The Cultus of our Lady at Glastonbury Abbey: 1184–1539

Abstract

This paper studies devotion to St Mary at Glastonbury Abbey. Drawing on disparate sources, this will be discussed in three ways: firstly, the architectural development of the Lady Chapel; secondly, the ‘miraculous’ image of the Virgin which the chapel contained; and thirdly, the visual presentation and workings of the cultus. Finally, the argument is advanced that devotion to Our Lady was vital throughout the monastery's history and that its significance, both as primary cultus and as instrumental in the growth and presentation of the late medieval devotion to St Joseph of Arimathea at Glastonbury, have previously been overlooked.