The Cathedrals of Great Britain: Their History and ArchitectureDitchfield, P. H. (Peter Hampson)
History
The Cathedrals of Great Britain: Their History and Architecture
Ditchfield, P. H. (Peter Hampson)
Cathedrals -- Great Britain; Church architecture -- Great Britain
university. It is known that the university chest during the
thirteenth century was deposited in a secret place within the Church
of St. Frideswide, and this, doubtless, was the spot. The _Choir_ is
of the same character as the nave. The piers are more massive, and the
style of the carving of the capitals differs. We are told that we have
distinct evidence here that this is part of Ethelred's church, that
the sculpture is Saxon, copied from Saxon MSS., that it has been worn
by weather which could only have been done during the ruinous
condition of the church prior to its Late Norman restoration. Possibly
this may be true, and the carving is certainly peculiar, but at
present we cannot quite agree to accept this view. The triforium is
Late Norman, and the roof is a fine example of fan-tracery begun in
the fifteenth century. Wolsey changed the appearance of the
clerestory, and introduced Perpendicular details.
[Illustration Oxford Cathedral (Herbert Railton)]
The _East End_ is modern, and is a fine conception of Sir G. Scott
based upon early models. The _Reredos_ is a fine modern work, and the
altar, lectern and throne are also new. Turning to the north we enter
the _North Choir Aisle_, where we stand upon debatable ground. Perhaps
we are in the Early Saxon church built for St. Frideswide, or the
later Saxon church of Ethelred. Authorities differ, and it is
impossible to decide. At any rate, there in the east wall are the
remains of the three Saxon arches which lead to the apses discovered
on the outside. And here, too, is the noted _Shrine of St.
Frideswide_, of which Mr. Ruskin said that every stone was worth its
weight in silver, if not in gold. It has been gradually collected from
odd corners of the precincts, as the shrine was destroyed by Henry
VIII. The carved foliage is very beautiful, and when this base of
the shrine was complete and crowned with the jewelled cover, beneath
which reposed the relics of the saints, it must have been very
imposing. There is a curious story in connection with these relics.
When the tomb was destroyed these were carefully preserved in secret
by "the faithful," and in the meantime the body of the wife of Peter
Martyr, a Protestant professor, was laid near the saint's shrine. As
this poor lady was an ex-nun, in the time of Mary and Cardinal Pole
her body was cast out into a cesspool, and the relics of the saint
restored to their place of honour. In Elizabeth's time the saint's
bones were again removed. The queen ordered the decent re-burial of
the remains of Peter Martyr's wife, and while this was being done the
sacred box containing the relics was produced, and "the married nun
and the virgin saint were buried together, and the dust of the two
still remains under the pavement beneath our feet inextricably
blended."[11] The exact spot is conjecturable, but a brass has been
placed where the mingled remains are supposed to lie.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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