Exhibition at York Minster celebrates nearly forgotten 12th-century archbishop said to be behind Ouse Bridge miracle
T
he inscription on the large 13th-century stone slab on display at York Minster does not bode well: “Qui ceci dit svp er caput rogeri de Ripvn.” Or, as it translates: “Which fell on the head of Roger of Ripon.”
“We don’t quite know who Roger of Ripon was,” said Jennie England, research coordinator at the cathedral. “But he survived, and a miraculous incident was reported in the 1280s when a stone fell on someone’s head.”
The slab, found in a York drain in the 19th century, has gone on display at a new exhibition marking the 800th anniversary of Saint William – a forgotten, once adored martyr said to be responsible for that miracle and others.
