Several members of the Department journeyed to Oslo last
week to participate in a seminar and workshop on the broad theme of
‘Communication and Cultural Contacts in the North Atlantic Community
1000-1300’, hosted by Professor Jón Viðar Sigurðsson. The focus of this particular
event was bishops, saints and Church organisation. Detailed evidence was
presented from areas ranging from Ireland to Iceland via the Isle of Man and
the diocese of Sodor (and many more besides). In many of the varied
contributions, links between
both religious and political centres of power were to the fore, Dr Sarah Thomas
demonstrating the central role played by Bishop Mark of Galloway in key
political negotiations. Such connections were also explored in the accounts of
Church organisation in Ireland, Iceland and Norway presented by Dr Colmán Etchingham and Jón Viðar Sigurðsson among others, points of
comparison being particularly revealing. The universality of saints, as well as
their differences were highlighted in contributions by Professor Ásdís
Egilsdóttir and Dr Fiona Edmonds, the latter illuminating a layered nexus of
saintly connections crossing the Irish Sea. Such networks facilitated transfer of texts, the influence
of some of which we saw at work in the depictions of Icelandic bishop-saints,
as well as in the portrayal of St Knud by Dr Jonny Grove. Two days of intense,
profitable discussion underlined the importance of analysing the evidence from
these areas in tandem. The productive debate will continue in a series of
further seminars to be arranged.
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