In 15th century England, a woman named Lady Isabelle Herman locked herself in a room at All Saints Church near York. For 28 years she lived in religious seclusion as an anchor, praying and contemplating God from the confines of her closed cell.
Five hundred years later, the remains of what is believed to be the abbess, who was strangely buried in the dungeon of a dilapidated church, were found. The dating of the remains is closely related to the historical record, although experts are not entirely sure that this body belonged to Lady Herman, Science Alert reports.
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If the archaeologists are right, Lady Herman’s story helps uncover a medieval practice “rarely mentioned in the archaeological record.”
A life in solitary confinement may seem brutal from a modern perspective, but in past centuries many laity women voluntarily accepted a life of isolation to avoid the social and financial dependence of marriage or the powerlessness that comes with it. girls.
For some, seclusion, release from domestic bondage, forgiveness and autonomy were seen as benefits of being an unmarried girl.
“This chosen lifestyle would make him a pivotal figure in the local community and he would almost be seen as a living prophet,” says archaeologist Lauren McIntyre of the University of Sheffield and Oxford Archeology Limited.
Judging by the skeletal remains, a tragic illness marked the last years of Miss Herman’s life.
The woman was found to have septic arthritis or advanced venereal syphilis, a sexually transmitted bacterial infection that can cause rashes and sores that cover the body, as well as joint infections.
Later, the infection can spread to the brain and nervous system, causing confusion, memory loss, headaches, or blurred vision.
If the disease causes enough damage to a person’s internal organs, it can lead to death.
“This means [леди Герман] “He lived with severe, visible symptoms of an infection that affected his whole body, and later a neurological and psychiatric disorder,” says McIntyre.
Today, archaeologists can only guess how Lady Herman fell ill with such a tragic illness. Because syphilis can remain hidden for years, it is possible for a woman to become infected long before she chooses the path of piety.
McIntyre admits that severe illness is sometimes the cause of social rejection, but it can also be perceived positively – as a special sign from God that confers “martyr status” on a person.
One of the most interesting parts of the discovery was how Lady Herman’s body was found. Her burial at the altar of the church indicates that she was a woman of high status, but the position of her body was unusual for the time.
His skeleton was folded in a fetal position, his knees pressed to his chest, and his arms wrapped around his torso. Most likely, that’s how the woman died in her cell. At the time, a corpse spell prevented it from being placed directly on his back, which was common practice in medieval England.
Additionally, fetal position may be related to the woman’s arthritis or the cramped burial she is in. Despite not being buried in a coffin, 75 percent of Lady Herman’s skeleton remained intact when reopened.
There was ample evidence of infection in his bones, from his chest to his shoulders, arms, hands, pelvis, legs, and feet. Damage was detected in the left and right elbow, knee and ankle joints.
Historical documents about the Anchorite lifestyle explain how women like Herman once endured prison in solitude. First, the bishop or priest underwent a purification ceremony that included confession, sacrament, and communion.
Then the woman was taken to a closed cell, and those around her sang. She entered the cell alone and prayed, She. The bishop or priest who was there would bless him and put him in a cell.
It is not known how large her cell was, but records of the period show that the abbesses’ rooms often ranged from the size of an elevator cabin to a small 8-square-foot living room.
Analysis of the isotopes in the bones shows that the deceased regularly ate fish in accordance with the medieval religious fasting rules of that time.
Previously Focus He mentioned the skull of a woman in Italy with trepanation scars. This is one of the numerous testimonies of trepanation operations carried out in the early Middle Ages.
Source: Focus
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