A Remarkable Gift from Germany for St Albans Cathedral

psalter-david St Albans Cathedral will soon receive a special gift from the Bishop of Hildesheim - a valuable and faithful reproduction of the beautifully detailed and famous St Albans Psalter. This will be presented to the Cathedral at Evensong on Tuesday 16^th August.

The original St Albans Psalter was made in the scriptorium of St Albans Abbey between 1123 and 1143. It is believed to have been put together as a gift for Christina of Markyate from Geoffrey of Gorham, Abbot of St Albans from 1119 to 1146.

A psalter is usually a book containing the psalms of the bible used in daily worship, but the St Albans Psalter has much more. Regarded as a masterpiece of English Romanesque art, the Psalter has 46 beautiful full page illustrations and the earliest known image of Saint Alban’s martyrdom.

The Very Reverend Jeffrey John, Dean of St Albans, said, “It is easy to forget that St Albans was once England’s leading place of learning. The St Albans Psalter is the greatest treasure that was produced by the famous scriptorium of St Albans Abbey. We are profoundly grateful to the Bishop of Hildesheim for making us a gift of this extremely valuable and beautiful reproduction. It is a great joy that once again this perfect jewel of medieval Christian art will be seen in the place where it was created.”

The St Albans Psalter survived centuries of war and religious upheaval in remarkable condition and is now kept at the Church of St Godehard in Hildesheim. The facsimile to be presented to St Albans Cathedral is an exact copy, painstakingly reproduced, including hand applied gold leaf. Only a limited number of copies are in circulation.

All are welcome at the Cathedral for this historic presentation at Evensong on Tuesday 16^th August, 5.00pm. The Psalter will then be on permanent display in the exhibition area of St Albans Cathedral.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Why is the St Albans Psalter important?

The St Albans Psalter is a masterpiece of English Romanesque art.
It influenced the development of later Psalters.
The active role of women in the illustrations is a notable feature of the book.
The Life of St Alexis is one of the earliest surviving texts in Old French and it contains the earliest known image of Saint Alban’s martyrdom.

How did the St Albans Psalter get to Hildesheim?

It is not known how the St Albans Psalter survived the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the Reformation.
In 1657 it was at Lamspringe, a community of English Benedictine exiles, near Hildesheim, Germany. This is inscribed on the flyleaf.
It again managed to survive the closure of Lamspringe during the Napoleonic period, and ultimately arrived at the church of St Godehard in Hildesheim, where it survived the Second World War.

Who was Christina of Markyate?

Christina was an Anglo-Saxon lady of noble birth, who was born in Huntingdon c.1096-8.
After visiting St Albans Abbey with her parents, she vowed to give her life to Christ.
Her parents insisted she should make a good marriage which she did with great reluctance but it remained unconsummated.
Christina escaped and found refuge at the cell of Roger the Hermit in Markyate.
Christina’s marriage was annulled and she settled at a hermitage in Markyate, where her reputation as a mystic grew.
Abbot Geoffrey of St Albans became her devoted patron, with Christina providing him with spiritual advice.
Other religious women joined Christina at Markyate and Abbot Geoffrey provided material support. Markyate Priory was officially founded in 1146.
Christina was still alive in 1155, but is not mentioned thereafter. Her burial place is unknown.

Can visitors see the reproduction of the St Albans Psalter?

The St Albans Psalter will be on permanent display in the exhibition area of the Cathedral and available for study and inspection by arrangement with the Cathedral Archivist.
A booklet on the St Albans Psalter and a range of postcards with illustrations from the book are available from the Cathedral Bookshop.
The Friends of St Albans Abbey have arranged a lecture by Peter Kidd on the Psalter which takes place at 6.30pm on 16^th August.