Saint’s relics to go display at cathedral
CUTHBERT’S WOOD COFFIN WILL FORM EXHIBITION CENTREPIECE
TREASURES associated with St Cuthbert are to go on permanent display at Durham Cathedral this summer.
The rare collection of Anglo Saxon artefacts, including the gold and garnet pectoral cross, the symbol of Durham Cathedral, will be the latest display in Open Treasure, the cathedral’s multimillion pound exhibition space supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).
The treasures, which include the conserved coffin of St Cuthbert, will be housed in the recently restored Great Kitchen, one of only two surviving monastic kitchens in England. The permanent display will open to the public on Saturday July 29 following a year of environmental monitoring.
Following Cuthbert’s death in 687, his remains were buried on Lindisfarne. When the coffin was opened 11 years later Cuthbert’s remains were found not to have decayed, with his clothes apparently still in pristine condition.
They became a focal point for veneration and pilgrimage, something which continues today.
Cuthbert’s remains, and the wooden coffin that held them, were protected and preserved by the monks of Lindisfarne through periods of great unrest, including the threat of Viking invasion which eventually forced them to leave their monastery.
Having settled for short periods in both Chester-le-Street and Ripon, in 995 Cuthbert’s remains found their way to a new home in Durham.
In 1093, following another forced exile during the Norman Conquest, the foundation stone for Durham Cathedral was laid, and in 1104 St Cuthbert’s relics were finally placed into their shrine within the cathedral.
St Cuthbert’s original Anglo-Saxon wooden coffin, made in 698 and recovered when his tomb was opened in 1827, form the centrepiece of the display.
Images of Christ, the Virgin, apostles and archangels are still visible on the well preserved oak fragments, making this one of the most important wooden artefacts to have survived since before the Norman Conquest.
The pectoral cross, portable altar, comb and vestments buried with Cuthbert, and which he may have used during his lifetime, will also be part of the exhibition.
The Dean of Durham, The Very Revd Andrew Tremlett, said: “Without St Cuthbert, Holy Island and the Northern Saints, you can’t truly understand the North East of England. “St Cuthbert continues to play a unique role in the region and in the life of the cathedral, with his shrine remaining an important place of pilgrimage and worship. “I am delighted to see Open Treasure enter a new phase as these treasures are once again made available to the public. I commend the hard work of our exhibitions staff in making this possible and extend our grateful thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund and all other funders who have contributed to this project. “I hope that these wonderful artefacts will be open to the public for many years to come. As a place of pilgrimage, it is my hope that the cathedral continues to offer a place of sanctuary and peace for those in need.” As the home of St Cuthbert’s Shrine, Durham Cathedral was not just a place of pilgrimage but also of sanctuary from the law. For centuries, those seeking sanctuary after committing a “great offence” could rap the sanctuary knocker on the cathedral door and receive 37 days of protection. The original 12th Century knocker, one of the most famous symbols of Durham Cathedral, will also go on permanent display. Durham Cathedral’s head of collections, Lisa di Tommaso said: “For the last year we have been working extremely hard to ensure that the Great Kitchen would be ready to safely house these incredible artefacts. I hope that this exhibition will delight visitors to the cathedral and Open Treasure for years to come.”