The coffin of *Cuthbert (bishop and anchorite of Lindisfarne, ob. 687, S01955) is constructed of oak and decorated with images of the archangels, apostles, evangelists and *Mary (mother of Christ, S00033), whose names are inscribed in Latin (some with runic letters). Made for the saint's translation at Lindisfarne, 698.
E08343
Archaeological and architectural - Extant reliquaries and related fixtures
Archaeological and architectural - Internal cult fixtures (crypts, ciboria, etc.)
Images and objects - Sculpture/reliefs
Inscriptions - Inscribed objects
The coffin of Cuthbert, Durham Cathedral
See the inscriptions below with the facsimiles and photographs provided under the 'Images' tab
Lid
ᛗᚪᛏᚻᛖᚢᚴ ᛗᚪᚱᚳᚢᚴ
LVCAS ᚩᚻᚪᚾᚾᚴ
'*Matthew (the Apostle and Evangelist, S00293), *Mark (the Evangelist, S00293), *Luke (the Evangelist, S00442), *John (the Apostle and Evangelist, S00042).'
Wider end
[S]CS MICH[Æ]L [SCS G]ABR[I]ÆL
'Saint *Michael (the Archangel, S00181), Saint *Gabriel (the Archangel, S00192).'
Narrower end
[M]AR ᛁᚻᛋ ᛉᛈᛋ
'*Mary (mother of Christ, S00033), Jesus Christ.'
Side one
[...]NVS BAR[...] IA[co]BVS IOHANNIS ANDREAS PETRVS
[...] MATHEÆS [PHILIP]PVS THOMAS [IACOBVS] PA[VLVS]
'...nus(?), *Bartholemew (the Apostle, S00256), *James (the Apostle, probably the son of Zebedee, S00108), *John (the Apostle and Evangelist, S00042), *Andrew (the Apostle, S00288), *Peter (the Apostle, S00036) ... *Matthew (the Apostle and Evangelist, S00293), *Philip (the Apostle, S00109), *Thomas (the Apostle, S00199), *James (the Apostle, either the son of Alphaeus, S01801; or the 'brother of the Lord,' S00058), *Paul (the Apostle, S00008).'
Side two
[...]RAPHAEL SCS VRIA[EL] SCS [R]VᛗIA[EL] [...]
'... *Raphael (the Archangel, S00481), Saint *Ouriel (the Archangel, S00770), Saint *Rumiael (the Archangel, S030127) ...'
Text and translation: adapted from Dickins in Battiscombe et al., 1956, 305-6.
Burial site of a saint - sarcophagus/coffin
Burial site of a saint - tomb/grave
Use of ImagesCommissioning/producing an image
RelicsBodily relic - entire body
Transfer, translation and deposition of relics
Raising of relics
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesAngels
Cult Related ObjectsInscription
Source
Fragments of this oak coffin were discovered in 1827 in Cuthbert's crypt at Durham Cathedral (north-east Britain, c. 75 miles/120 km south of Lindisfarne), where the body is understood to have been buried since the 10th or 11th centuries. It lay inside two other receptacles. The outer layers were identified as belonging to the high-medieval and 16th-century shrines of the saint, while this innermost oak coffin is generally accepted as the casket into which the saint was interred following his translation to the main church at Lindisfarne in 698 (as recorded in chapter 14 of the Life of Cuthbert, probably commissioned to commemorate and publicise this event: E05871, E06030).The key work in reassembling and interpreting the fragments of the coffin was undertaken by Ernst Kitzinger in the 1930s, with the results published in Battiscombe et al., 1956. The reconstructed coffin is today on public display at Durham Cathedral.
Discussion
The coffin depicts on its lid Christ and the four Evangelists (in their customary form as winged symbols: man, lion, ox, eagle); on its wider end the Archangels Michael and Gabriel; on its narrower end Mary, seated with the child Jesus; on side one the twelve apostles; and on side two five archangels or angels. Many fragments are missing, but it seems that all these figures were accompanied by inscriptions of their names. Unusually - when compared to what else we know of early medieval Insular art - the decoration is entirely figurative, with no ornament or abstract forms. Some inscriptions are rendered in runes rather than Roman letters, although the reasons behind this are obscure.A unique survival of its kind, this coffin is also the only evidence in our database for the use of runes in the cult of saints, and (if the figure is correctly identified) the only appearance of the Archangel Rumiael/Rumihel.
Bibliography
Study, facsimiles and photographsC.F. Battiscombe et al., The Relics of Saint Cuthbert (Oxford, 1956).
Further reading
G. Bonner, D. Rollason, and C. Stancliffe, eds, St Cuthbert, His Cult and His Community to AD 1200 (Woodbridge, 1989).
Images
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Lid (Christ and Evangelists): from Battiscombe, et al., 1956.
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Side one (Apostles): from Battiscombe, et al., 1956.
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Side two (Archangels): from Battiscombe, et al., 1956.
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Ends (Archangels; Mary and Christ): from Battiscombe, et al., 1956.
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Photographs (fragments of lid and side one): from Battiscombe, et al., 1956.
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Photographs (other fragments): from Battiscombe, et al., 1956.
Benjamin Savill
13/09/2022
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00008 | Paul, the Apostle | Paulus | Certain | S00033 | Mary, Mother of Christ | Mar | Certain | S00036 | Peter, the Apostle | Petrus | Certain | S00042 | John, the Apostle and Evangelist | ᚩᚻᚪᚾᚾᚴ, Iohannis | Certain | S00058 | James, 'brother of the Lord' | Iacobus | Uncertain | S00108 | James, the Apostle, son of Zebedee | Iacobus | Certain | S00109 | Philip, the Apostle | Philippus | Certain | S00181 | Michael, the Archangel | Michæl | Certain | S00192 | Gabriel, the Archangel | Gabriæl | Certain | S00199 | Thomas, the Apostle | Thomas | Certain | S00256 | Bartholomew, the Apostle | Bar | Certain | S00288 | Andrew, the Apostle | Andreas | Certain | S00293 | Mark the Evangelist | ᛗᚪᚱᚳᚢᚴ | Certain | S00442 | Luke, the Evangelist | Lucas | Certain | S00481 | Raphael, the Archangel | Raphael | Certain | S00770 | Ouriel, the Archangel | Uriael | Certain | S00791 | Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist | ᛗᚪᛏᚻᛖᚢᚴ, Matheæs | Certain | S01801 | James, the Apostle, son of Alphaeus | Jacobus | Uncertain | S01955 | Cuthbert, bishop and anchorite of Lindisfarne, ob. 687 | Certain | S03027 | Rumiael/Rumihel, the Archangel | Ruᛗiael | Uncertain |
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Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Benjamin Savill, Cult of Saints, E08343 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E08343