Shirin Fozi Colloquium

“Crippled Bodies and Triumphant Souls: The Bruno Monument in Hildesheim Cathedral”

The funerary monument of Presbyter Bruno in Hildesheim cathedral is a unique and in many ways exceptional sculpture from the years around 1200.  Through a rich series of images and inscriptions, this sculptural epitaph raises difficult questions about the relationship between body and soul in medieval Christianity, as well as highlighting the obligation of cathedral canons to care for the poor and the sick.  This work-in-progress paper will explore the Bruno monument from multiple points of view, starting with questions about patronage and iconography, and moving towards an examination of the strangely diverse series of bodies -- living and dead, earthly and heavenly, perfected and flawed -- that have been brought together on this monument and activated to address a broad set of social and theological concerns.