Signs of the sacred? Pilgrim badges and popular religion in England, 1340- 1450.
| dc.contributor.author | Martinka, Rebeka | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-04-29T02:09:43Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-04-29T02:09:43Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2020 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Pilgrim badges, or pilgrim signs, as contemporaries referred to them, were mass-produced, wearable objects made out of metal that depicted saints and their relics. They originated in the twelfth century and remained popular in England until the Reformation. The aim of this dissertation is to explore popular religion in England between 1340 and 1450 through a quantitative analysis of pilgrim badges, focusing on their ritualistic use and the way saints were represented on them. Pilgrim badges had many different functions in medieval society from being a symbol of the pilgrim’s identity to their amuletic usage for healing and protection. Although the scholarship focuses mostly on badges’ healing powers, it is necessary to consider their purpose from different perspectives and also acknowledge their role in private devotion and the commercial aspects of pilgrimage. A particularly important aspect of pilgrim signs was their ability to transmit holiness and provide miraculous cures for those who interacted with them. An examination of the water rituals connected to badges indicates that these objects blurred the boundaries between magical and religious healing. A quantitative analysis of iconographical trends on the badges of Thomas Becket and Mary of Walsingham can deepen the current understanding of the healing power of badges and their importance in pilgrimage rituals. Badges that were direct copies of other miraculous objects were thought to possess some of the power of the original. This dissertation demonstrates that the cult of saints was vital in making religion more accessible for the non-elites who were more concerned with the practical efficacy of rituals and objects than the theory behind them. 3 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10092/106982 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://doi.org/10.26021/15290 | |
| dc.language | English | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.rights | All Rights Reserved | |
| dc.rights.uri | https://canterbury.libguides.com/rights/theses | |
| dc.title | Signs of the sacred? Pilgrim badges and popular religion in England, 1340- 1450. | |
| dc.type | Theses / Dissertations | |
| thesis.degree.discipline | History | |
| thesis.degree.grantor | University of Canterbury | |
| thesis.degree.level | Bachelors with Honours | |
| thesis.degree.name | Bachelor of Arts (Hons) | |
| uc.college | Faculty of Arts |