VISITORS to York Minster can now see fragments of the medieval shrine of St William of York, in a latest exhibition and cinematic experience, “St William: Life and Legacy”, which opened last week and runs all year long.
It is 800 years because the canonisation of St William, twice Archbishop of York. A cousin of King Stephen and popular with the people, he was first made Archbishop in 1141, a controversial appointment challenged by Cistercian monks.
He was deposed, appealed to the Pope, was reinstated, and performed his first miracle, calling on God to save lots of the residents who had come out to greet him — so many who the Ouse Bridge collapsed. The hagiography has it that, as he made the sign of the cross, his prayers were answered.
Three weeks later, he fell violently unwell while celebrating mass, prophesied his own death, and died nine days later, on 8 June 1154. He was buried within the cathedral.
YORK MINSTERThe Latin inscription on this artefact within the exhibition reads: “Which fell on the pinnacle of Roger of Ripon”
Rumours spread that his enemies had poisoned him. His tomb became certainly one of several shrines, the unique remodelled into an intricately carved stone structure, which became a spot of pilgrimage. In 1541, when all shrines were ordered to be demolished, William’s is believed to have been dismantled and fragments of it to have been buried around the town, where most remain.
Many have been 3D-scanned using the newest technology. The digital reconstruction is the centrepiece of a latest film, shown on an enormous screen in a purpose-built cinema beneath the cathedral.
Their return is “hugely significant”, the cathedral’s research co-ordinator and exhibition curator, Dr Jennie England, said. “Although our methods could be unimaginable to the craftspeople who created this medieval masterpiece, our commitment to making sure that as many individuals as possible can connect with this holy and historic individual is way similar to theirs.”
