Judging from the opulence of his tomb, he was a revered Viking warrior destined to take his place in Valhalla among the honoured dead. Laid to rest in a 17ft boat with his sword, axe and bronze drinking horn, the powerful Norseman’s burial site has been discovered by archaeologists in a remote part of the…
Tag Archive: Religion
Giovanni Maria Vian: John Paul II’s Beatification Is “Historic”
In a signed editorial in this week’s English edition, Giovanni Maria Vian wrote that “one has to go back to the heart of the Middle Ages to find similar examples, but in contexts that are in no way comparable to Benedict XVI’s decision.” The director explained that no Pope has beatified his immediate predecessor in…
Everything You Think You Know About the Dark Ages is Wrong
What inspired you to write The Abacus and the Cross? I was introduced to The Scientist Pope through an act of grace. Writing my previous book, The Far Traveler, about an adventurous Viking woman, I found myself making an imaginary pilgrimage to Rome just after the year 1000. Wondering which pope (if any) Gudrid the…
Purification Through Pain: A Fresh Look at Torture in the Middle Ages
A German researcher has studied medieval criminal law and found that our image of the sadistic treatment of criminals in the Dark Ages is only partly true. Torture and gruesome executions were designed in part to ensure the salvation of the convicted person’s soul. Peter Nirsch would have been seen as a monster at any…
Edmonton police recover piece of Vladimir the Great’s skull
Vladimir the Great survived many bloody battles during the Middle Ages as he became the first Russian ruler to embrace Christianity. And since his death in 1015, Catholics have managed to retain possession of Saint Vladimir’s remains during wars, invasions, revolutions and disasters. But what is left of the patriarch of Eastern European Christianity almost…
Medieval mystic helps to discover God’s presence
Pope Benedict says the penitential path of Blessed Angela of Foligno, Italy, offers modern men and women a lesson on discovering the presence of God in their lives. The little-known woman experienced a conversion in the late 13th century. She used to look down on those who observed strict poverty in religious life, but she…
Pope Benedict XVI On St. Elizabeth of Hungary
Here is a translation of the address Pope Benedict XVI gave 20 October 2010 at the general audience in St. Peter’s Square. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today I would like to speak to you about one of the women of the Middle Ages who inspired great admiration: St. Elizabeth of Hungary, also…
‘Priceless’ medieval church artifacts stolen
National alerts were issued for several ‘priceless’ church artifacts stolen overnight on Sunday from Tidersrums church in southeastern Sweden’s Kisa. Among the missing items are an altar cross or crucifix, two candlesticks and three wooden sculptures from the 13th and 14th centuries. The sculptures, which newspaper Östgöta Correspondenten described as “priceless” on its website on…
Pope cites medieval mystic as model for discovering God’s presence
Pope Benedict XVI said the penitential path of a little-known medieval mystic offers modern men and women a lesson on discovering the presence of God in their lives. He made the remarks at his general audience Oct. 13 in St. Peter’s Square, where tens of thousands of pilgrims joined him on an unusually warm fall…
Flagler College to Feature Community Lecture On Women and Religion in Middle Ages
Flagler College’s Community Lecture Series continues on Oct. 12 with a program given by John D. Young, assistant professor in the Liberal Studies Department. Young’s talk will be, “Circumscribed by her Sex: Women and Religion in the High Middle Ages.” Young’s research interests lie in the cultural and religious history of the Middle Ages, with…
Khubiliai Khan’s riches travel to New York
When Marco Polo visited the court of Khubilai Khan in the 13th century, he was astounded by what he saw. It was a palace glittering with riches, presided over by the medieval emperor Khubilai, who ruled over an enormous kingdom that took in China and Mongolia. Later, English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge would dream about…
Restoration of medieval village church earns English Heritage Award
Restoration work to bring a troubled Lincolnshire church back to its former glory has won an award. English Heritage has announced the Church Of All Saints in Beckingham, near Lincoln, has won the regional Caring For Places Of Worship award. The 13th century grade I listed medieval church was closed in 1998 and almost made…
Holy Grail Discovered?
For 2,000 years the Holy Grail has been the most sought-after relic of the Christian world. Now one man believes he has traced the chalice used by Christ at the Last Supper to the heart of England. GRAHAM BALL speaks to the author EC Coleman about its journey through the hands of saints, kings and…
Village travels back to medieval times for fete
Villagers will celebrate the 900th anniversary of their church with a medieval fair and market. St Peter’s Church, in Mill Lane, Alvescot, West Oxfordshire, will be saluted at a birthday bash on Saturday. Villagers will wear 15th-century costumes to set the scene of medieval times. From noon to 4pm, the Medieval Free Company, a living…
Medieval monks had ‘dramatic’ impact
Depictions of the antichrist, hell and the “end times” were often the work of Irish monks, a Cork-based research project has found. Medieval monks translated early Christian texts from Greek and Latin and created a rich tapestry of illustrated works, embellished with a dramatic value unique to Ireland. Speaking ahead of a lecture Medieval Visions…
