Relic Tours in England and France (c.1050-c.1350)

The thesis is an examination of the phenomenon of the relic-quest or fund-raising tour with relics in England and France, from the eleventh to the fourteenth century, with a particular emphasis on the thirteenth century. Using a variety of sources, it aims to present a complete study of an important but overlooked subject.

The first ambition of this thesis is to fill a historiographical gap for relic-quests in southern England, to match with their well-observed counterparts in northern France The second is to reveal the social and religious value of the practice, to find out why and how it influenced the decisions made in the thirteenth century by the Church to regulate it, and to follow its fortunes into the fourteenth century, through the writings of religious and lay literary critics, and the actions of the Church.

Split in five chapters, the thesis follows a chronological and diachronic order. The first two chapters are devoted to the forms and functions of the relic-quest, and to its origins and development. The third chapter dwells on the aspects of the relic tour as opus pietatis, while the fourth chapter examines the shift in approaches and attitudes to relic tours in the thirteenth century, when the Church was prompted to regulate the practice. The fifth and last chapter analyzes the criticism of relic tours by religious and lay writers, reveals the nature of the changes, and investigates the role ecclesiastical authorities played in the fourteenth century, particularly in the multiplication of tours and indulgences.