The Cult of St. Margaret in Dunfermline: A Miracle Story and the Physical Operations of Dunfermline Abbey
The miracle stories of Saint Margaret provide a very detailed account of the life surrounding her cult. It details the types of miracles that she performed, where in the church did these miracles take place, and even provides clues for how the abbey was run. The miracles are closely tied to Dunfermline Abbey. What does this say about the way Dunfermline Abbey was run in day-to-day life? St. Margaret’s Miracles, and her life can be used to interpret the activity of her cult in Dunfermline through focusing on the abbey and accounts of her life
Queen Margaret (d. 1093) was born in Hungary and came to Britain with her family of Anglo-Saxon heritage in 1057. She arrived in Scotland in 1067 and was later married to Malcolm III, or Máel Coluim in Scots. Her life was written down in the Miracula Sancte Margarite Scotorum Regine which details the various miracles associated with St. Margaret. These miracles range from healing physical ailments to helping Scottish soldiers recover from an attack by the Norwegian king. However, despite the broad range of the types of miracles she performs, most center around Dunfermline Abbey and take place in various spots within the abbey itself. The Miracula was compiled at Dunfermline Abbey during the reign of King John III (1460-1488) and is part of a compilation of different texts, including Margaret’s Vita. Out of the forty-five total miracles recorded in the Miracula, only five take place outside of the walls of the Abbey, one of which takes place in the sea by Ayrshire, Scotland. According to scholar Sang Dong Lee, 89% of the miracles associated with St. Margaret take place within the Abbey. Furthermore, the miracles themselves typically involve the appearance of St. Margaret as an apparition in visions at a rate that is larger than the norm of most saint’s cults. She appears in roughly 60% of the healing miracles.
One of the miracle stories to provide information on the operation of Dunfermline Abbey is the first in the order of the miracle stories: “A woman freed from a tumor on her arm.” The miracle account begins by detailing the physical discomfort that this woman had endured for nine years.She traveled to different pilgrimage sites in several countries including France, with no luck, before being called to Scotland by St. Margaret to enter “her shrine” thereby being healed. She undertook this pilgrimage and reached Dunfermline Abbey late on Palm Sunday. The pilgrim obliges and travels to the shrine in question. However, in the miracle account, once she arrives at Dunfermline, an interesting episode occurs which has a curious detail about how the abbey was run. Upon arriving at the Abbey, the woman requested the guard of the outer church to allow her to spend the night inside of the Abbey. The guard violently refused, citing an oath he made stating that “she was not allowed to enter the holy precincts alone, but only on the ordained nights preceding each Saturday when a great crowd of sick people is accustomed to keep vigil.” It must only occur on preapproved nights and can depend on the friendliness of the guard.Several details of the church layout can be gleamed from this account. It can be surmised that this occurred in the first phase of the church building as there is a small nave to the west of the choir which was solely for the laity who were allowed inside of the church.This was most likely built in the twelfth century.
But where are both spots? According to one of the miracle accounts, “A miller full of lizards”, her tomb at one point was located outside of the abbey as he “tasted some of the water from the well next to the tomb.” This well no longer exists but is widely accepted to be the one that now is underneath the church built in the twelfth century but is currently below the south nave aisle. The exact date that her body was moved into the present day church is not currently known, but it can be surmised to have taken place sometime between 1180 and 1250. Her body was placed opposite of the high altar in the feretory chapel. Unfortunately, it is not clear exactly why her body was moved, perhaps it was to protect the body when the new church was being built or perhaps it was because of the increasing number of pilgrims and a different spot better suited the hordes of visitors.
What is the layout of Dunfermline Abbey? Where do all these events take place and are the buildings close together? While unfortunately most of the church from before the Reformation has been destroyed, there is enough evidence to understand how the layout would have been. The tomb of St. Margaret is in eastern part of the church where the choir would have been and is where her remains were placed in 1250. Supposedly, this is all in the church that Margaret herself built and was buried in. In the beginning of the thirteenth century, the eastern end of the abbey was remodeled to include a feretory chapel that included the remains of Margaret and her husband Malcolm III. Based on the miracle accounts, a general layout of the Abbey can be surmised. First is Margaret’s chapel, then is an empty space which serves as a processional pathway for pilgrims and was used in church celebrations. Next, in order of getting closer to the center of the church comes the high altar, then comes sanctuary, following that is presbytery, and then finally is the choir.
The Miracles of Saint Margaret provide large amounts of detail on how the church functioned in day-to-day life. It tells about how pilgrimage occurred, how people worshiped and even the layout of the church. Through this type of examination, it becomes clear that the writing of The Miracles of Saint Margaret occurred with the aim of increasing pilgrimage to Dunfermline. All of the miracle stories have the implication that if someone comes to Dunfermline for pilgrimage, any one of these miracles may occur.
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By Kim Traynor - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16992798
By Paul McIlroy, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5239998
By Kim Traynor - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16992800