This thesis investigates the medieval textile skull reliquaries of Cologne’s 11,000
Holy Virgins by focusing on their structural, material, and cultural significance. They
were supported by and wrapped within layers of textiles, ornamented with material
finery, and constructed to expose the forehead bone through an elaborate ‘window’.
The use of textiles as a primary external material, the exposure of bone, and their
monumental displays – that sometimes totalled over 1,000 skulls – mark notable
departures from contemporary methods of display. These textile reliquaries
originated in Cologne in the thirteenth century, and eventually circulated across
different regions of Europe, forming a much wider network. Nevertheless, they have
themselves remained at the periphery of, or been completely overlooked in, most
studies; this investigation seeks to redress this scholarly lacuna by exploring the
reliquaries in detail – externally and internally, physically, thematically, and
theoretically. Although most have been re-wrapped in subsequent campaigns, this
study concentrates on the earliest compositions. It examines both the external
textile layers that wrap the skulls as well as materials within them, uncovering
elaborate assemblages of linen, silk, velvet, parchment, and bone fragments among
other materials. These are used to challenge and problematize (modern) canonical
distinctions between ‘relic’ and ‘reliquary’. Given the frequent construction of
‘living’ features, consideration is given to the wider context of the head in high
medieval medicine and surgery. Here, investigation of images and written accounts
of cranial anatomy, especially Albertus Magnus’ De animalibus that was composed in
Cologne, reveal a rich vocabulary, used literally and metaphorically, relating to
layered fabrics, weaving, and sewing. For the first time, this study considers these
reliquaries in their own right and together with other related objects and textual
sources. This also sheds new light on the cult’s medieval formation and promotion
that establishes this relic phenomenon as integral to Cologne’s sanctity.
