Treasures of a North East saint are star attraction at cathedral display
THE precious relics of St Cuthbert, one of the North East’s best-loved saints, have gone on display at Durham Cathedral.
Arranged in the cathedral’s medieval Great Kitchen, they are the star exhibits of the cathedral’s £10.9m Open Treasure attraction.
Like many a star, they were a bit late for the ball.
Open Treasure opened to the public in July last year but only now have these priceless Anglo Saxon relics taken up pride of place in a special display called The Treasures of St Cuthbert.
Seeing them unveiled publicly in the best of modern conditions, it was as if 1,000 years had vanished in a blink.
Here was St Cuthbert’s pectoral cross, the piece of Christian jewellery that he wore on his chest in the 7th Century, glittering as brightly as it must have done then. And here, as the exhibition centrepiece, were the remains of his oak coffin that was recovered when his tomb was opened in 1827.
It was restored in the 1980s and the pieces stuck to a base with glue that wouldn’t meet today’s conservation standards.
For at least the past six years it has been sealed in a box and hidden from public view.
It is described in the exhibition as one of the most important surviving wooden artefacts from the time before the Norman Conquest of 1066. The inscriptions on it are clear to see, the carved outlines of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and their symbols, the man, the lion, the ox and the eagle.
At this meeting place of Anglo Saxon art, early Christianity and ultra-modern technology, visitors can now stand before the coffin in its climate-controlled display case and watch as a computer-generated moving guide to its many points of interest hovers above it.
Dr Janina Ramirez, TV historian, author and Anglo Saxon expert, was up from Oxford, where she teaches art history, for this special occasion and to give a talk.
Well known for her infectious enthusiasm, she was in raptures.
“We have a horrible notion in the south of history stopping at the M25 but this is more important than most of the medieval finds in the south of England,” she said.
“In significance and importance these are the Tutankhamun’s treasures of the North East.
EXHIBIT IS A MEETING OF ANCIENT RELICS AND TECHNOLOGY
“I did my thesis at York University on the Anglo Saxons and my latest book is about the Anglo Saxon saints – and Cuthbert is the star of the show.
“I’ve been coming here for 20 years but when I first saw St Cuthbert’s coffin I wanted to cry. It was very high up and really badly lit.
“But now you can see everything so clearly and the fact it’s got two languages on it, Latin and the old Viking or Anglo Saxon runes.”
But even the coffin, in her view, was eclipsed by the bejewelled pectoral cross.
“It’s the most intimate piece and what it tells us is that Cuthbert was an Anglo Saxon warrior before he was a Christian bishop,” she said.
“He was one of the first converts and you can see how an older style of jewellery was adapted into this Christian cross.”
What you can see quite clearly is that the cross has at some point been broken and repaired.
This, we are told, happened during his lifetime.
The Dean of Durham, the Very Revd Andrew Tremlett, said: “The coffin is exquisite and beautifully displayed and very cleverly interpreted.
“The digital display is of a standing with anything you’ll see anywhere in the world.
“But there are two artefacts that really touch my heart.
“The first is the portable altar which Cuthbert carried around with him on his missions and journeys.
“This is about him going from community to community to worship with people. That is a very significant thing.
“Then there’s the pectoral cross which you’ll see all over Durham, this beautiful cross of St Cuthbert.
“But you can see the lower arm of the cross has been worn away and I have a vision of him fiddling with it as he dealt with the stresses and problems of his job. “It’s a very human touch.” The cross, the portable altar and the ivory comb, a rare surviving example of such an artefact and possibly made from elephant tusk, were found in the coffin.
Also on display are rare examples of Anglo Saxon embroidery, the medieval sword known as the Conyers Falchon – used, according to legend, by John Conyers to slay a beast called the ‘Sockburn Worm’ – and the sanctuary ring.
This impressive 12th-Century knocker will look familiar to those who enter the cathedral by the north door. In days gone by, people who had “committed a great offence” could use it to rap on the door and request 37 days’ sanctuary.
The knocker that hangs on the door now is a replica – but this fine specimen is the real thing.
The Dean of Durham said it was “very fitting that the final jewel in the crown of Open Treasure is centred on St Cuthbert in whose honour Durham Cathedral was built”.
Through this exhibition the saint is also contributing to the cathedral’s future financial security at a time when many are struggling.
“We have three quarters of a million visitors each year and we want to be able to welcome all of them,” said the Dean. “We encourage people to make a donation but visiting Open Treasure is another way they can contribute.”
Open Treasure, made possible with a £3.9m award from Heritage Lottery Fund, is a permanent attraction with tickets costing from £2.50 to £7.50.
Details from www.durhamcathedral.co.uk/open-treasure