(ORDO NEWS) — A rather unusual burial was found by British archaeologists. The woman’s body was in the position of an embryo. Analysis of the remains showed that she lived in the 15th century.
The body belonged to Isabel German. It is known that she lived in complete solitude for 28 years.
This abbess locked herself in one of the rooms of the church of All Saints near York and spent almost 30 years as an “anchor”. She spent all this time praying and contemplating God from her sealed cell.
And so, 500 years later, her remains were found in the dungeon of an almost destroyed church.
Historians identified her body through historical records. A more detailed analysis of the remains will help unravel the mystery of a rare medieval practice.
It is hard to imagine that a person voluntarily decided to renounce the world and live 28 years in a solitary cell.
But in past centuries, many laywomen did this. First of all, in this way, they wanted to avoid the dependence and lawlessness that awaited them after marriage.
In the Middle Ages, women actually had no rights in the world, and in this way they escaped from the suffering that awaited many after marriage.
Also, “old virgins” often chose such a path for themselves. Although by modern standards these were young, blooming girls.
Such anchorwomen were equated with living prophets. They were respected by society, admired for their kind of self-denial and service to God. Archaeologist Lauren McIntyre told about these facts.
After studying the remains, archaeologists came to the opinion that in the last years of her life this laywoman suffered from a painful illness.
She may have had septic arthritis or a sexually transmitted joint infection. How Isabel could have contracted such a disease is a mystery that no one will ever know.
The fact that the woman was buried in the position of an embryo is also interesting. Most likely, she died in her cell, writhing in pain, and the cadaver embalming did not allow changing the position of the body.
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