A medieval shrine to St William of York, the patron saint of the city, has returned to its original home after an absence of almost 500 years!
Buried at the Minster in 1154, William was twice the Archbishop of York, and was canonised in 1226. Associated with various miraculous acts, including ‘The Miracle of Ouse Bridge’, where he is said to have saved a crowd of Yorkies from drowning in the drink when the bridge collapsed, St William remains one of the most-studied, mysterious, and intriguing figures in local ecclesiastical history. The story of his life, death, and many miracles (some of which were performed from his tomb) can be visually traced in the stained glass St William Window, created by master glazier John Thornton of Coventry between 1405-08, and displayed in York Minster’s Lady Chapel.
To mark 800 years since his canonisation, York Minster will be proudly displaying recovered pieces of St William’s two-storey stone shrine, one of the largest in the country, which was removed from its original resting place and buried beneath the streets of York during the English Reformation, sometime between 1538 and 1541. Unearthed from Precentor’s Court, the remains of the shrine have so far been in the possession of the Yorkshire Museum, which has kindly loaned its treasures to the Minster in aid of this momentous occasion. Visitors will be able to see physical fragments of the shrine with their own eyes, and marvel at a 3D digital reconstruction of the entire structure, as well as various other artefacts that offer a glimpse into the miraculous life of the most famous York-born saint…
Visit www.yorkminster.org/discover/behind-the-scenes/the-miracles-of-st-william-of-york/ to learn more about the St William Window, or www.yorkminster.org/latest/the-lost-shrine-of-st-william-of-york-returns-to-york-minster-for-the-first-time-since-the-reformation/ for details of the exhibition, which is open for visitors now!
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