopmans•Journal of the British…•2020

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• The Parabolic Discourse Window and the Canterbury Roll

  Conrad Rudolph•Oxford Art Journal•2015

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