Valasse Cross

The Valasse Cross

The Valasse Cross is a Medieval gold cross reliquary, associated with the Empress Matilda.[1] It is an Ottonian processional cross in the crux gemmata style.[2]

History

It was made in what is now Germany or Italy between the 11th-century and the start of the 12th.[1] The cross is ornamented with precious stones from India, Iran, Egypt and the Mediterranean.[1] It is in the form of a Latin cross with extremities enlarged, and with a cross within a cross.[2]

The larger outer cross was made in the 1180s, and is contemporaneous with the Coronation Spoon.[3] The smaller cross, set within the larger, is the one associated with the Empress Matilda, and has been dated to the 11th-century.[3] The cross contains a relic of the True Cross, set in wax at the front.[3]

The cross became the property of the Cistercian Valasse Abbey, which had been founded by the Empress Matilda in 1156/7.[1] It is likely that Matilda’s son Henry II gave the cross to the abbey.[3]

The cross was acquired by the Musée des Antiquités de Rouen in 1843.[1] In 1846 Jean-Benoît Cochet [fr] wrote that the cross was not an altar cross, but rather a processional one.[4] Jean-François Brianchon recounted that it was rescued from destruction by a parishioner who presented the cross to Jacques-François Begouën  [fr] when he acquired the abbey in 1792.[5]

Exhibitions

It was displayed in 2023 at the Musée des Beaux-Arts – Musée Beauvoisine.[6]

It is on display at St John's Chapel in the White Tower in the Tower of London from March 2025 to January 2026, on loan from the Musée des Antiquités de Rouen.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Radio France: "La croix du Valasse: une relique Plantagenêt?"". Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Mondes Normands: Reliquary". Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e "St John's Chapel: The Valasse Cross". Archived from the original on 9 December 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  4. ^ Abbot J. B. D. Cochet, "L'Abbaye du Valasse", Revue de Rouen, 14/i (Rouen 1846), 265–75.
  5. ^ J.-F. Brianchon, "Musée des Antiquités de Rouen, Croix dite du Valasse", in Bulletin de la Commission des Antiquités et des arts de la Seine-Inférieure, 5 (Rouen 1879–81), 68–73.
  6. ^ "Paris-Normandie: Croix-reliquaire de la Vraie Croix". Retrieved 20 March 2025.

Content Disclaimer

Informasi ini disarikan dari Wikipedia dan disajikan kembali untuk tujuan edukasi. Konten tersedia di bawah lisensi CC BY-SA 3.0. Kami tidak bertanggung jawab atas ketidakakuratan data yang bersumber dari kontribusi publik tersebut.

  1. The information displayed on this website is sourced in part or in whole from Wikipedia and has been adapted for the purpose of restating it. We strive to provide accurate and relevant information, however:
  2. There is no guarantee of absolute accuracy. Wikipedia is an open, collaborative project that can be edited by anyone, so information is subject to change.
  3. It is not intended to constitute professional advice. The content displayed is for informational and educational purposes only. For important decisions (e.g., medical, legal, or financial), please consult a professional.
  4. Content copyright. Wikipedia is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA). This means that content may be reused with appropriate attribution and shared under a similar license.
  5. Responsible use. Any risk arising from the use of information from this website is entirely the responsibility of the user.