A very rare, 500-year-old, ornate English prayer scroll was analyzed by British researchers. The special find presents the Catholic world of faith before the Reformation.
The one-meter-long scroll, with Latin and English texts and drawings, may have belonged to a more wealthy pilgrim before it was acquired by a private collector in the 1970s and is now in the hands of specialists for the first time.
"It's really unusual that such a special scroll has survived for more than 500 years," said art historian Gail Turner, who presented the results of her research in the journal British Archaeological Association on Tuesday.
During the Reformation, such scrolls, which were a great source of inspiration for their owners during prayer, were confiscated. According to experts, only a few dozen of them can exist in the world.
During the test, traces of use on the roll were analysed. Based on these, it can be seen that its former owner regularly kissed or touched the scroll, which is common for such objects. The scroll consists of two pieces of parchment sewn together.
Image source: sciencealert.com
The relic provides information about what rituals were performed in the 16th century at the famous cross of the now-demolished Bromholm Monastery in Norfolk, East England. Pilgrims traveled here from far away, as the crucifix is said to contain a piece of the cross on which Jesus was crucified.
Source: MTI
