Oriel visits the Vatican

Yesterday, the Pope received in audience in the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican a delegation of members of Oriel College, led by the Provost, Lord Mendoza.

The Pope and the Provost

Image: oriel.ox.ac.uk 

The occasion was to mark two significant events. The first is that this year Oriel - the House of  Blessed Mary to Virgin in Oxford, to give its full name - is celebrating its seven hundredth anniversary of foundation by King Edward II in 1326. In July it welcomed that monarch’s 21x great grandson in the person of King Charles III who is the Visitor of the College, and there have been a variety of celebrations throughout the year.

The second event is closely bound up with the history of Oriel, and the man who is its most famous Fellow, St John Henry Newman, the Pope proclaimed a Doctor of the Church and co-patron of Education last year.

St John Henry Newman as a Fellow of Oriel 

1822-1845

Image: Venerable English College

In his address to his visitors the Pope urged Oriel to rediscover the Catholic roots of the foundation, and to follow St John Henry in pursuing truth courageously and to see education as the formation of the whole person.

The Oriel College website reports on the visit with quotations from the Provost’s address at Provost leads delegation to meet Pope at Vatican

Vatican News has more of the Pope’s address 

at Pope to Oxford’s Oriel College: Seek truth, promote integral anthropology

His Holiness’ points are good and apposite, and will in my opinion, hopefully fall on fertile ground. My experience of Oriel was that those three factors were there and perhaps more so than in some, maybe many, other colleges in Oxford. Let us hope Papal encouragement will lead to positive growth in these matters.

May Our Lady continue to pray for Her House in Oxford and all Orielenses

Floreat Oriel!

The Battle of Worcester 1651

Today is the 375th anniversary of the battle of Worcester in 1651, and the city and reenactment groups are holding a series of events to commemorate the anniversary.

Worcester Cathedral from the site of Fort Royal with the modern memorial to the battle in the foreground 

Image: tripadvisor.co.uk

Wikipedia has an account of the battle at Battle of Worcester. Although it gives a good narrative of the events the references indicate that its sources are in many cases about a century old and it is perhaps in need of some revision.

The Fugitive King has a similar narrative, but presented with a more modern slant and far more illustrations. It can be accessed at The Battle of Worcester

Wikipedia has a biography of the most prominent Royalist fatality from the battle, the second Duke of Hamilton, which includes the text of his farewell letter to his wife written from the Commandery in the city, a building which still survives. The article can be seen at 

 William Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Hamilton. His grave is marked by a plaque in the choir of the cathedral.

  

Following the battle King Charles II fled, very much as his great nephew Prince Charles Edward did after Culloden almost a century later. Ensuring the survival of the claimant was of paramount concern to safeguard their cause.

King Charles II in armour

Probably painted shortly after his flight to France in October 1651

Image: app.fta.art

Following a circuitous route, and many close shaves, the King finally sailed to France from Shoreham in Sussex on October 15th.

Wikipedia has a good, illustrated, account at Escape of Charles II and also a biography of the King’s most famous helper in his escape at Jane Lane, Lady Fisher

The museum at Shaftesbury in Dorset has an account of the King’s journey which can be accessed at Escape or Die 1651 - Charles II the Most Wanted Man - Gold Hill Museum

King Charles II

Miniature by David des Granges from the time of the King’s accession 

Image: wikiart 

The King and Queen visit the Bayeux Tapestry

This evening the King and Queen, accompanied by the French President and by Mr Burnham, and their wives, visited the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum, which opens to pre-booked visitors next week. 

The BBC News website has a report, including part of His Majesty’s speech, at King Charles, Macron and Burnham arrive to view Bayeux Tapestry at British Museum

King William I 

From the Bayeux Tapestry

Image: Wikimedia Commons

In his speech the King referred to his French ancestry as a descendant of King William the Conqueror. King William I is the 28x great-grandfather of King Charles III, and that bloodline was multiplied by Queen Eleanor of Castile, Queen Elizabeth of York, Lord Darnley, Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, and Prince Philip (twice over in his case)

King Harold II 

From the Bayeux Tapestry 

Image: History Extra

Furthermore the King is also descended from King Harold II, who is his 30x great-grandfather through his daughter Gytha, Princess of Kviv and the royal lines of Hungary, Aragon, and France through to Queen Philippa of Hainault, the consort of King Edward III. 

From the Valois branch of the French Capetians that bloodline also entered the English, and then the Scottish, royal house through Queen Catherine of Valois, the grandmother of King Henry VII. In that case King Harold is again the present King’s 30x great-grandfather.

In addition all the Kings of Scots since 1437 have also been descended through Queen Joan Beaufort, a great-granddaughter of King Edward III and Queen Philippa, from both King William I and King Harold II.

Those bloodlines are again also repeated through Lord Darnley, Queenr Alexandra, Queen Mary and, again twice over, Prince Philip.

So for the King very much a family occasion.

Feast of St Giles

Today is the feast of St Giles, who has a wide number of patronages, as well as being one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries, as pilgrims visited his shrine in Provence he became very popular as a patron of churches, chapels and hospitals across much of Europe, and by no means least in England.

I was baptised at the church of St Giles in my home town of Pontefract and for many years the church was a very important part of my life. I have retained a devotion to St Giles, and he is a gentle, kindly, and wise saint to turn to.

The Mass of St Giles

National Gallery, London

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Looking online I found an article about him and his depiction in the now sadly incomplete and scattered altarpiece by the late medieval painter now known to us as The Master of St Giles, and which celebrated his life on the website of The New Liturgical Movement and first published in 2023.

The article can be found at The Life of St Giles

May St Giles pray for us