Veneration and renovation at a small Norfolk priory

Much remains obscure about the many small monasteries of late medieval England, and it is generally thought that they made little contribution to the religious life of the country. The large collection of accounts surviving from St. Leonard's priory, Norwich (a daughter house of the cathedral priory), however, presents an interesting picture of a priory sustained almost entirely by offerings to its image of St. Leonard. This cult continued to attract broad support throughout the later middle ages, with its income reaching a peak at over forty pounds per year in the mid fifteenth century. Almost the entirety of this windfall was set aside for a systematic renovation of the monastery, which can be chronicled in some detail. Although the cult was on the wane by 1500, the importance of the priory for the popular religion of the region emerges clearly

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Aside · Cult · Fifteenth · Literature · Middle Ages · Veneration · Classics · Historical and Religious Studies of Rome · History · Medieval Literature and History · Religious Tourism and Spaces

• The Foundation of Norwich Cathedral

  Open Access•Bill Dodwell•Transactions of the Royal…•1957

  Add to list