John Jenkins
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armentarius.bsky.social
John Jenkins
@armentarius.bsky.social
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Medieval historian working on cathedrals, pilgrimage, Thomas Becket, Yorkshire etc. Director, Centre for Pilgrimage Studies, University of York
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armentarius.bsky.social
My punchy little book about pilgrimage in medieval Western Christendom has a cover, should be out soon. I've tried to make it accessible and thought-provoking, reviews would be appreciated once it comes out.
This book is a fresh, approachable, look at medieval pilgrimage in the Christian West, the first of its kind in over twenty years and the first to take account of prevailing trends in anthropological studies of pilgrimage. Previous works have described pilgrimage as it happened in the medieval period, but this also offers a framework for understanding the concept of pilgrimage. The first two chapters challenge the reader to question the definition of pilgrimage itself and provide a critical overview of the key historical and anthropological literature. A third chapter presents readers with a short history of medieval pilgrimage, fleshing out the core argument that pilgrimage was both contested and dynamic, and firmly rooted in its local and regional contexts. The final chapter explores the vexed question of reconstructing the medieval pilgrim experience, emphasizing the messiness and unpredictability of pilgrim behaviour.
October 12, 2025 at 11:12 PM
armentarius.bsky.social
I predict the new pope Leo XIV will follow in the footsteps of Leo XIII and publicly declare his love for Bovril
c.1900 advert for Bovril featuring Pope Leo XIII with the text 'The Two Infallible Powers. The Pope and Bovril'
May 9, 2025 at 2:27 PM
armentarius.bsky.social
This lovely book plopped through my door, with a chapter by me and the brilliant @ebenbow.bsky.social on so-called 'pilgrim souvenirs', medieval staff toppers, mould-making, trade in trinkets, and why we should embrace ambiguity in studying these objects.
The front cover of the book Images of Thomas Becket in the Middle Ages and Beyond, edited by Alyce Jordan and Kay Slocum The first page of the chapter 'Becket on a Peacock: The Manufacture of Devotional Toys and their Use in Civic Devotions' by John Jenkins and Eliot Benbow, from the Images of Thomas Becket book A page from the 'Becket on a Peacock' chapter showing a hollow-cast figurine of a peacock with St Thomas Becket on its back, made of lead between 1250 and 1350, found on Upper Thames Street, London and currently in the British Museum collections
March 25, 2025 at 3:52 PM
armentarius.bsky.social
Thanks @liber-ray.bsky.social for an extremely thorough (and gratifyingly positive!) review of my 'Customary of the Shrine of St Thomas Becket' in the latest issue of Medium Aevum!
December 5, 2024 at 6:11 PM