Medieval Saint Rediscovered in English Manuscript
Via Medievalists.net
Summary
A previously overlooked entry in a 15th-century manuscript has provided new evidence that Thurstan, Archbishop of York from 1114 to 1140, was venerated as a saint — contrary to the longstanding historical assumption that he was never canonized. The discovery was made by English Heritage historian Dr. Michael Carter in the archives at King's College Cambridge. The document, a service book from Pontefract Priory, lists a feast day for "Saint Thurstan, archbishop of York" on February 6th, written in red ink to denote its liturgical significance.
Thurstan was one of medieval England's most influential churchmen, known for his defense of York's ecclesiastical independence from Canterbury. The finding sheds new light on the fluid and often locally determined nature of sainthood in the medieval church, and may prompt a reassessment of Thurstan's place in English religious history.
