Immersive Researched Recreation of Spoken Moments In Daily Medieval Life
( A two year multipart large project fusing research and performance)
"The Chapter House" -A reading of extant words in an extant location
and
"In the Kitchen"- A detailed recreation of hearing a woman discuss a period recipe
Both works, write ups, blog posts, filmed classes and performances are all on this page. They are posted with the most recent work first.
What is this "immersive" work you did Agnes?
Well, about two years ago I was trying to think of a way to have my storytelling merge with my love of research. Of course, I could always study the history of a piece and its author but I wanted to add another level of work. It occurred to me while going on yet another “Virtual Trip” that it would be amazing to be able to know what my storytelling would have sounded and looked like in the time it was written or after.
Imagine hearing a Venetian read Machievelli aloud. What does the room look like? What would they be wearing? Where in a building are you and what do you feel, smell and notice?
There are living historians, performers and others who specialize in these recreated moments and pondered how I could create “enchanted ground”, “time travel”, “living history” of a sort. For me, I decided I would try to capture an everyday spoken word moment. I would study not only the text I would read, but the location, season, clothing worn and other details relating to one moment. In this way I could blend two aspects of my hobby together.
This seemed like a multipart project but I had no idea that each aspect of this short moment in time would be a project in of itself. What I discovered was that this project would be more like finding a set of nesting dolls. Every time I opened one level, a new one was presented. Finally, after much work, I reached the point where I could film my final product. Hours and hours and hours of research, blogging, proof of concept work and more to produce a few short minutes of video. Additionally, communication with museum staff, gaining permissions, speaking with others ( especially in the time of our current plague) takes a lot of time and persistence.
"The Chapter House"
Spoken Moment Research Project Two-
The natural progression of the Spoken Moment Project One was to look at it and find areas that could be improved. One was to actually be able to present a medieval piece in a medieval location. This led to in depth research of the Chapter House at The Worcester Art Museum, up to and including contacting the current owners of the remaining parts of the priory in France, virtually touring the area, finding our more about the Benedictines of that specific chapel and understanding what would have actually been read in the that room. In short, I was able to know to what extant words were said in an extant location. It was almost a window into a moment in time.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The natural progression of the Spoken Moment Project One was to look at it and find areas that could be improved. One was to actually be able to present a medieval piece in a medieval location. This led to in depth research of the Chapter House at The Worcester Art Museum, up to and including contacting the current owners of the remaining parts of the priory in France, virtually touring the area, finding our more about the Benedictines of that specific chapel and understanding what would have actually been read in the that room. In short, I was able to know to what extant words were said in an extant location. It was almost a window into a moment in time.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
And a Translation in modern english |
|
The full story of this project-
It’s the final write up….
(until the next Project)
RESEARCHING AND RECREATING A SPOKEN WORD MOMENT:
IN AN EXTANT SETTING WITH EXTANT WORDS
(A written explanation of what is covered in the longer video above)
Introduction-
About two years ago I was trying to think of a way to have my storytelling merge with my love of research. Of course, I could always study the history of a piece and its author but I wanted to add another level of work. It occurred to me while going on yet another “Virtual Trip” that it would be amazing to be able to know what my storytelling would have sounded and looked like in the time it was written or after.
Imagine hearing a Venetian read Machievelli aloud. What does the room look like? What would they be wearing? Where in a building are you and what do you feel, smell and notice?
There are living historians, performers and others who specialize in these recreated moments and pondered how I could create “enchanted ground”, “time travel”, “living history” of a sort. For me, I decided I would try to capture an everyday spoken word moment. I would study not only the text I would read, but the location, season, clothing worn and other details relating to one moment. In this way I could blend two aspects of my hobby together.
This seemed like a multipart project but I had no idea that each aspect of this short moment in time would be a project in of itself. What I discovered was that this project would be more like finding a set of nesting dolls. Every time I opened one level, a new one was presented. Finally, after much work, I reached the point where I could film my final product. Hours and hours and hours of research, blogging, proof of concept work and more to produce a few short minutes of video.
Beginnings-
Initially,I wanted to read a poem by Queen Marguerite of Navarre written in the year 1500 entitled , “Recipe for a Happy Life”. I pictured myself in a medieval gown standing by a stone wall or building. This was in 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and so finding a location to do this was my first hurdle.
Luckily, I live in an area that has many medieval style monuments, buildings, churches and miles and miles of stone walls. Some locations that readily came to mind were Poet’s Seat Tower in Greenfield, Massachusetts, Bancroft Tower in Worcester, Massachusetts and The Chapter House, in the Worcester Art Museum, also in Worcester. While the first two locations looked medieval and had copied elements of European medieval architecture they were built in the beginning of the twentieth century. The Chapter House is actually a room moved from a French Benedictine monastery in the 1920’s and reassembled as an amazing art exhibit within the museum. I had visited that room for over twenty years, first as a child, then a teen with free access to the museum one day a month, later as a college student, then mother, teacher and now researcher. It had always been a favorite exhibit. Sadly, it was hard to access due to the pandemic at the start of my work. So another location would be chosen for the 2021 proof of concept version of the project.
Proof of Concept (The first recorded work)
Before I started working I reexamined what it was I was doing. It became apparent to me that wearing a 16th century Venetian gown, while at a 20th century American creation of something “English medieval like” and reading a 14th French poem made no sense. At first glance it all “looks old” and could be read well. It would make a charming piece to view. However, despite the research used it would not be an accurate moment.
Creating a gown to match the poem was not an interest or option and the locations I had found were too modern or not available. What to do? How would I find a moment and piece to read? The answer was actually given to me by one of my sons.
Because schools were closed due to COVID my four boys had a lot of time at home. On one very long afternoon my son who was thirteen at the time came across a cookbook I owned that had actual medieval recipes written in middle and old english. He asked to make one of them. As we puzzled through the language together it hit me. This was a common and very real moment that would and could have occurred in England long ago.
I would read an extant recipe aloud. My kitchen was certainly not appropriate but I had recalled reading that in summer cooking had been done outdoors in many times and places. I looked at my backyard and wondered if it could be my spot?
One of the key elements was making sure that the plants in the background could be found in medieval England. After some botanical research I discovered the juniper was. So now I had my extant words and my plausible location with flora that existed at the same time as the recipe. To find my final and third piece, what to wear, I turned to looking at various Books of Hours to find images of daily life. It was from there I discovered I already had a linen gown and cap that would work.
The clip was filmed in my backyard using a wooden table as the foreground. My props included a hand carved wooden bowl and spoon I had purchased, ingredients for the recipe and a book with the recipe itself. I read and spoke about the recipe as though I were a woman about her daily tasks. It was shared online at a virtual arts challenge and I received positive feedback as well as some suggestions regarding body posture and other small details.
A Return to the Chapter House
As vaccines were discovered and the world moved through COVID, museums and other locations opened again with safety plans in place. One of my first places to go was the Worcester Art Museum. It was spacious and I felt if I timed it well I would see few other people. Masked, we went as a family to see a familiar place.
While in the Chapter House I recalled my project. I wondered aloud if I could recite something in such a beautiful, historical place. I realized that if I wanted to feel comfortable speaking louder than in a whisper, I would need to talk to the museum first.
I am not and have never been affiliated or representative of any museum or museum-like setting. I have been a patron my whole life of various museums. It seems to me that you should NEVER just show up at a museum and assume you can film, take pictures, sing or read out loud. Museums are amazing places where anyone is able to marvel at what humanity can and has created. They are a place to learn, ponder and preserve. They have the burden of preserving that which time naturally seeks to break down while still making it accessible when possible. In short, you are a guest and as such should ask permission to do even what seems like not much. Museums have guest services specifically for this and so I did the only logical next thing; I emailed them.
I explained in detail what I wanted to do, my project and what I wanted to wear. With specific conditions I was granted approval. This was an amazing moment. However, once permission was granted a bigger question loomed…what did I really know about this room?
Research time
For my next step in the journey, I contacted the library at the Worcester Art Museum and inquired if the curatorial file for the Chapter House had any more information about it than was posted in the exhibit. I was delighted to hear back and find that they did.
I read that the Chapter House was actually part of a larger Benedictine priory in La Bas-Nueil that was established in the 11th century. It was well known for its wine which for centuries was shipped to nobles all over Europe. It was desecrated during the French Revolution and the ruins still stand to this day. That is, they stand without the Chapter House. It was taken to Worcester in 1927 despite the pleas of the local people.
While this was fascinating I wanted to know more about the ruins now. Where exactly were they? What was a Chapter House and how had it fit in as part of a larger piece of history?
Using the information provided by WAM, I was able to locate La Bas Nueil in the province of Berrie, France. Via Google Earth I could take a 360 degree tour and walk the streets bordering the ruins. I found a house built into them and a Bed and Breakfast in what was the stable. I reached out to the B&B owners to see if they knew more about the property and they have since put me in touch with the caretaker of the ruins.
In the process of virtually exploring the rest of the Priory, I was also able to see a small sign and confirm where the Chapter House had once stood. This combined with other research told me that it had opened to a garden and the priory had bordered large fields and vineyards.
It was at this point I returned to the Chapter House, stood inside and thought about looking out at the landscape I was now familiar with. I had a better sense of place. Now, I wanted to understand what could have been said in this room.
What to say
Initially, when I stood in the Chapter House I was overcome with ideas for spoken bardic pieces. The acoustics were amazing and it was an extant location. Chaucer had seemed a good fit but then I quickly felt it wrong once I began to understand what the Chapter House was.
Should I use a Psalm or other such piece? No, that was not the right choice either. I did not wish to offend others or be religious.
Wait! The Chapter House was a room for business! Perhaps the business done here had been recorded and could be read. With that thought I was off in search of the words that had once been spoken in the Chapter House.
My first inclination was to look for records and I reached out to a friend who is French and has worked as a librarian both there and in the United States. She was able to help me find new resources and that some of the records are still in existence from 1518 to the 1700’s. However, they are in France and can be seen but not scanned.
Knowing that the records were kept I searched for other records of surrounding priories. I was able to find a record of one 150 miles to the south. It had been translated in the late 1800’s and a reprint was available in French and Latin. Up until this point I had been using my own knowledge of French, the translations of my friend, and google translate but this was going to require Latin. Which, while translatable for me, takes more time than French.
Even though I had the records of another nearby Abbey, they were not the words of the Chapter house and so I searched more. I started with learning about the Benedictine Order. It was then I realized that sections of the Rule of Saint Benedict dealt with such things as kitchen duty, dormitories and daily life.
Reading a passage describing how one should dress or eat or work was both absolutely accurate and not expressly religious. An even more exciting realization was that each day of the year had a specific reading. It was possible for me to in fact read the passage that had been spoken on a specific day in that room. Having the words to say and knowing more about the location I again had one final project within a project to complete and that was figuring out what to wear while not dressing in any way like a monk!
The venerable tee tunic
What should I wear to record the words? The robes of a Benedictine are very specific to their order and it would not be appropriate to even consider donning them for any reason. That was not an option. I did research on what they would have worn and undyed wool or linen seemed likely. Additionally, there were accounts of local people receiving worn out clothing from the monks. Further accounts and details were actually listed in the Rule of Saint Benedict as a chapter in and of itself.
A short tunic made of this fabric would be a good compromise. I could show my body from the waist up and wear a modern pair of leggings or jeans to avoid any confusion to a passerby. The final filmed product would then have me in a period garment (a top) while still respecting the others around me.
I purchased two yards of five ounce natural dyed brown linen that was sourced from Europe (specific country not known) and a skein of hand spun linen thread.
I crafted a simple tunic using a sewing machine for the unseen seams. The neck I hand sewed using handmade thread. I would have liked to have done this with a period needle to add to my experience. However, as this is not a sewing focused project but a part of another project, I allowed myself some leeway.
Once the tunic was finished I wanted to wash the linen again using an organic soap that used herbs from France. No one can smell a video but I would know this tiny detail.
Filming and the conclusion
After reconfirming my permission, the final filmed moment occurred on July 8,2022. The reading from the Rule of Saint Benedict for that day was not in the tone of my project so I chose the reading for July 10, Chapter 32. It was at that time I realized that in 1752 the calendar had changed from the Julian version to the Gregorian one. This would make my reading actually due to be read on the Julian Calendar’s July 4th.
Chapter 32 in the Rule of St. Benedict can be summed up as “ take care of things, put them away nicely and where they belong.” You can appreciate this concept even further if you have ever had a tool bench, or perhaps if you have tried to keep a home cleaned while offspring of all ages are home. Levity aside the text reads:
“1 The goods of the monastery, that is, its tools, clothing or anything else, should be entrusted to brothers whom the abbot appoints and in whose manner of life he has confidence.
2 He will, as he sees fit, issue to them the various articles to be cared for and collected after use.
3 The abbot will maintain a list of these, so that when the brothers succeed one another in their assigned tasks, he may be aware of what he hands out and what he receives back.
4 Whoever fails to keep the things belonging to the monastery clean or treats them carelessly should be reproved,
5 If he does not amend, let him be subjected to the discipline of the rule.”
When considering the time of year this would be read, the passage makes sense. Farm labor, daily labor and other activities would certainly have been ongoing for some time by this point in the summer.
Keeping this in mind, I dressed with my tunic as a top and went to the Chapter House. The recording was allowed as long as it was done on my iPhone with no sound or other equipment. I would find a well lit spot, say a few words in latin and quietly leave.
Such a brief, simple moment would be the finale of years of smaller projects, research, inquiries and interest. A lot goes into one moment.
For sources used in this project please either see my blog posts below or access them under the tab labeled “The Library”
I would like to thank the kind people at the Worcester Art Museum, my husband and friends and all of those who have supported me throughout this endeavor.
___________________________________________
(until the next Project)
RESEARCHING AND RECREATING A SPOKEN WORD MOMENT:
IN AN EXTANT SETTING WITH EXTANT WORDS
(A written explanation of what is covered in the longer video above)
Introduction-
About two years ago I was trying to think of a way to have my storytelling merge with my love of research. Of course, I could always study the history of a piece and its author but I wanted to add another level of work. It occurred to me while going on yet another “Virtual Trip” that it would be amazing to be able to know what my storytelling would have sounded and looked like in the time it was written or after.
Imagine hearing a Venetian read Machievelli aloud. What does the room look like? What would they be wearing? Where in a building are you and what do you feel, smell and notice?
There are living historians, performers and others who specialize in these recreated moments and pondered how I could create “enchanted ground”, “time travel”, “living history” of a sort. For me, I decided I would try to capture an everyday spoken word moment. I would study not only the text I would read, but the location, season, clothing worn and other details relating to one moment. In this way I could blend two aspects of my hobby together.
This seemed like a multipart project but I had no idea that each aspect of this short moment in time would be a project in of itself. What I discovered was that this project would be more like finding a set of nesting dolls. Every time I opened one level, a new one was presented. Finally, after much work, I reached the point where I could film my final product. Hours and hours and hours of research, blogging, proof of concept work and more to produce a few short minutes of video.
Beginnings-
Initially,I wanted to read a poem by Queen Marguerite of Navarre written in the year 1500 entitled , “Recipe for a Happy Life”. I pictured myself in a medieval gown standing by a stone wall or building. This was in 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and so finding a location to do this was my first hurdle.
Luckily, I live in an area that has many medieval style monuments, buildings, churches and miles and miles of stone walls. Some locations that readily came to mind were Poet’s Seat Tower in Greenfield, Massachusetts, Bancroft Tower in Worcester, Massachusetts and The Chapter House, in the Worcester Art Museum, also in Worcester. While the first two locations looked medieval and had copied elements of European medieval architecture they were built in the beginning of the twentieth century. The Chapter House is actually a room moved from a French Benedictine monastery in the 1920’s and reassembled as an amazing art exhibit within the museum. I had visited that room for over twenty years, first as a child, then a teen with free access to the museum one day a month, later as a college student, then mother, teacher and now researcher. It had always been a favorite exhibit. Sadly, it was hard to access due to the pandemic at the start of my work. So another location would be chosen for the 2021 proof of concept version of the project.
Proof of Concept (The first recorded work)
Before I started working I reexamined what it was I was doing. It became apparent to me that wearing a 16th century Venetian gown, while at a 20th century American creation of something “English medieval like” and reading a 14th French poem made no sense. At first glance it all “looks old” and could be read well. It would make a charming piece to view. However, despite the research used it would not be an accurate moment.
Creating a gown to match the poem was not an interest or option and the locations I had found were too modern or not available. What to do? How would I find a moment and piece to read? The answer was actually given to me by one of my sons.
Because schools were closed due to COVID my four boys had a lot of time at home. On one very long afternoon my son who was thirteen at the time came across a cookbook I owned that had actual medieval recipes written in middle and old english. He asked to make one of them. As we puzzled through the language together it hit me. This was a common and very real moment that would and could have occurred in England long ago.
I would read an extant recipe aloud. My kitchen was certainly not appropriate but I had recalled reading that in summer cooking had been done outdoors in many times and places. I looked at my backyard and wondered if it could be my spot?
One of the key elements was making sure that the plants in the background could be found in medieval England. After some botanical research I discovered the juniper was. So now I had my extant words and my plausible location with flora that existed at the same time as the recipe. To find my final and third piece, what to wear, I turned to looking at various Books of Hours to find images of daily life. It was from there I discovered I already had a linen gown and cap that would work.
The clip was filmed in my backyard using a wooden table as the foreground. My props included a hand carved wooden bowl and spoon I had purchased, ingredients for the recipe and a book with the recipe itself. I read and spoke about the recipe as though I were a woman about her daily tasks. It was shared online at a virtual arts challenge and I received positive feedback as well as some suggestions regarding body posture and other small details.
A Return to the Chapter House
As vaccines were discovered and the world moved through COVID, museums and other locations opened again with safety plans in place. One of my first places to go was the Worcester Art Museum. It was spacious and I felt if I timed it well I would see few other people. Masked, we went as a family to see a familiar place.
While in the Chapter House I recalled my project. I wondered aloud if I could recite something in such a beautiful, historical place. I realized that if I wanted to feel comfortable speaking louder than in a whisper, I would need to talk to the museum first.
I am not and have never been affiliated or representative of any museum or museum-like setting. I have been a patron my whole life of various museums. It seems to me that you should NEVER just show up at a museum and assume you can film, take pictures, sing or read out loud. Museums are amazing places where anyone is able to marvel at what humanity can and has created. They are a place to learn, ponder and preserve. They have the burden of preserving that which time naturally seeks to break down while still making it accessible when possible. In short, you are a guest and as such should ask permission to do even what seems like not much. Museums have guest services specifically for this and so I did the only logical next thing; I emailed them.
I explained in detail what I wanted to do, my project and what I wanted to wear. With specific conditions I was granted approval. This was an amazing moment. However, once permission was granted a bigger question loomed…what did I really know about this room?
Research time
For my next step in the journey, I contacted the library at the Worcester Art Museum and inquired if the curatorial file for the Chapter House had any more information about it than was posted in the exhibit. I was delighted to hear back and find that they did.
I read that the Chapter House was actually part of a larger Benedictine priory in La Bas-Nueil that was established in the 11th century. It was well known for its wine which for centuries was shipped to nobles all over Europe. It was desecrated during the French Revolution and the ruins still stand to this day. That is, they stand without the Chapter House. It was taken to Worcester in 1927 despite the pleas of the local people.
While this was fascinating I wanted to know more about the ruins now. Where exactly were they? What was a Chapter House and how had it fit in as part of a larger piece of history?
Using the information provided by WAM, I was able to locate La Bas Nueil in the province of Berrie, France. Via Google Earth I could take a 360 degree tour and walk the streets bordering the ruins. I found a house built into them and a Bed and Breakfast in what was the stable. I reached out to the B&B owners to see if they knew more about the property and they have since put me in touch with the caretaker of the ruins.
In the process of virtually exploring the rest of the Priory, I was also able to see a small sign and confirm where the Chapter House had once stood. This combined with other research told me that it had opened to a garden and the priory had bordered large fields and vineyards.
It was at this point I returned to the Chapter House, stood inside and thought about looking out at the landscape I was now familiar with. I had a better sense of place. Now, I wanted to understand what could have been said in this room.
What to say
Initially, when I stood in the Chapter House I was overcome with ideas for spoken bardic pieces. The acoustics were amazing and it was an extant location. Chaucer had seemed a good fit but then I quickly felt it wrong once I began to understand what the Chapter House was.
Should I use a Psalm or other such piece? No, that was not the right choice either. I did not wish to offend others or be religious.
Wait! The Chapter House was a room for business! Perhaps the business done here had been recorded and could be read. With that thought I was off in search of the words that had once been spoken in the Chapter House.
My first inclination was to look for records and I reached out to a friend who is French and has worked as a librarian both there and in the United States. She was able to help me find new resources and that some of the records are still in existence from 1518 to the 1700’s. However, they are in France and can be seen but not scanned.
Knowing that the records were kept I searched for other records of surrounding priories. I was able to find a record of one 150 miles to the south. It had been translated in the late 1800’s and a reprint was available in French and Latin. Up until this point I had been using my own knowledge of French, the translations of my friend, and google translate but this was going to require Latin. Which, while translatable for me, takes more time than French.
Even though I had the records of another nearby Abbey, they were not the words of the Chapter house and so I searched more. I started with learning about the Benedictine Order. It was then I realized that sections of the Rule of Saint Benedict dealt with such things as kitchen duty, dormitories and daily life.
Reading a passage describing how one should dress or eat or work was both absolutely accurate and not expressly religious. An even more exciting realization was that each day of the year had a specific reading. It was possible for me to in fact read the passage that had been spoken on a specific day in that room. Having the words to say and knowing more about the location I again had one final project within a project to complete and that was figuring out what to wear while not dressing in any way like a monk!
The venerable tee tunic
What should I wear to record the words? The robes of a Benedictine are very specific to their order and it would not be appropriate to even consider donning them for any reason. That was not an option. I did research on what they would have worn and undyed wool or linen seemed likely. Additionally, there were accounts of local people receiving worn out clothing from the monks. Further accounts and details were actually listed in the Rule of Saint Benedict as a chapter in and of itself.
A short tunic made of this fabric would be a good compromise. I could show my body from the waist up and wear a modern pair of leggings or jeans to avoid any confusion to a passerby. The final filmed product would then have me in a period garment (a top) while still respecting the others around me.
I purchased two yards of five ounce natural dyed brown linen that was sourced from Europe (specific country not known) and a skein of hand spun linen thread.
I crafted a simple tunic using a sewing machine for the unseen seams. The neck I hand sewed using handmade thread. I would have liked to have done this with a period needle to add to my experience. However, as this is not a sewing focused project but a part of another project, I allowed myself some leeway.
Once the tunic was finished I wanted to wash the linen again using an organic soap that used herbs from France. No one can smell a video but I would know this tiny detail.
Filming and the conclusion
After reconfirming my permission, the final filmed moment occurred on July 8,2022. The reading from the Rule of Saint Benedict for that day was not in the tone of my project so I chose the reading for July 10, Chapter 32. It was at that time I realized that in 1752 the calendar had changed from the Julian version to the Gregorian one. This would make my reading actually due to be read on the Julian Calendar’s July 4th.
Chapter 32 in the Rule of St. Benedict can be summed up as “ take care of things, put them away nicely and where they belong.” You can appreciate this concept even further if you have ever had a tool bench, or perhaps if you have tried to keep a home cleaned while offspring of all ages are home. Levity aside the text reads:
“1 The goods of the monastery, that is, its tools, clothing or anything else, should be entrusted to brothers whom the abbot appoints and in whose manner of life he has confidence.
2 He will, as he sees fit, issue to them the various articles to be cared for and collected after use.
3 The abbot will maintain a list of these, so that when the brothers succeed one another in their assigned tasks, he may be aware of what he hands out and what he receives back.
4 Whoever fails to keep the things belonging to the monastery clean or treats them carelessly should be reproved,
5 If he does not amend, let him be subjected to the discipline of the rule.”
When considering the time of year this would be read, the passage makes sense. Farm labor, daily labor and other activities would certainly have been ongoing for some time by this point in the summer.
Keeping this in mind, I dressed with my tunic as a top and went to the Chapter House. The recording was allowed as long as it was done on my iPhone with no sound or other equipment. I would find a well lit spot, say a few words in latin and quietly leave.
Such a brief, simple moment would be the finale of years of smaller projects, research, inquiries and interest. A lot goes into one moment.
For sources used in this project please either see my blog posts below or access them under the tab labeled “The Library”
I would like to thank the kind people at the Worcester Art Museum, my husband and friends and all of those who have supported me throughout this endeavor.
___________________________________________
BLOG POSTS AND THE PROCESS OF CREATING THIS PROJECT
July 2022
Permission in all things.
ALWAYS.
The pieces were ready but there was one more thing to do. Make sure I still had permission to read aloud in the Museum. Over a year had passed since I first inquired with Guest Services. I wanted to make sure this was still an option. I politely emailed and renewed my request and was VERY clear what I wanted to do and say. They did respond with a concern that this was a commercial endeavor or for professional gain. They also repeated that the Chapter House could not would not be a private filming session.
The concern was quickly explained away as I gave more details about my hobby and general love of research for the sake of research. I also expanded that the museum is a public place for all and I in no way was asking for any special treatment. However, it did give me pause and lead to some growth on my blog. I realized I needed to explain my work to those not in my hobby. In doing so , be useful and more accessible to a wider base.
There is another important permission related topic to address here.
(Disclaimer- I am not and have never been affiliated or representative of any museum or museum like setting. I have been a patron my whole life of various museums and my suggestions and in fact all content is mine for my own joy of sharing my experiences. That said here is some common sense)
You should NEVER just show up at a museum and assume you can film, take pictures, sing or read out loud. Museums are amazing places where anyone is able to marvel at what humanity can and has created. They are a place to learn, ponder and preserve. They have the burden of preserving that which time naturally seeks to break down while still making it accessible when possible. In short, you are a guest and as such should ask permission to do even what seems like not much. Museums have guest services specifically for this as well as other purposes.
I suggest starting first with reviewing the rules and regulations of the museum and the area you are interested in.
The rules are the rules. PERIOD. Do not ask to do what is already prohibited. The rules are set to ensure that long after we are gone others may be able to partake of the wonder that can be found there.
If what you want to do…for example read a passage in Latin… is in no way any threat to the art, and minimally if not ,not at all disruptive to daily operations then I suggest emailing them.
The worst that could happen is they say no.
And if they say no, remember to respect the decision and thank them for their time.
ALWAYS.
The pieces were ready but there was one more thing to do. Make sure I still had permission to read aloud in the Museum. Over a year had passed since I first inquired with Guest Services. I wanted to make sure this was still an option. I politely emailed and renewed my request and was VERY clear what I wanted to do and say. They did respond with a concern that this was a commercial endeavor or for professional gain. They also repeated that the Chapter House could not would not be a private filming session.
The concern was quickly explained away as I gave more details about my hobby and general love of research for the sake of research. I also expanded that the museum is a public place for all and I in no way was asking for any special treatment. However, it did give me pause and lead to some growth on my blog. I realized I needed to explain my work to those not in my hobby. In doing so , be useful and more accessible to a wider base.
There is another important permission related topic to address here.
(Disclaimer- I am not and have never been affiliated or representative of any museum or museum like setting. I have been a patron my whole life of various museums and my suggestions and in fact all content is mine for my own joy of sharing my experiences. That said here is some common sense)
You should NEVER just show up at a museum and assume you can film, take pictures, sing or read out loud. Museums are amazing places where anyone is able to marvel at what humanity can and has created. They are a place to learn, ponder and preserve. They have the burden of preserving that which time naturally seeks to break down while still making it accessible when possible. In short, you are a guest and as such should ask permission to do even what seems like not much. Museums have guest services specifically for this as well as other purposes.
I suggest starting first with reviewing the rules and regulations of the museum and the area you are interested in.
The rules are the rules. PERIOD. Do not ask to do what is already prohibited. The rules are set to ensure that long after we are gone others may be able to partake of the wonder that can be found there.
If what you want to do…for example read a passage in Latin… is in no way any threat to the art, and minimally if not ,not at all disruptive to daily operations then I suggest emailing them.
The worst that could happen is they say no.
And if they say no, remember to respect the decision and thank them for their time.
So, I Went to the Mall.
Finding the appropriate top for filming and addressing issues of being mindful of those around me and viewing.
Recreating a moment has many parts. One of these is wearing the appropriate clothing. You don’t read a poem from the 15th century wearing clothing from the 10th. For this project I had a unique quandary. To make and wear Benedictine robes would not be appropriate for several reasons, one being that is not my vocation. Another is that a museum is a public place and not a place where costuming should be worn.
How do I keep in the theming of my work but prevent offense, distraction or other possible negative outcomes?
The answer was at the mall.
No really.
While at the mall I saw a display with what looked like a simple knee length linen tee tunic worn with capri pants.
Simple linen tunic.
Undyed linen.
My filming would likely only show me from the waist up and so I had an idea.
I purchased two yards of five ounce natural dyed brown linen that was sourced from Europe ( country not known) . I already had a skein of hand spun linen thread.
I crafted a simple tunic using a sewing machine for the unseen seams. The neck I hand sewed using handmade thread. I would have like to have done this with a period needle to add to my experience. However, as this is not a sewing focused project but a part of another project I allowed myself some leeway.
Once the tunic was finished I wanted to wash the linen again using an organic soap the used herbs. No one can smell your video but I would know.
I could then wear this with my own jeans and have a period top that was simple in color, style and creation.
In this way, I could find a balance between my project and be mindful of not only others but the location itself.
Finding the appropriate top for filming and addressing issues of being mindful of those around me and viewing.
Recreating a moment has many parts. One of these is wearing the appropriate clothing. You don’t read a poem from the 15th century wearing clothing from the 10th. For this project I had a unique quandary. To make and wear Benedictine robes would not be appropriate for several reasons, one being that is not my vocation. Another is that a museum is a public place and not a place where costuming should be worn.
How do I keep in the theming of my work but prevent offense, distraction or other possible negative outcomes?
The answer was at the mall.
No really.
While at the mall I saw a display with what looked like a simple knee length linen tee tunic worn with capri pants.
Simple linen tunic.
Undyed linen.
My filming would likely only show me from the waist up and so I had an idea.
I purchased two yards of five ounce natural dyed brown linen that was sourced from Europe ( country not known) . I already had a skein of hand spun linen thread.
I crafted a simple tunic using a sewing machine for the unseen seams. The neck I hand sewed using handmade thread. I would have like to have done this with a period needle to add to my experience. However, as this is not a sewing focused project but a part of another project I allowed myself some leeway.
Once the tunic was finished I wanted to wash the linen again using an organic soap the used herbs. No one can smell your video but I would know.
I could then wear this with my own jeans and have a period top that was simple in color, style and creation.
In this way, I could find a balance between my project and be mindful of not only others but the location itself.
What can I say?
Final words found.
The Chapter House of Benedictine Monasteries was so named because prior to or at the close of daily business a chapter from the Rule of St. Benedict was read. These readings varied in content but overwhelmingly dealt with aspects of daily life such as kitchen duty, clothing making and maintenance of tools and goods. They were a guidebook to ensure the monastery ran smoothly day to day, decade to decade, century to century.
In hopes to provide a more authentic presentation, I looked for a 17th century or earlier copy of the Rule ( originally written in 516). I used The Rule of Our Most Holy Father St. Benedict, Patriarch of Monks, from the Old English Edition of 1638. Edited in Latin and English. (London: Washbourne, 1875). This was a translation of the 1638 text that was easy to physically read and images of it from http://www.saintsbooks.net/books/St.%20Benedict%20-%20The%20Rule%20of%20-%20Latin%20and%20English%20Edition.pdf can be found after this entry. For future side projects I may look into older surviving manuscripts.
In the multipart research and performance piece of re-creating a moment in an extant location with extant words one of the most challenging parts was the selection of words. Recently I was able to revisit this and solve some personal quandaries. I did not in any way want to be reciting religious prayers or material, yet here was a part of a monastery. Further research led to understanding that many “ day to day” things were said and done here. And so I looked and found perhaps one of the most common and resounding passages.
Chapter 32 in the Rule of St. Benedict can be summed up as “ take care of things, put them away nicely and where they belong.”. If you have ever had a tool bench you can appreciate this even further or perhaps if you have tried to keep a home cleaned while offspring of all ages are home. Levity aside the text reads:
“1 The goods of the monastery, that is, its tools, clothing or anything else, should be entrusted to brothers whom the abbot appoints and in whose manner of life he has confidence.
2 He will, as he sees fit, issue to them the various articles to be cared for and collected after use.
3 The abbot will maintain a list of these, so that when the brothers succeed one another in their assigned tasks, he may be aware of what he hands out and what he receives back.
4 Whoever fails to keep the things belonging to the monastery clean or treats them carelessly should be reproved,
5 If he does not amend, let him be subjected to the discipline of the rule.”
After reading the passage I practiced Latin and scribed into a simply bound leather book. The book is a later addition to the project and will likely be “off screen”. Although traditionally I memorize work, for this I decided it should be read from a book because that is how it would have been done in period.
Final words found.
The Chapter House of Benedictine Monasteries was so named because prior to or at the close of daily business a chapter from the Rule of St. Benedict was read. These readings varied in content but overwhelmingly dealt with aspects of daily life such as kitchen duty, clothing making and maintenance of tools and goods. They were a guidebook to ensure the monastery ran smoothly day to day, decade to decade, century to century.
In hopes to provide a more authentic presentation, I looked for a 17th century or earlier copy of the Rule ( originally written in 516). I used The Rule of Our Most Holy Father St. Benedict, Patriarch of Monks, from the Old English Edition of 1638. Edited in Latin and English. (London: Washbourne, 1875). This was a translation of the 1638 text that was easy to physically read and images of it from http://www.saintsbooks.net/books/St.%20Benedict%20-%20The%20Rule%20of%20-%20Latin%20and%20English%20Edition.pdf can be found after this entry. For future side projects I may look into older surviving manuscripts.
In the multipart research and performance piece of re-creating a moment in an extant location with extant words one of the most challenging parts was the selection of words. Recently I was able to revisit this and solve some personal quandaries. I did not in any way want to be reciting religious prayers or material, yet here was a part of a monastery. Further research led to understanding that many “ day to day” things were said and done here. And so I looked and found perhaps one of the most common and resounding passages.
Chapter 32 in the Rule of St. Benedict can be summed up as “ take care of things, put them away nicely and where they belong.”. If you have ever had a tool bench you can appreciate this even further or perhaps if you have tried to keep a home cleaned while offspring of all ages are home. Levity aside the text reads:
“1 The goods of the monastery, that is, its tools, clothing or anything else, should be entrusted to brothers whom the abbot appoints and in whose manner of life he has confidence.
2 He will, as he sees fit, issue to them the various articles to be cared for and collected after use.
3 The abbot will maintain a list of these, so that when the brothers succeed one another in their assigned tasks, he may be aware of what he hands out and what he receives back.
4 Whoever fails to keep the things belonging to the monastery clean or treats them carelessly should be reproved,
5 If he does not amend, let him be subjected to the discipline of the rule.”
After reading the passage I practiced Latin and scribed into a simply bound leather book. The book is a later addition to the project and will likely be “off screen”. Although traditionally I memorize work, for this I decided it should be read from a book because that is how it would have been done in period.
June 2022
Inspiration & Site - The Heart of the Project
The Stolen Room
When I was twelve, we moved to the city of Worcester, Massachusetts. Shortly after this, my mother discovered that students and residents could go one day a month to many of the local museums for free. A wonderful world suddenly opened and I had two favorites, the Higgins Armory Museum and the Worcester Art Museum. In the Worcester Art Museum (WAM) there was (and is) a room called “The Chapter House” and every time I stepped inside I felt as though the past were just a breath away. That feeling has never stopped in the past 30 years. However, recently the room has shown me a bit more.
Two years ago I walked into the Chapter House on a Sunday and it occurred to me that I had an extant place to recite an extant piece if I could get permission. The thought filled me with excitement for this chance to fuse my passion for research with my love of bardic arts and public speaking. After a carefully worded email I was granted the permission to do so, provided I let them know ahead of time, have no recording equipment other than my phone and follow all WAM rules.
I was excited and giddy at the thought. But then I had more thoughts…What was said in this room? Who had said it? Was it prayer or scripture? I realized that I didn’t understand the room as well as I wanted to despite being a lifelong visitor. So, I began to research.
The Chapter House was actually part of a larger Benedictine priory in La Bas- Nueil that was established in the 11th century. It was well known for its wine and shipped it for centuries to nobles all over Europe. It was desecrated during the French Revolution and the ruins still stand to this day. That is, they stand without the Chapter House. It was taken to Worcester in 1927 despite the pleas of the local people.
While this was fascinating I wanted to know more, so I emailed the librarian at the WAM and she sent me several scanned and interesting articles from the arrival of the stones to the present. This made me wonder about the ruins now? Where exactly were they? What was a Chapter House and how had it fit in as part of a larger piece of history?
Using the information provided by WAM, I was able to locate La Bas Nueil in the province of Berrie, France. Via Google Earth I could take a 360 degree tour and walk the streets bordering the ruins. I found a house built into them and a Bed and Breakfast in what was the stable. I reached out to the B&B owners to see if they knew more about the property and they have since put me in touch with the caretaker of the ruins.
In the process of virtually exploring the rest of the Priory, I was also able to see a small sign and confirm where the Chapter House had once stood. This combined with other research told me that it had opened to a garden and the priory had bordered large fields and vineyards.
It was at this point I returned to the Chapter House, stood inside and thought about looking out at the landscape I was now familiar with. I had a better sense of place. Now, I wanted to understand what happened in this room.
I returned to my research and discovered a chapter house was a room where two primary things occurred. Daily business was discussed and chapters of the Rule of Saint Benedict were read. It was not the chapel I had thought. The words that were spoken were indeed recorded and surprisingly not all were sacred.
May 2022
Choose Your Words Carefully
Initially, when I stood in the Chapter House I was overcome with ideas for spoken bardic pieces. The acoustics were amazing and it was an extant location. Chaucer had seemed a good fit but then I quickly felt it wrong once I began to understand what the Chapter House was.
Should I use a Psalm or other such piece? No, that was not the right choice either. I did not wish to offend others or be religious.
Wait! The Chapter House was a room for business! Perhaps the business done here had been recorded and could be read. With that thought I was off in search of the words that had once been spoken in the Chapter House.
My first inclination was to look for records and I reached out to a friend who is French and has worked as a librarian both there and in the United States. She was able to help me find new resources and that some of the records are still in existence from 1518 to the 1700’s. However, they are in France and can be seen but not scanned.
Knowing that the records were kept I searched for other records of surrounding priories. I was able to find a record of one 150 miles to the south. It had been translated in the late 1800’s and a reprint was available in French and Latin. Up until this point I had been using my own knowledge of French, the translations of my friend, and google translate but this was going to require Latin. Which, while translatable for me, takes more time than French.
Even though I had the records of another nearby Abbey, they were not the words of the Chapter house and so I searched more. I started with learning about the Benedictine Order. It was then I realized that sections of the Rule of Saint Benedict dealt with such things as kitchen duty, dormitories and daily life.
Reading a passage describing how one should dress or eat or work was both absolutely accurate and not expressly religious. An even more exciting realization was that each day of the year had a specific reading. It was possible for me to in fact read the passage that had been spoken on a specific day in that room.
April 2022
What to Wear?
The room was understood, the words were found but now there was a new path to explore carefully. What to wear to record the words? The robes of a Benedictine are very specific to their order and it would not be appropriate to even consider donning them for any reason. That was not an option. I did research on what they would have worn and undyed wool or linen seemed likely. Additionally, there were accounts of local people receiving worn out clothing from the monks.
A short tunic made of this fabric would be a good compromise. I could show my body from the waist up and wear a modern pair of leggings or jeans to avoid any confusion to a passerby. The final filmed product would then have me in a period appearing garments while still respecting the others around me.
Currently my next steps are to consult with others about this idea, then possibly find information on the linen and wool of central France and create my tunic.
March 2022
Until my next post-
What now? I need to once again reach out to the WAM and ensure my presence reading and recording would be welcome. A tunic needs to be sewn. And, perhaps the greatest challenge of filming will finally come to fruition.
Additionally, part of me would like very much to be able to accept the offer to explore the priory grounds in France and visit the archives. I feel there are still more stories to be told about this location.
Of course in the telling of this story there are many details I discovered in many sources and those are posted as well.
Works Cited Benedict, and Justin McCann. The Rule of Saint Benedict: In Latin and English. Martino Fine Books, 2019.
Benedict. The Rule of St. Benedict: In Latin and English. Sheed and Ward, 1972.
Benedictine Way of Life - Stella Maris College. https://stellamaris.nsw.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/benedictine-way-of-life.pdf.
Catherine. “Monuments Déplacés : La Salle Capitulaire Du Bas-Nueil, De Berrie (Vienne) à Worcester (Massachusetts)." Monuments Déplacés : La Salle Capitulaire Du Bas-Nueil, De Berrie (Vienne) à Worcester (Massachussetts) - Patrimoine Et Inventaire De Nouvelle-Aquitaine - Site De Poitiers, https://inventaire-poitou--charentes-fr.translate.goog/operations/les-monuments-disparus/266-decouvertes/1090-monuments-deplaces-la-salle-capitulaire-du-bas-nueil-de-berrie-vienne-a-worcester-massachussetts?_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc.
“Chapter House of the Benedictine Priory of Saint John at Le Bas-Nueil.” – Works – Worcester Art Museum, https://worcester.emuseum.com/objects/15838/chapter-house-of-the-benedictine-priory-of-saint-john-at-le.
“The Chapter House.” Chapter House Durham World Heritage Site, https://www.durhamworldheritagesite.com/learn/architecture/cathedral/intro/chapter-house.
CHARLES, Dominique. “Prieuré Saint-Jean Du Bas-NueilBerrie (86).” Prieuré Saint-Jean Du Bas-Nueil - Berrie - Journées Du Patrimoine 2021, https://www-journees--du--patrimoine-com.translate.goog/SITE/le-prieure-saint-jean-ancienne-abb-194393.htm?_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc.
Crozet, R. “A Visit to La Bas Nueil.” Worcester Art Museum Bulletin , Mar. 1958.
Étienne Cholet Paul François. Cartulaire De L'Abbaye De St Étienne De Baigne. Clouzot, 1867.
Geneseo, SUNY. “Western Humanities I.” Lumen, https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-geneseo-humanities1-1/chapter/the-rule-of-st-benedict-chapters-51-73/.
Google Maps, Google, https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Bas+Nueil,+86120+Berrie,+France/%C3%89glise+Saint-%C3%89tienne+de+Baignes-Sainte-Radegonde,+75+Rue+du+G%C3%A9n+de+Gaulle,+16360+Baignes-Sainte-Radegonde,+France/@46.2262692,-1.1900814,8z/data=!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x48078c1ea35ba9d9:0xc2ed75ea2993cd8e!2m2!1d-0.095898!2d47.062187!1m5!1m1!1s0x48006950e9f5dfa9:0x3c5314af0ad1bfca!2m2!1d-0.2356119!2d45.3802199.
http://www.vtech.fr, V-Technologies / Ligeo-Archives -. “Recherche Transversale.” Archives Départementales Des Deux-Sèvres Et De La Vienne, https://archives-deux-sevres-vienne.fr/archive/resultats/transversale/n:150?RECH_S=Prieure%2Bde%2BBas-Nueil%2BBerrie%2C%2BVienne&x=38&y=23&RECH_SELECTOR%5B0%5D=archives&RECH_SELECTOR%5B1%5D=etatcivil&RECH_SELECTOR%5B2%5D=recensement&RECH_SELECTOR%5B3%5D=matricule&RECH_SELECTOR%5B4%5D=electorale&RECH_SELECTOR%5B5%5D=cadastre&RECH_SELECTOR%5B6%5D=cartespostales&RECH_SELECTOR%5B7%5D=poilus&RECH_SELECTOR%5B8%5D=cartespostales&RECH_SELECTOR%5B9%5D=presse&RECH_SELECTOR%5B10%5D=doleance&RECH_SELECTOR%5B11%5D=contenus&type=transversale.
“Loire Escapes.” Loire Escapes, http://www.loireescapes.com/.
Marolleu , P. Information Request about Le Prieure Saint Jean Inbox, 31 Jan. 2022.
This was a response email from the local historian and owner of the remains of the rest of the priory the Chapter House was stolen from
Moisand , Edith. Liberian Edith Moisand- Links for Your Research, 12 Aug. 2021.
Morin, Rebecca. WAM Publications - Worcester Chapter House (Acc. 1927.46), 11 Aug. 2021.
“Prieuré Saint-Jean.” Cirkwi, 18 June 2020, https://www.cirkwi.com/fr/point-interet/1200702-prieure-saint-jean.
“The Rule.” OSB DOT ORG, 9 Sept. 2018, https://www.osb.org/our-roots/the-rule/.
Sidsel. “Medieval Fabrics and the Use of Colour, Part 2.” Postej & Stews, 6 Dec. 2019, http://postej-stew.dk/2019/05/medieval-fabrics-part-2/.
“Vestiges Du Prieuré Du Bas-Nueil à Berrie.” Retour à L'accueil De Monumentum, https://monumentum.fr/vestiges-prieure-bas-nueil-pa00105349.html.
Virtue, Cynthia. “Extant Clothing of the Middle Ages Assembled by by Cynthia Du Pr Argent.” Some Extant Clothing of the Middle Ages (Photos), https://www.virtue.to/articles/extant.html.
Worcester Art MuseumFollow this publisher - current follower count:48. “Access Magazine Fall 2012.” Issuu, 2 Jan. 2013, https://issuu.com/worcesterartmuseum/docs/access-magazine-fall-2012/20.
When I was twelve, we moved to the city of Worcester, Massachusetts. Shortly after this, my mother discovered that students and residents could go one day a month to many of the local museums for free. A wonderful world suddenly opened and I had two favorites, the Higgins Armory Museum and the Worcester Art Museum. In the Worcester Art Museum (WAM) there was (and is) a room called “The Chapter House” and every time I stepped inside I felt as though the past were just a breath away. That feeling has never stopped in the past 30 years. However, recently the room has shown me a bit more.
Two years ago I walked into the Chapter House on a Sunday and it occurred to me that I had an extant place to recite an extant piece if I could get permission. The thought filled me with excitement for this chance to fuse my passion for research with my love of bardic arts and public speaking. After a carefully worded email I was granted the permission to do so, provided I let them know ahead of time, have no recording equipment other than my phone and follow all WAM rules.
I was excited and giddy at the thought. But then I had more thoughts…What was said in this room? Who had said it? Was it prayer or scripture? I realized that I didn’t understand the room as well as I wanted to despite being a lifelong visitor. So, I began to research.
The Chapter House was actually part of a larger Benedictine priory in La Bas- Nueil that was established in the 11th century. It was well known for its wine and shipped it for centuries to nobles all over Europe. It was desecrated during the French Revolution and the ruins still stand to this day. That is, they stand without the Chapter House. It was taken to Worcester in 1927 despite the pleas of the local people.
While this was fascinating I wanted to know more, so I emailed the librarian at the WAM and she sent me several scanned and interesting articles from the arrival of the stones to the present. This made me wonder about the ruins now? Where exactly were they? What was a Chapter House and how had it fit in as part of a larger piece of history?
Using the information provided by WAM, I was able to locate La Bas Nueil in the province of Berrie, France. Via Google Earth I could take a 360 degree tour and walk the streets bordering the ruins. I found a house built into them and a Bed and Breakfast in what was the stable. I reached out to the B&B owners to see if they knew more about the property and they have since put me in touch with the caretaker of the ruins.
In the process of virtually exploring the rest of the Priory, I was also able to see a small sign and confirm where the Chapter House had once stood. This combined with other research told me that it had opened to a garden and the priory had bordered large fields and vineyards.
It was at this point I returned to the Chapter House, stood inside and thought about looking out at the landscape I was now familiar with. I had a better sense of place. Now, I wanted to understand what happened in this room.
I returned to my research and discovered a chapter house was a room where two primary things occurred. Daily business was discussed and chapters of the Rule of Saint Benedict were read. It was not the chapel I had thought. The words that were spoken were indeed recorded and surprisingly not all were sacred.
May 2022
Choose Your Words Carefully
Initially, when I stood in the Chapter House I was overcome with ideas for spoken bardic pieces. The acoustics were amazing and it was an extant location. Chaucer had seemed a good fit but then I quickly felt it wrong once I began to understand what the Chapter House was.
Should I use a Psalm or other such piece? No, that was not the right choice either. I did not wish to offend others or be religious.
Wait! The Chapter House was a room for business! Perhaps the business done here had been recorded and could be read. With that thought I was off in search of the words that had once been spoken in the Chapter House.
My first inclination was to look for records and I reached out to a friend who is French and has worked as a librarian both there and in the United States. She was able to help me find new resources and that some of the records are still in existence from 1518 to the 1700’s. However, they are in France and can be seen but not scanned.
Knowing that the records were kept I searched for other records of surrounding priories. I was able to find a record of one 150 miles to the south. It had been translated in the late 1800’s and a reprint was available in French and Latin. Up until this point I had been using my own knowledge of French, the translations of my friend, and google translate but this was going to require Latin. Which, while translatable for me, takes more time than French.
Even though I had the records of another nearby Abbey, they were not the words of the Chapter house and so I searched more. I started with learning about the Benedictine Order. It was then I realized that sections of the Rule of Saint Benedict dealt with such things as kitchen duty, dormitories and daily life.
Reading a passage describing how one should dress or eat or work was both absolutely accurate and not expressly religious. An even more exciting realization was that each day of the year had a specific reading. It was possible for me to in fact read the passage that had been spoken on a specific day in that room.
April 2022
What to Wear?
The room was understood, the words were found but now there was a new path to explore carefully. What to wear to record the words? The robes of a Benedictine are very specific to their order and it would not be appropriate to even consider donning them for any reason. That was not an option. I did research on what they would have worn and undyed wool or linen seemed likely. Additionally, there were accounts of local people receiving worn out clothing from the monks.
A short tunic made of this fabric would be a good compromise. I could show my body from the waist up and wear a modern pair of leggings or jeans to avoid any confusion to a passerby. The final filmed product would then have me in a period appearing garments while still respecting the others around me.
Currently my next steps are to consult with others about this idea, then possibly find information on the linen and wool of central France and create my tunic.
March 2022
Until my next post-
What now? I need to once again reach out to the WAM and ensure my presence reading and recording would be welcome. A tunic needs to be sewn. And, perhaps the greatest challenge of filming will finally come to fruition.
Additionally, part of me would like very much to be able to accept the offer to explore the priory grounds in France and visit the archives. I feel there are still more stories to be told about this location.
Of course in the telling of this story there are many details I discovered in many sources and those are posted as well.
Works Cited Benedict, and Justin McCann. The Rule of Saint Benedict: In Latin and English. Martino Fine Books, 2019.
Benedict. The Rule of St. Benedict: In Latin and English. Sheed and Ward, 1972.
Benedictine Way of Life - Stella Maris College. https://stellamaris.nsw.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/benedictine-way-of-life.pdf.
Catherine. “Monuments Déplacés : La Salle Capitulaire Du Bas-Nueil, De Berrie (Vienne) à Worcester (Massachusetts)." Monuments Déplacés : La Salle Capitulaire Du Bas-Nueil, De Berrie (Vienne) à Worcester (Massachussetts) - Patrimoine Et Inventaire De Nouvelle-Aquitaine - Site De Poitiers, https://inventaire-poitou--charentes-fr.translate.goog/operations/les-monuments-disparus/266-decouvertes/1090-monuments-deplaces-la-salle-capitulaire-du-bas-nueil-de-berrie-vienne-a-worcester-massachussetts?_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc.
“Chapter House of the Benedictine Priory of Saint John at Le Bas-Nueil.” – Works – Worcester Art Museum, https://worcester.emuseum.com/objects/15838/chapter-house-of-the-benedictine-priory-of-saint-john-at-le.
“The Chapter House.” Chapter House Durham World Heritage Site, https://www.durhamworldheritagesite.com/learn/architecture/cathedral/intro/chapter-house.
CHARLES, Dominique. “Prieuré Saint-Jean Du Bas-NueilBerrie (86).” Prieuré Saint-Jean Du Bas-Nueil - Berrie - Journées Du Patrimoine 2021, https://www-journees--du--patrimoine-com.translate.goog/SITE/le-prieure-saint-jean-ancienne-abb-194393.htm?_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc.
Crozet, R. “A Visit to La Bas Nueil.” Worcester Art Museum Bulletin , Mar. 1958.
Étienne Cholet Paul François. Cartulaire De L'Abbaye De St Étienne De Baigne. Clouzot, 1867.
Geneseo, SUNY. “Western Humanities I.” Lumen, https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-geneseo-humanities1-1/chapter/the-rule-of-st-benedict-chapters-51-73/.
Google Maps, Google, https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Bas+Nueil,+86120+Berrie,+France/%C3%89glise+Saint-%C3%89tienne+de+Baignes-Sainte-Radegonde,+75+Rue+du+G%C3%A9n+de+Gaulle,+16360+Baignes-Sainte-Radegonde,+France/@46.2262692,-1.1900814,8z/data=!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x48078c1ea35ba9d9:0xc2ed75ea2993cd8e!2m2!1d-0.095898!2d47.062187!1m5!1m1!1s0x48006950e9f5dfa9:0x3c5314af0ad1bfca!2m2!1d-0.2356119!2d45.3802199.
http://www.vtech.fr, V-Technologies / Ligeo-Archives -. “Recherche Transversale.” Archives Départementales Des Deux-Sèvres Et De La Vienne, https://archives-deux-sevres-vienne.fr/archive/resultats/transversale/n:150?RECH_S=Prieure%2Bde%2BBas-Nueil%2BBerrie%2C%2BVienne&x=38&y=23&RECH_SELECTOR%5B0%5D=archives&RECH_SELECTOR%5B1%5D=etatcivil&RECH_SELECTOR%5B2%5D=recensement&RECH_SELECTOR%5B3%5D=matricule&RECH_SELECTOR%5B4%5D=electorale&RECH_SELECTOR%5B5%5D=cadastre&RECH_SELECTOR%5B6%5D=cartespostales&RECH_SELECTOR%5B7%5D=poilus&RECH_SELECTOR%5B8%5D=cartespostales&RECH_SELECTOR%5B9%5D=presse&RECH_SELECTOR%5B10%5D=doleance&RECH_SELECTOR%5B11%5D=contenus&type=transversale.
“Loire Escapes.” Loire Escapes, http://www.loireescapes.com/.
Marolleu , P. Information Request about Le Prieure Saint Jean Inbox, 31 Jan. 2022.
This was a response email from the local historian and owner of the remains of the rest of the priory the Chapter House was stolen from
Moisand , Edith. Liberian Edith Moisand- Links for Your Research, 12 Aug. 2021.
Morin, Rebecca. WAM Publications - Worcester Chapter House (Acc. 1927.46), 11 Aug. 2021.
“Prieuré Saint-Jean.” Cirkwi, 18 June 2020, https://www.cirkwi.com/fr/point-interet/1200702-prieure-saint-jean.
“The Rule.” OSB DOT ORG, 9 Sept. 2018, https://www.osb.org/our-roots/the-rule/.
Sidsel. “Medieval Fabrics and the Use of Colour, Part 2.” Postej & Stews, 6 Dec. 2019, http://postej-stew.dk/2019/05/medieval-fabrics-part-2/.
“Vestiges Du Prieuré Du Bas-Nueil à Berrie.” Retour à L'accueil De Monumentum, https://monumentum.fr/vestiges-prieure-bas-nueil-pa00105349.html.
Virtue, Cynthia. “Extant Clothing of the Middle Ages Assembled by by Cynthia Du Pr Argent.” Some Extant Clothing of the Middle Ages (Photos), https://www.virtue.to/articles/extant.html.
Worcester Art MuseumFollow this publisher - current follower count:48. “Access Magazine Fall 2012.” Issuu, 2 Jan. 2013, https://issuu.com/worcesterartmuseum/docs/access-magazine-fall-2012/20.
Winter 2021- 2022 Update on Recreating a Spoken Medieval Moment
( Reexamining the location)
About two years ago I was at the Worcester Art Museum in the Chapter House, a room moved in the 1920’s from a medieval Priory in France. Without going to Europe, I could stand in a medieval room, I had done so many times before in my life but this time I had a new idea. (you can see this room too by the way… https://worcester.emuseum.com/objects/15838/chapter-house-of-the-benedictine-priory-of-saint-john-at-le )
What if I could speak some of the same words, stories or other works once read in this room? Could I make it echo again with sounds from its past? I reached out to the museum and they said that would be fine as long as I only used a cellphone and yes, I could be in researched garb. I was excited, elated and then I began to think. What WAS said there?
I had planned to use this as an Art and Science Bardic/Research project. I already loved research and it seemed a natural step to fuse bardic and research more closely.
However, with the creep of COVID and other constraints I realized that to properly create a moment from the past of THIS building I needed to do more research about it, the people in its past. I used the ideas and my early research to complete creating my A and S project for online display. In that document I talked about future steps, and for the past year, I have been working on them.
First, I talked to the museum librarian and asked if they had any more information beyond what was publicly listed. This led to her pulling the file on the Chapter House and opened doors to some interesting leads. I learned more about the origin of the room and changes that had been made to it over time by the Benedictines who lived there.
That file was a lead and a question. What happened to the rest of the priory? What was the story of the region it was in? Over the next year I accessed French Historical sites and ultimately was able to email an inn owner who now has space in what was once the stables of the priory
(https://www.booking.com/searchresults.html?aid=340295;label=metatrivago-hotel-4814344_xqdz-cc2e24_los-1_nrm-1_gstadt-2_gstkid-0_curr-usd_lang-en-us_mcid-10_dev-dsk_losb-1_bw-18_bwb-15_pg-0_defdate-def_gsb-2_sl-sld_tstar-0_trat-0_tprc-0_tamnt-0_cod-1640234602_trvref-45b28286-b83b-4a7d-b155-643e795003ae;sid=4419a6d515779b0d3436a4b2e1de76d8;city=-1412084;expand_sb=1;group_adults=2;group_children=0;highlighted_hotels=4814344;hlrd=no_dates;keep_landing=1;no_rooms=1;redirected=1;source=hotel;srpvid=52dc2138c9260013&room1=A,A,; ). They were enlightening and helpful and passed my information to the current owner and caretaker of the rest of the priory ( here is one site https://monumentum.fr/vestiges-prieure-bas-nueil-pa00105349.html but I recommend walking around using google earth https://earth.google.com/web/search/3+Impasse+du+Moulin,+86120+Berrie,+France/@47.06193455,-0.09512529,45.08887863a,0d,60y,302.37163876h,76.56634821t,0r/data=CpQBGmoSZAolMHg0ODA3OGMxZTlmMTAyZWQzOjB4YjE5NWIzMzU0NGE3ZmY0NRkBiuze5YdHQCFAjdasjne4vyopMyBJbXBhc3NlIGR1IE1vdWxpbiwgODYxMjAgQmVycmllLCBGcmFuY2UYASABIiYKJAnokQW3xM01QBHlkQW3xM01wBnE2zdH7NMYwCFp947VyY1bwCIaChZSVGIxU2lhYU5yT3VOaWhmNTE4eXhBEAI )
To my excitement the owner and caretaker of the main ruins and property emailed me a few days ago. She has welcomed me to call her for more details in March when she returns to the property and even visit. Getting to rural France is not an option right now financially however I am hopeful she can use facetime and give me a virtual tour (and maybe someday I can find a way to see this remote and amazing ruin I feel I know).
On top of understanding the where and what I was trying to recreate, I also had some insight into what would have been said in that room. The more I researched the more I realized that in many senses the Chapter house was a business room. I was able to ask a friend who is a French librarian to help me inquire if the business records still existed and according to her they may. That was fascinating but still not a document I could read from ( yet… I have hope I can find out more from the caretaker in March).
In the meantime I did find Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Étienne de Baigne (en Saintonge), , an 1868 copy and translation of the happenings of an abbey about 100 miles to the south of the priory. They were both founded around 800 and existed till the French Revolution. So, while not the writings from “my site”, they are copies of extant work from the Benedictine order nearest to it. While some of it is in French, most of it is in Latin and is taking some time to translate but is fascinating. I opted to not read it online and was lucky to get a used reprint of it.
So, I have the place, I have a clearer idea of the words to speak and am closer to my final recording goal. Meanwhile I am working on how to translate the work of the past two years into an accessible and educational format. Short videos? Class notes and a class about how research is a search for the story of a thing we create? Another paper?
This update is a placeholder for that work and the next chapter of this bardic research journey. “Time Travel” is tricky because you have to really know the time and place and so many small things. However it is a fascinating trip!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Spoken Moment Research Project One- “In the Kitchen”
The concept of this entry was to use Art and Science research methods and thought processes to recreate a common spoken word moment from between the 12th and 15th century. This moment would be as if one could“go back in time” and view a medieval moment. It is both a research piece and performance art. The viewer should feel as though they have a window into the past. A Medieval Recipe was used as the piece that was spoken and all aspects of recreating as close to extant moment ( ie. clothing, foliage, materials etc.) were researched.
The concept of this entry was to use Art and Science research methods and thought processes to recreate a common spoken word moment from between the 12th and 15th century. This moment would be as if one could“go back in time” and view a medieval moment. It is both a research piece and performance art. The viewer should feel as though they have a window into the past. A Medieval Recipe was used as the piece that was spoken and all aspects of recreating as close to extant moment ( ie. clothing, foliage, materials etc.) were researched.
Recipe Come to Life
Spring 2021
Recreating a Spoken Word Moment as Researched Art and Science
Traditionally, spoken performance has the majority of its focus on the actual piece being presented and the quality of its presentation. I wanted to take on a performance from a research point of view and add to the scope of focus. I wanted to craft and recreate an actual moment that would feel like the viewer was looking into the past and hearing a person speak.
Before I could think of a piece, it became clear that I needed to identify the areas of research for this project. I was able to narrow them down to three categories: clothing, location and piece. For example, I wanted to ensure that I was not wearing clothes of an upper class sixteenth century woman in a stable while reading a “new to her” Magna Carta.
Initially I had decided to start with finding a piece and had considered work by Queen Marguerite de Navarre in her book the Heptameron. However, her work was primarily late sixteenth century and I had no access to clothing of that period. Moreover, sewing the correct garment with fabrics that matched the extant samples in art was not a project that could also be undertaken. I realized that clothing was an important part of setting the time and place.
I started by choosing a sideless surcoat over an underdress with a Brigitta cap and veil. I tried the outfit on and something felt wrong. I sought feedback and confirmed my suspicions that the underdress was not the correct one, my surcoat fit too large and the cap was not a fit with the veil in that context. I later found an image from The Hours of Henry the Eighth showing a woman mowing a field in a shift, overdress and cap similar to one I already owned.
Having a working class outfit changed my focus and thought process on selecting a piece. Would this woman be literate and what and where would she be reading? My son had a book of fifteenth century recipes copied from remaining pieces in the British Museum. This proved that recipes were indeed written down. It would be natural for a woman to wear working clothes. She did not mind being soiled as she read a recipe and used it. This left only the location.
Location was one of the most difficult aspects of this project for several reasons. My first choice would have been to recite a piece in a medieval building. Fortunately, several rooms and buildings have been moved brick by brick to the United States over time and one, a Benedictine Chapter House, is located near me. I inquired about reading aloud at the Chapter House, located in the Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA. I didn’t receive a reply till the end of April when I emailed a different person. I was elated when they said I could use this space.
However, by the time it was made available I did not have time to research and prepare a suitable piece. After consulting with others, I determined that the piece I did have memorized that would fit this setting was not a fit for this project (it was part of a Catholic mass for the dead) for many reasons. This would ultimately not be my filming location or “time and place” for this project, but would be the focus of my next project.
With a period recipe and an outfit that was best set for cooking or working I needed a location that would agree with the other elements. I returned to my search for medieval buildings and found Poet’s Seat, a tower in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Although not medieval it does have windows and arches similar to many still existing buildings in Europe. I was even able to use Google image search to help me find a location in Italy with a similar view and structure. Ultimately, weather, distance, a pandemic and other factors prevented me from filming there and I opted to film in my backyard using a simple wooden table.
Cooking outdoors, especially in warmer months, is an activity that has been done since antiquity and continues into the present age. I have a large Juniper tree in my backyard and decided to film in front of it because I could document that common Juniper was and still is found in England, which is where the recipe is from.
Oddly, dressing and filming the moment took a very short amount of time compared to the time spent on researching the many possibilities I had and seeking feedback. However, I can now confidently state based on research that it would have been possible to see a fifteenth century woman wearing a simple linen dress and cap while she read a recipe and prepared to cook outdoors and create a reasonably close moment spoken in middle English.
Understanding the scope and depth that a project like this can have has led me to a place in my combined love of period Bardic work and research that has many fascinating possibilities. Going forward I would like to take the time to properly research a piece, gown and tone and then create a different moment in the Chapter House at the Worcester Art Museum. Additionally, I would like to further research outdoor cooking, the clothing a woman wore and the recipe I read in more depth and improve upon the authenticity of my recording. As for the recording itself, in the future I would research different recording technology and editing.
The complete research planning process, write up as well as sources, documentation and acknowledgments can be found in the document below.
Current Large Work In Progress 3/1/2o21-
Recreating a Moment in Time With Word, Place and Dress
On a visit to the Worcester Art Museum, in Worcester, Massachusetts, I was inspired by an exhibit called the Chapter House. It is an actual room from a Benedictine Monastery from central France that has been moved to the United States stone by stone. In addition to its beauty, I noticed its amazing acoustics and was struck by the reality that I was in an extant building despite not having traveled at all. My next thought was to wonder how a period piece would sound in this room.
Although actual performance/recitation of a short piece was not an option, I started to think of a piece that originated from the same time and place as the Chapter House. Of course one work I know well, Chaucer’s Wife of Bath’s Tale, came to mind. That is when I really began to think of details more than the words of the piece itself. Why would a woman be in a Chapter House? Would she or anyone be there reciting Chaucer of all things? And even if all of these strange things came to pass, what would she be wearing?
It occurred to me that just because the building and the piece are extant, it didn’t mean that my performance would be. With this inspiration, it became clear to me that I wanted to be able to time travel in a manner of sorts. I wanted to wear a researched and extant based period outfit, while telling an equally studied story in a location that if not exactly extant, traced via architecture, fauna or terrain to be similar to one in the medieval world.
With a specific project goal in mind, I sought out a piece, setting and clothing that I was interested in. With an eye toward inclusivity, I decided to look for female French authors from the same time as my persona, early 16th century France. Immediately, I found Queen Marguerite de Navarre. In addition to being royalty, she was well read and extremely prolific in her writings. She also helped the poor, established orphanages, negotiated treaties and was mother to many children all of whom she ensured were literate).
One of her works, The Heptameron, specifically was of interest to me. The Heptameron is a collection of stories that take place during a plague. Unlike her other writings, which were predominantly religious in nature, this book is filled with entertaining and humorous works. I had a selection and was ready to consider the other two aspects of my project: location and clothing. This is where the scope of my project became clear to me. I needed to research not one extant thing, but three... with all that entailed.
Several hours of research later, things started to become clear to me. First, the book itself was published after Navarre’s death and thus the time period it would have been recited in was moved even later. In moving forward in time, the fashion changed and subsequently was more complex. Furthermore, due to the cost of the books, only a lady of the court would have had access to her own copy. This meant clothing fit for someone of that station and finding a spot that resembled a library of the time. These were two challenges that at this point would be difficult at best for me to recreate.
Knowing that sewing the garments and finding a location would be the more challenging goal to reach, I decided to use The Heptamaron piece for another project. Instead, I looked for a time period that had clothing I felt more confident in creating as well as a setting I could reach. I had several pieces in mind but no real direction for weeks. A friend who does amazing illumination shared a page of the Codex Manesse, or Großer Heidelberger Handschrift, a 14th century anthology of Middle High German poetry with me. The artwork made me realize that this was a dress and overdress that I could sew and more importantly wanted to. But what about the setting? It was then another friend suggested I explore botanical gardens as a possible source of plants that would have been in the background of the codex, or find a coastal area similar to one in Northern France where my persona lived.
With two of the three research areas now clearly defined, I returned to my quest in search of a story to tell. I revisited the Codex Manesse. One drawing was labeled the Rapunzel of Heidelberg and showed a maiden pulling a basket containing her lover up to the window of a windmill. For a short time, I began to draft my own telling of the Rapunzel of Heidelberg. I stopped because, while my inspiration was extant, the words I used would not be.
Around Christmas, I was given a copy of The Tale of the Cid: and Other Stories of Knights and Chivalry by: Andrew Lang and H. J. Ford. By no means was this edition a “scholarly work” or an extant find BUT it did contain versions of works that were.
While reading, I found a story called The Lady of Solace. It was about a king with a beautiful daughter and a beautiful garden. He was not ready for her to marry and would send suitors into the garden, never to be heard from again. That is until one young man appeared.
The compilation of stories listed it as from the Gesta Romanorum. No author or other details were given, not even a time period. This led me to search the title out and discover that the Gesta Romanorum was a 14th century compilation of stories, allegories and other moral based anecdotes. The work was the basis or inspiration for writers such as Shakespeare, Chaucer and others. In fact, it was translated into several languages and even continues to be studied by scholars. I had found my piece.
Next steps in this project are currently underway. I am learning the piece in modern English and am considering the original Latin. I have researched the surcoat and underdress from the Codex and located a source of linen, as well as several people who are willing to help advise me with the sewing. As for the location, due to the winter weather and pandemic, I have not been able to “scout” locations in person. However, Massachusetts has several botanical gardens that could work, and I believe that the dunes of Crane Beach may also be a possible site. In short, this project covers three areas of research in order to be carried out in the manner that I wish. The initial process to get to that point has taken almost a year and has been fascinating and enlightening. It also would not have been possible if I had not talked to other artisans with interests different from mine.
Sources-
Caeciliajane@gmail.com. “The Heidelberg Rapunzel.” A Historical Miscellany, 31 Oct. 2019, www.danceshistoricalmiscellany.com/the-heidelberg-rapunzel/.
“Chapter House.” Worcester Art Museum, www.worcesterart.org/collection/European/1927.46.html.
“Codex Manesse.” Heidelberg University Library: Codex Manesse, www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/Englisch/allg/benutzung/bereiche/handschriften/codexmanesse.html.
“Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index.” Feminae: Details Page, inpress.lib.uiowa.edu/feminae/DetailsPage.aspx?Feminae_ID=39296.
“Heptameron.” University of Pennsylvania Digital Library: Heptameron, https://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/navarre/heptameron/heptameron.html.
Lang, Andrew, et al. The Tale of the Cid, and Other Stories of Knights and Chivalry. Dover Publications, 2007.
“Marguerite De Navarre.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/marguerite-de-navarre.
Recreating a Moment in Time With Word, Place and Dress
On a visit to the Worcester Art Museum, in Worcester, Massachusetts, I was inspired by an exhibit called the Chapter House. It is an actual room from a Benedictine Monastery from central France that has been moved to the United States stone by stone. In addition to its beauty, I noticed its amazing acoustics and was struck by the reality that I was in an extant building despite not having traveled at all. My next thought was to wonder how a period piece would sound in this room.
Although actual performance/recitation of a short piece was not an option, I started to think of a piece that originated from the same time and place as the Chapter House. Of course one work I know well, Chaucer’s Wife of Bath’s Tale, came to mind. That is when I really began to think of details more than the words of the piece itself. Why would a woman be in a Chapter House? Would she or anyone be there reciting Chaucer of all things? And even if all of these strange things came to pass, what would she be wearing?
It occurred to me that just because the building and the piece are extant, it didn’t mean that my performance would be. With this inspiration, it became clear to me that I wanted to be able to time travel in a manner of sorts. I wanted to wear a researched and extant based period outfit, while telling an equally studied story in a location that if not exactly extant, traced via architecture, fauna or terrain to be similar to one in the medieval world.
With a specific project goal in mind, I sought out a piece, setting and clothing that I was interested in. With an eye toward inclusivity, I decided to look for female French authors from the same time as my persona, early 16th century France. Immediately, I found Queen Marguerite de Navarre. In addition to being royalty, she was well read and extremely prolific in her writings. She also helped the poor, established orphanages, negotiated treaties and was mother to many children all of whom she ensured were literate).
One of her works, The Heptameron, specifically was of interest to me. The Heptameron is a collection of stories that take place during a plague. Unlike her other writings, which were predominantly religious in nature, this book is filled with entertaining and humorous works. I had a selection and was ready to consider the other two aspects of my project: location and clothing. This is where the scope of my project became clear to me. I needed to research not one extant thing, but three... with all that entailed.
Several hours of research later, things started to become clear to me. First, the book itself was published after Navarre’s death and thus the time period it would have been recited in was moved even later. In moving forward in time, the fashion changed and subsequently was more complex. Furthermore, due to the cost of the books, only a lady of the court would have had access to her own copy. This meant clothing fit for someone of that station and finding a spot that resembled a library of the time. These were two challenges that at this point would be difficult at best for me to recreate.
Knowing that sewing the garments and finding a location would be the more challenging goal to reach, I decided to use The Heptamaron piece for another project. Instead, I looked for a time period that had clothing I felt more confident in creating as well as a setting I could reach. I had several pieces in mind but no real direction for weeks. A friend who does amazing illumination shared a page of the Codex Manesse, or Großer Heidelberger Handschrift, a 14th century anthology of Middle High German poetry with me. The artwork made me realize that this was a dress and overdress that I could sew and more importantly wanted to. But what about the setting? It was then another friend suggested I explore botanical gardens as a possible source of plants that would have been in the background of the codex, or find a coastal area similar to one in Northern France where my persona lived.
With two of the three research areas now clearly defined, I returned to my quest in search of a story to tell. I revisited the Codex Manesse. One drawing was labeled the Rapunzel of Heidelberg and showed a maiden pulling a basket containing her lover up to the window of a windmill. For a short time, I began to draft my own telling of the Rapunzel of Heidelberg. I stopped because, while my inspiration was extant, the words I used would not be.
Around Christmas, I was given a copy of The Tale of the Cid: and Other Stories of Knights and Chivalry by: Andrew Lang and H. J. Ford. By no means was this edition a “scholarly work” or an extant find BUT it did contain versions of works that were.
While reading, I found a story called The Lady of Solace. It was about a king with a beautiful daughter and a beautiful garden. He was not ready for her to marry and would send suitors into the garden, never to be heard from again. That is until one young man appeared.
The compilation of stories listed it as from the Gesta Romanorum. No author or other details were given, not even a time period. This led me to search the title out and discover that the Gesta Romanorum was a 14th century compilation of stories, allegories and other moral based anecdotes. The work was the basis or inspiration for writers such as Shakespeare, Chaucer and others. In fact, it was translated into several languages and even continues to be studied by scholars. I had found my piece.
Next steps in this project are currently underway. I am learning the piece in modern English and am considering the original Latin. I have researched the surcoat and underdress from the Codex and located a source of linen, as well as several people who are willing to help advise me with the sewing. As for the location, due to the winter weather and pandemic, I have not been able to “scout” locations in person. However, Massachusetts has several botanical gardens that could work, and I believe that the dunes of Crane Beach may also be a possible site. In short, this project covers three areas of research in order to be carried out in the manner that I wish. The initial process to get to that point has taken almost a year and has been fascinating and enlightening. It also would not have been possible if I had not talked to other artisans with interests different from mine.
Sources-
Caeciliajane@gmail.com. “The Heidelberg Rapunzel.” A Historical Miscellany, 31 Oct. 2019, www.danceshistoricalmiscellany.com/the-heidelberg-rapunzel/.
“Chapter House.” Worcester Art Museum, www.worcesterart.org/collection/European/1927.46.html.
“Codex Manesse.” Heidelberg University Library: Codex Manesse, www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/Englisch/allg/benutzung/bereiche/handschriften/codexmanesse.html.
“Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index.” Feminae: Details Page, inpress.lib.uiowa.edu/feminae/DetailsPage.aspx?Feminae_ID=39296.
“Heptameron.” University of Pennsylvania Digital Library: Heptameron, https://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/navarre/heptameron/heptameron.html.
Lang, Andrew, et al. The Tale of the Cid, and Other Stories of Knights and Chivalry. Dover Publications, 2007.
“Marguerite De Navarre.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/marguerite-de-navarre.