Yeah, we've all read about incorrupt corpses of various saints before, but
this article in The Atlantic is a good summary of the topic. I liked this detail:
Despite (or perhaps because of) the respect accorded to the saintly dead
by medieval Christians, they were rarely allowed to rest in peace. As
soon as a holy person died, his or her corpse would be scrutinized for
signs of sanctity by those who prepared it for burial. When Hugh, bishop
of Lincoln, died in 1200, his viscera were removed from his body, which
was taken a long distance for burial. Some among his household were
initially uncomfortable with this plan, but they warmed to it when the
episcopal bowels provided first proof of their owner’s holiness. As the
bishop’s chaplain Adam of Eynsham reported in his biography of Hugh, Magna Vita Sancti Hugonis, “no water or stool was found, and they were as clean and immaculate as if someone had carefully washed and wiped them.”
Certain cynics dismissed the results as the inevitable consequence of
the dysentery that plagued Hugh in his final days, but others claimed it
a miracle.
The reason the lack of decay was seen as significant is explained here:
The insistence on the lifelike qualities of these corpses comes from the
Christian tradition that “the saints are not called dead but sleeping,”
as St. Jerome once put it.
They were expected to possess lifelike qualities even in death. Pink
and white coloring, for example, was thought to be a sign of readiness
for the resurrection: Their intact, lifelike bodies would literally
stand and walk, just as Jesus had done.
But an obsession with sexual purity was apparently part of the interest in post mortem lack of normal decay, too:
The medieval mind also connected
bodily integrity with virginity. The condition of corpses was thought
to reflect individuals’ conduct during their lifetimes. Rapid decay was
indicative of sin, whereas miraculous preservation signified sexual
purity. This was especially true if a well-preserved corpse oozed
sweet-smelling balsam. White corpses, too, were strongly associated
with white lilies, a common symbol of virginity. Sexual purity was one
of the most important qualities for a would-be saint, but it was also
one of the hardest attributes to prove. The discovery of a perfect
corpse could provide evidence that few would dare to question.
1 comment:
bowelywood?
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