The tombs of St Edmund
After the exile of the English prelates Thomas Becket (1164-1166) and Stephen Langton (1206-1213), Pontigny welcomed the remains of another archbishop of Canterbury, Edmund of Abingdon, who died in 1240. The hundreds of miracles attributed to him immediately led to his canonisation in 1246. Since then, he has been venerated in Burgundy under the name of Saint Edmund (or Saint Edme) . Fragments of his stone tomb, with openings through which the relics could be touched, remain beneath the north gate of the sanctuary.
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The quotation
"Coming to Pontigny,
a famous refuge for the unfortunate,
Lijart, a girl born in Châtillon-sur-Seine,
obtained the saint's beneficent grace
after having been blind for four years.
A child, who usually guided
another blind man
led her to the doorway of the abbey,
where she kept knocked insistently
for eight days, but saw nothing.
Finally, she applied vinage
on her eyes and,
when she had recovered her sight,
she invited the crowd of people present
to praise God and give Him thanks".
Miracles of Saint Edmund (mid-13th century)
Miracles of Saint Edmund, Auxerre, Bibliothèque municipale, ms. 123, fol. 124 v°, no. 69, unpublished.
The picture
Pilgrims' staircase
Old postcard.
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Saint Edmund's body was then placed in a shrine made of gold and precious stones, which was intended to attract pilgrims and donations. Contrary to the Cistercians' principles of simplicity, but authorised by the Pope, the Pontigny monks' choice of such a reliquary led to the abbot's resignation.
Five centuries later, the body was raised above four angels in a Baroque monument built at the back of the sanctuary. A staircase provided access to the shrine, allowing the relics to be viewed through small windows.
Glossary
Thomas Becket (saint) :
Chancellor to Henry II of England, then Archbishop of Canterbury, who defended the privileges of the Church against the King, went into exile at Pontigny and, on his return, was murdered in his cathedral in 1170.
Étienne Langton :
English academic appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, who went into exile at Pontigny, then defended the English liberties recorded in 1215 in the Magna Carta against King John Landless († 1228).
Edmund (saint), or Edmund of Abingdon :
English scholar appointed Archbishop of Canterbury who, on a journey to Rome, died in France, near Provins, in 1240, and whose body was taken to Pontigny.
Canonisation :
The Pope makes official the title of "saint" awarded to a person.
Vinage :
wine poured over relics (here St Edmund's relics).
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