Context, Subject, Style: This is a stained glass depiction of the sarcophagus of Saint William in the York Minster Cathedral. The stained glass shows the sarcophagus of Saint William, which supposedly emanated holy water in such vast quantities that spigots had to be added on the sides to dispense the liquid. In the medieval period, pilgrims would journey to the Cathedral to collect the sacred water, which was said to have a pleasant smell, with a mixture of herbs and spices. The pilgrims would fill vessels, such as ampullae, to bring back with them to their hometowns or to use for healing.
The pilgrims would have been able to associate the smell of the holy water with saintliness for a number of reasons. It was a popular belief that the Devil emitted a foul odor, while God and the Saints would have emitted a sweet fragrance (Classen p. 159). Incense was frequently used in liturgical ceremonies and would have also been attributed to the purification of sin. So, the sweet, slightly spiced scent of the sarcophagus would have reminded the pilgrims of holiness and redemption from sin.
The container used by the pilgrims, the ampullae, was produced specifically to transport sanctified liquids. They would’ve had one side that depicted a site or symbol associated with the Saint. It also had two handles on the sides of the flask, not just for the convenience of use, but also so they could be worn as ‘souvenir relics’ (Brazinski p. 7). In order to produce the sweet smell of the holy water, it's likely that the priests would have had to frequently refill the water of the sarcophagus, including the specific compound of herbs and spices used to produce the unique smell of the relic.
Wauters suggests that certain aromas were universally perceived as pleasant and reflected in visual art as reflections of the divine or heaven itself, while scents like myrrh were associated with the suffering of Christ (Wauters p. 19); Foul odors that were reminiscent of death were associated with sin or impurity.
In biblical texts, imagery of the garden is frequently used as a metaphor for purity and redemption. Therefore, the sweet scent of the flowers within the garden would have held the same associations. Mary Magdalene was often shown within the ‘enclosed garden’, operating as a juxtaposition to Eve, or original sin, through her newfound purity with Christ. Baert suggests that if texts and prayers use scent as a conduit for devotional experience, motifs of flowers in paintings or other art forms should serve the same function (Baert p. 145).
Questions: 1. How would the smellscapes of medieval churches, such as the use of incense, remind the pilgrims of their previously ascribed notions of sin and sanctity? 2. Would Staar’s assertion that memory is intrinsic to the aesthetic, sensory experience imply that the pilgrims must’ve had a previously pleasant exposure to a similar smell, in order to be able to fully have a devotional connection?
Does Shuesterman’s theory of intentionality on the part of the viewer suggest that the pilgrim would need to expect a pleasant odor and understand its association to completely buy into the notion that the water they were receiving was truly sanctified?
Jenkins_Object_Annotation_4
Lauryn Roberts
Created on October 21, 2025
Start designing with a free template
Discover more than 1500 professional designs like these:
View
Urban Illustrated Presentation
View
Geographical Challenge: Drag to the map
View
Decisions and Behaviors in the Workplace
View
Tangram Game
View
Process Flow: Corporate Recruitment
View
Weekly Corporate Challenge
View
Wellbeing and Healthy Routines
Explore all templates
Transcript
Context, Subject, Style: This is a stained glass depiction of the sarcophagus of Saint William in the York Minster Cathedral. The stained glass shows the sarcophagus of Saint William, which supposedly emanated holy water in such vast quantities that spigots had to be added on the sides to dispense the liquid. In the medieval period, pilgrims would journey to the Cathedral to collect the sacred water, which was said to have a pleasant smell, with a mixture of herbs and spices. The pilgrims would fill vessels, such as ampullae, to bring back with them to their hometowns or to use for healing.
The pilgrims would have been able to associate the smell of the holy water with saintliness for a number of reasons. It was a popular belief that the Devil emitted a foul odor, while God and the Saints would have emitted a sweet fragrance (Classen p. 159). Incense was frequently used in liturgical ceremonies and would have also been attributed to the purification of sin. So, the sweet, slightly spiced scent of the sarcophagus would have reminded the pilgrims of holiness and redemption from sin.
The container used by the pilgrims, the ampullae, was produced specifically to transport sanctified liquids. They would’ve had one side that depicted a site or symbol associated with the Saint. It also had two handles on the sides of the flask, not just for the convenience of use, but also so they could be worn as ‘souvenir relics’ (Brazinski p. 7). In order to produce the sweet smell of the holy water, it's likely that the priests would have had to frequently refill the water of the sarcophagus, including the specific compound of herbs and spices used to produce the unique smell of the relic.
Wauters suggests that certain aromas were universally perceived as pleasant and reflected in visual art as reflections of the divine or heaven itself, while scents like myrrh were associated with the suffering of Christ (Wauters p. 19); Foul odors that were reminiscent of death were associated with sin or impurity.
In biblical texts, imagery of the garden is frequently used as a metaphor for purity and redemption. Therefore, the sweet scent of the flowers within the garden would have held the same associations. Mary Magdalene was often shown within the ‘enclosed garden’, operating as a juxtaposition to Eve, or original sin, through her newfound purity with Christ. Baert suggests that if texts and prayers use scent as a conduit for devotional experience, motifs of flowers in paintings or other art forms should serve the same function (Baert p. 145).
Questions: 1. How would the smellscapes of medieval churches, such as the use of incense, remind the pilgrims of their previously ascribed notions of sin and sanctity? 2. Would Staar’s assertion that memory is intrinsic to the aesthetic, sensory experience imply that the pilgrims must’ve had a previously pleasant exposure to a similar smell, in order to be able to fully have a devotional connection? Does Shuesterman’s theory of intentionality on the part of the viewer suggest that the pilgrim would need to expect a pleasant odor and understand its association to completely buy into the notion that the water they were receiving was truly sanctified?