Reviving the Medieval Art of Opus Anglicanum
Exeter Cathedral was one of twelve cathedrals to take part in the recently completed Circle of Life project, sponsored by The Worshipful Company of Upholders. Its aim was to teach and revive the stitching techniques of Opus Anglicanum, the almost-lost style of needlework for which medieval English embroiderers were famous. Their innovative techniques were little known elsewhere, and their work was prized above embroidery produced across Europe and beyond.
A group of six stitchers met in Exeter every week for more than a year to learn the intricacies of underside couching, Bayeux stitch and diaper patterns, alongside stem stitch and satin stitch. These highly precise techniques were used to create the group’s panels for the Circle of Life.
When the Bishop of Exeter, Mike Harrison, visited to see progress, he recognised the potential of the work for liturgical use. He commissioned the group to make four burse and veil sets for the Bishop’s Palace, in white, red, green and purple, covering every season of the Church year.
Each carries its own embroidered symbol:
- Purple: a gold cross
- White: a gold star
- Red: a gold Chi-Rho
- Green: wheat and grapes
A burse is made of two rigid boards joined along one edge, opening like a book to hold a folded corporal, the cloth used during the Eucharist, and keep it clean until it is needed. The matching veil is draped over the chalice and paten to keep anything from falling into the wine.
The finished sets were presented to Bishop Mike in the chapel of the Bishop’s Palace. They are used by the Bishop and in the training of ordinands, so a medieval technique is now part of the formation of new clergy.
The Exeter Cathedral submission shows cathedral textiles as a living craft that can be rediscovered and passed on. It links six present-day stitchers to the medieval embroiderers who made English work famous, and it connects Exeter to a national project across twelve cathedrals. Most of all, the skills learned in a weekly workshop now serve in worship through the year.
Article by Diana Symes, Chairman of the Company of Tapisers.
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