Celebrating the Saints

Thomas Cantilupe was born in 1218 of a noble family. An intelligent boy, he studied at the universities of Paris and Oxford. He entered political service and became Lord High Chancellor under Edward I. In 1275 he became Bishop of Hereford and was renowned for his pastoral zeal and his administrative skill. But he was also feisty and this led to his downfall; in 1281 he entered into a dispute with the then Archbishop of Canterbury, John Pecham, over jurisdiction rights in the diocese. Cantilupe was excommunicated (a terrible punishment in medieval times). In 1282, he set out to plead his case with Pope Martin IV and from March till June travelled through the continent till he arrived near Orvieto, where the Pope’s Court was in residence. There, already unwell, Cantilupe died but not before he had been absolved of his excommunication. His bones were returned to Hereford and interred in the north transept of the cathedral. From 1287 onwards, many miracles occurred at his tomb. These were carefully recorded and, because of these and the persistence of successor as bishop (Richard Swinfield) Cantilupe was proclaimed a saint in October 1320. When the miracles and healings were enquired into and analysed by the commission in 1307, 470 were recorded - second only to the number recorded in the case of the other Thomas (Becket of Canterbury), for whom 665 miracles were recorded. Pilgrims came in large numbers to the tomb and, as a result of their offerings, the central tower was rebuilt and new procession aisles created. In 1320, the body of St Thomas was moved (or ‘translated’), in the presence of King Edward III, to a new shrine in the Lady Chapel at the east end of the cathedral. By 1550 the elaborate Lady Chapel shrine had been completely destroyed, however the former shrine in the North Transept survived, and remains one of the few shrine bases to be seen in the country today. The relics of the saint were scattered - some cared for by local Catholic families. The shrine base was restored in the mid 1990s and the current scheme is to refurbish and beautify the whole area as a focus of pilgrimage, healing and prayer. The project consists of several parts:
1	A new altar designed by Robert Kilgour and made by Stephen Florence - given by the Friends of Hereford Cathedral.
2	New candle stands for the prayer candles of pilgrims.
3	A new intercession board for the prayers of pilgrims. This, and the candle stands are given in memory of the late Lady Cotterell, founder chairman of Hereford Cathedral Perpetual Trust. Al had a strong faith and believed strongly in the power of prayer and so it is fitting that the words above the intercession board should be those of Tennyson from ‘In Memoriam’: ‘More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of’
4	Large hangings, 12 feet by 6 feet depicting, in 12 scenes, the main parts of the story of Thomas Cantilupe. The hangings will be in appliqué work and will employ brilliant colours and various textures. They are being made by Croft Design of Much Wenlock and are given by individuals and by individual Friends of Hereford Cathedral. Their names are woven into the fabric itself. The hangings will be placed either side of the shrine base.
5	A canopy to the shrine. This will give an impression of the medieval splendour of the shrine. In the apex of the canopy will be an icon by Peter Murphy which will depict ‘the saints of Hereford in heavenly glory’. The picture gives a glimpse of how magnificent it will be. In the centre is Mary (a patron saint of the cathedral) holding the Christ Child. On the left we see St. John the Baptist (patron saint of the parish of St John), pointing to the Christ Child. On the right, in a similar position is St Ethelbert, King and Martyr. On either side are two bishops - on the left is Thomas Cantilupe, with, at his side his wolf (latin - lupus). On the right is St Thomas of Canterbury - with whom Thomas Cantilupe is sometimes depicted in medieval iconography. Becket is traditionally depicted with the sword of martyrdom through his mitre. At the foot of the icon, two angels hold a representation of ‘Mappa Mundi’. One scholarly view is that Mappa Mundi, when completed in the late 13th century, was first displayed near the tomb of Thomas Cantilupe - the wonders of the world depicted on the map being seen alongside the ‘wonders’ of miracles performed at Cantilupe’s tomb. At the very top of the icon are words of Jesus Christ - ‘I am the Light of the World’.

The refurbished shrine is to be dedicated by the Bishop of Hereford on Saturday 8 November at 3.00 pm. All are welcome to the service. During the service, pupils from St Thomas Cantilupe School will perform a drama in which the scenes of Thomas’s life are depicted.