 The two vestments under consideration in this paper are a stole and prot Heat are a stole and prot Manipul that we are discovered in the tomb of Saint Cuthbert in Durham Cathedral England, and they are now on display in the 14th century Great Kitchen at the Cathedral. And you can see the kitchen here has recently been renovated and turned into a beautiful gallery to display St Cuthbert's relics. ac yn y cwm ddechrau i'r gwaith yn y llwydd wedi'i ddechrau'r ddechrau ac yn y gyfnodol iaith. Rwy'n meddwl, rwy'n meddwl, ar y mynd i gyd yn eich cyfnodol ond yn eich cyhoeddfa ar gyfer y dyfrannu meddwl mewn i'r trefodol. Rwy'n meddwl mewn i'r dyfrannu meddwl mewn i'n meddwl mewn i'n meddwl yn aglosaksol yn yng Nghymru, ac rwy'n meddwl i'r gyffredigau eich cyfnodol yn ymgyrchio argyllustu ar gyfer y meddwl mewn i'r cyfnodol iaith yma, Ond o ran, mae'r ddiwyliadau eich barod yn ei ddimensial, mae'n dweud ymwneud. Byddai'n ddimensial y meddwl yn mynd i gyd, ac mae'n geisio'r ddweudol a'r ddweudol fel y cyhoeddfeydd, yn ôl i chi gael'r ddiwyliadau cyhoedd yn y ddiwyliadau. Felly mae'r ffestimau i ddimensial i'r ddweud, y ddweud o'r ddweud i'r ddigon i'r ddechrau, The design on the stall incorporated the full-length figures of 16 prophets, four major, 12 minor, on either side of an Agnus Dei, with the heads of St Thomas and St James on the front of the end tabs, and the names of the commissioner and receiver worked on the reverse. The design on the manifold originally depicted the full-length figures of a pope and a deacon on either side of a Dechrystei setting the quadrifoil, with the heads of St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist again stitched on the front of the end tabs, and again the name of the commissioner and receiver on the reverse. We know that the Stolar Manapult were made in the early 10th century because, as just mentioned, the donor and receiver are named and identifiable, being embroidered on the reverse of the terminal ends of both vestments. The commissioner was Al Fliad, Queen to Edward the Elder, the receiver, Bishop Rithustan, was Bishop of Winchester from 909 to 931. However, it is likely that the vestments were never received at Winchester. After Edward the Elder died, his son and heir, Athelstan, who was born to another wife, had a strained relationship with the bishop and would therefore have had little interest in honouring his deceased stepmother's gift. In circa 934, Athelstan was recorded as giving a set of embroidery to the community at Durham as he rode north to fight the pigs, and it is likely that these embroideries are the ones we're discussing here. Maureen Miller has stated that during this period women were not allowed to enter the sanctuary of the church, the place where the altar is situated and massed. Therefore, in its simplest terms, by commissioning and having her name embroidered on the reverse of the Stolar Manapult, Athelstan was secretly placing herself at the altar during the most sacred rites of the church and therefore closer to God. Miller also asserts that, at the same time, women in elite circles were developing ways in which to exercise influence within the church. They did so by patronising members of the clergy by giving gifts such as much-needed vestments and other soft furnishings. These items were not easily available to the clergy who were not meant to associate themselves with women, and so they relied on the gifts. As a result, these women influenced members of the clergy, and in turn clergy would curry favour with the ruling elite. When seen in this light, Cuthbert embroideries were probably meant to clouds of gliad closer to God and contribute to more worldly concerns. During the medieval period, vestments were not only seen as clothes in which the priests enveloped themselves for ritual, they had in themselves special meanings that helped the wearer to live out his vocation more fully. During the early medieval period, the decoration and form of ecclesiastical vestments was much debated in numerous synods. In her superb introductory work on ecclesiastical vestments, Pauline Johnston highlighted that by the 11th century the style and function of most vestments had been established and the origins had been forgotten. Although writers of the early church had tried to equate vestments to those of the Old Testament high priests, Joseph Brun's 1907 publication proved beyond doubt that the vestments were actually evolved out of everyday clothing from the classical period. As Christopher Holler pointed out in his 1956 study of the Stoll and Manipole, the Stoll probably evolved out of a scarf and the Manipole from a handkerchief worn by late Roman magistrates. Over time, a new theological understanding of what vestments represented also evolved. With the development of more mystical ideas within the church, the vestments took on symbolic or supernatural meanings that enhanced their reverence and helped the wearer understand and carry out their religious vocation more diligently. For example, in circa 820, the writer Amlarius stated that the Stoll symbolised the light y Yoke of Christ and the Manipole, pure and pious thoughts, wear within, we wipe away the disorders of the mind which arise from the infirmity of the body. The decoration also had meaning linking in with these mystical ideas and leading to another layer of meaning being incorporated into each vestment. The use of prophets, popes and their deacons in the designs was to remind the priest of his role within the church and how he should conduct himself, so the robes in which the embroidered figures were dressed also had significance. Each figure is clothed in a version of traditional vestments, which clearly hop back to garments from the classical period. The prophets on the Stoll wear mantles over their vestments and you can see these beautifully draped here and over the shoulder there. Although the vestments are partially hidden from view, they are probably meant to represent an owl, the oldest of surgical garments I usually made from linen as drawn out on the left, your right. Although the version embroidered on the Stoll looks more elaborate than that morning real life, it is only due to the use of gold thread to emphasise the borders and hens and the silk thread that shines when light is thrown upon it that gives this impression. When viewed closely, the embroidered owl is actually quite plain with no pattern decorating the fabric. Each prophet holds either a book or a palm and Elizabeth Coatsworth has drawn attention to the fact that the book is a generic symbol used to represent prophets while the palm usually indicates a martyr. She points out that in this case the palm has been used regardless as whether the named martyr is actually a martyr or not, whether the named prophet is actually a martyr or not, that makes more sense. Thus it can be argued that these symbols have been used simply to help the viewer identify the figures as prophets or they were copied directly from a primary source. The popes and deacons who inhabit the spaces set out in the mannipole are dressed in clerical robes. The popes under garments, Stoll, Elb, Stoll and Dalmatic can be seen layered underneath a chageable while a mannipole is held over his left arm. Pope Gregory the Great, seen here on the left, appears to also be wearing a pallium over his chageable, but Pope Sixtus II does not. The deacons wear vestments traditional to their calling and Elb underneath a Stoll and Dalmatic. Both hold also hold a mannipole. The Dalmatic is derived from an undergarment worn in grey from the 2nd to 7th centuries. It was worn by Pope underneath the chageable as part of their full pontifical dress, but is an outer garment for deacons. The chageable originated as an early Roman garment called a penula, which was a semicircular outer garment seen through the centre front. This had been an everyday garment worn by the masses and had been a form of bad weather cover-up for those of high around. Within the church, the chageable was worn from early in its history to celebrate mass. The pallium is a scarf worn by a pope as a sign of office, while the Stoll and Mannipole are both insignia of a priest and a deacon and are given to each at their ordination. Although it is not the intention of this paper to discuss the art historical attributes of the Durand Stoll and Mannipole, it should be highlighted that there have been at least two schools of thought. Early scholars argued that Byzantine illuminations, among other art forms, directly influenced the designer, but it is now thought that it was what may be called the long arm of Byzantine influence on art. New works produced in areas that geographically lie between Byzantium and Anglo-Saxon England would have contained attributes of the original Byzantine models and incorporated elements from their own cultures, leading to modified pieces arriving in the religious houses and world circles of Anglo-Saxon England. In turn, these examples from places including the Carolinian court and the monastery at Taws were reproduced in Anglo-Saxon settings and they would have incorporated by Western European and Anglo-Saxon elements, creating unique designs such as those produced in Winchester during the period in question. It is this Winchester art form that is seen on the two embroideries. So the specimens embroidered on the Stoll and Mannipole can be seen as traditional, harking back through time and place. However, they also cement the positions of the figures they wrote in their positions within the church, while demonstrating the long history of the church as an official state religion from later classical Roman times. The style of the designs incorporating artistic influences from both the eastern and western church were probably part of a fashion at the time, but it also demonstrates the overarching power of an all-reaching church, spreading its arms across the then known world. Coatsworth has argued that the prophets on the Stoll represent the foretelling of the messiah, which was fulfilled by the Lamb of God depicted in the Agnus Dei and seen at the bottom. She also contends that the hand of God, as represented in the centre of the Mannipole, signifies the act of God, the crucifixion, and is reinforced by the two popes and their deacons. She concludes that both specimens are visually telling the priest and the onlooker who is close enough to see the iconography that Christ offered himself to save the world and that this sacrifice is reenacted each time Eucharist is celebrated. The wearer of the Stoll and Mannipole is Christ's representative, and the vestments, the prophets, popes and deacons wear completely this immersive cycle, reminding the wearer of his religious obligations and duties. The Cuthbert embroidery, therefore, gives scholars today an insight into both the political and religious world of the early medieval period and the minds of those who inhabited it. By the 10th century, the protection that people of the early medieval period sought to help them understand the world around them was thought to come through prophets, popes, deacons and saints, and the prayers of the Christian faithful. Thus the figures depicted on Stoll and Mannipole reminded those who saw them with the protective power of the church across the known world. The clothes they wore reminded educated onlookers of the deep religious traditions that harked back to the beginnings of the church and more immediate international religious and political connections linked by networks that have brought such artistic ideas to Anglo-Saxon England. I also want to add the raw materials that came to Anglo-Saxon England as well. They were very precious to the golds, the silks. So, in conclusion, these early medieval embroideries should not be seen simply as art. They incorporated and expressed the hopes, dreams, needs and the religious and political drives of those who commissioned, made and used them. In turn, this gives us today an insight into the psychology of those who came into contact with the embroideries. These people would have known and understood their material and metaphysical value because such concepts were ingrained in their everyday lives. Therefore, the embroideries give us a unique insight into the minds of the people of early medieval England and as such they should be viewed as more than just beautiful and intricate works of art. Thank you.