Home and Away: How Britain and Europe showed devotion to Becket (Part 1)

When considering how architecture was presented in memory of Becket, there is more to consider than just the physical shape of the building; the interior and its decoration are also important – it can tell you when (approximately) and where in Europe it was made.


Again I’ll be starting with a small dose of Canterbury Cathedral history - Although the entire structure of the Cathedral was not designed completely in honour of Becket, when a fire ravaged the quire in 1174, the immediate restructuring work was based entirely around him. With Becket and his miracles came pilgrims and the builders of the Cathedral worked hard to provide for this sudden surge of popularity, even without finishing the job properly*.


In Sicily, Monreale Church is similar; it was designed in sole honour of Becket and although it does not use stained glass, it does feature a portrait of the Saint. The intentions of both of the Churches are quite simple; the buildings were there to pay homage to the Martyr and the art was there to represent him.
Monreale, Sicily:

This is the interior of the church; it is similar to Canterbury in that its images of Saints is behind the altar. It also features the high ceilings and columns found in Canterbury too. St Thomas is painted in the third row below the image of Christ (second in, right of the small window). The gold gilt detail is also found in the Cathedral, although not as expansively (see images 1 and 2 for further reference below).


The position of Becket in proportion to the position of Christ here is important; for an English saint to be so close to Christ in a country he had never visited suggests that Rome’s sadness of Becket’s death extended right throughout the immediate countries. In Canterbury, he is on the fourth line down, suggesting he is still important but not as important as some of the other saints.

This is the image of Becket close up; his robes are quite luxurious and the long white drape at the front with the crucifix shows his position as an Archbishop (the letters C A N T are to the right of him, showing where this position was held). The use of the colour green here is interesting, as Becket is enrobed in green in Canterbury too; this painting was done sometime after the glass was made and more interestingly, in the miracle windows, Becket’s healed victims wear green. I am not sure if this is intrinsically linked in Becket-based art as yet.


Paintings Vs Enamels and Stained Glass:
Although there are not many paintings left in England of Becket due to the Reformation, there are some ink drawings available for comparison; I will show those in a later post. For now, I’ll just briefly explain the different types of enamel used in stained glass across Europe and compare these to Canterbury. There are two kinds used; that for lining and that for colouring. Here is a small grid explaining those used for lining:

Type of Enamel:	Niello	Champlevé	Vitreous
Found in:	Northern Europe; common with Anglo Saxons.	Southern Europe; Common in the Roman Empire.	All of Europe and Britain – although used most commonly with the Champlevé method.
Made of:	A black mixture of copper, silver and lead sulphides. Niello is a metallic enamel and does not have the grey tint found in Canterbury.	Soft or sheet metals; more of a process. Vitreous Enamel would be poured into carved/casted patterns on the object.	Ground or broken glassed that was melted at over 450 deg. It fused and for a very short time, was in a pourable, liquid form. Often made in small quantities as large amounts would go to waste as it hardened quickly.
Used for (except SGW):	Relief images, Jewellery.	Jewellery, prints, and design on weapons.	All types of decoration, as colour could be added; weapons, belts, jewellery, prints etc.

The lining enamel used in Canterbury is closest in form to Niello; it was made of lead that was heated until liquified, this is what gives it its grey finish. Similarities are found (no doubt due to its creator*) in Canterbury and Chartres Cathedral in France. The windows are identical in hues and patterning; the windows in Canterbury are said to have come from France, so comparing them will gives some idea of how imagery was done in the Twelfth Century.

A window from Chartres Cathedral



A select piece from the Becket miracle windows.
Note in both how the tones of red and the alternating depth of the hues of blue are identical; the thick, dark and fairly basic outlines are too very similar. Considering form, both are circular towards the edge, suggesting this was a frequent style.


Next Time:
In my next post, I’ll be comparing different kinds of pilgrim souvenirs and chasses found throughout Europe, explaining how different kinds of coloured enamel were made and showing how to spot iconography that is relevant to Becket in Canterbury’s windows.


Reference Images and Footnotes:
* When walking up the steps towards Becket’s shrine, pilgrims would pass the miracle windows – these would read like stories to them, bearing in mind nearly all were illiterate. In order to build the steps (described to me by a guide as akin to walking up the steps to Heaven) they removed windows and quickly filled them with stone. You can see, as you walk up, the arches of the old windows, about 4 inches above the steps, starting from the lowest.
* Frenchman William of Sens designed and began the restoration of the Cathedral after the fire; the point that the windows are identical in style to those in France is no small coincidence and they were constructed at almost the same time (Chartres was constructed slightly later, and was finished around 1260). As the windows came from France, there is the possibility that they were made in the same area. France heavily felt the loss of Becket; he went into exile there and formed many great bonds with the French people, including the king, throughout his lifetime. King Louis II even sent a large ruby for his shrine.
1: 

High vaulted ceilings and columns.
2:

Gold gilding and detail.