Cystersi propagatorami kultu relikwii św. Urszuli i jej Towarzyszek (Undecim Milium Virginum) – Wybrane przykłady

In 1182 and subsequent years, the Cistercian Abbey of Altenberg near Cologne would receive numerous relics of the Undecim Milium Virginumacquired from the so-called ager Ursulanus,the cemetery dating from late Antiquity discovered in 1106 by Cologne city walls and considered to be the burial place of St Ursula and her Companions. In the Middle Ages, the Altenberg Abbey possessed one of the largest set of relics of the Undecim Milium Virginumand sent out its pieces to other Cistercian abbeys throughout Europe, e.g., to Cîteaux, Morimond, and the Cistercian abbeys in Greater Poland: Łekno, Ląd, and Obra, thus promoting their cult within the whole order. The relics sent from Altenberg were in various forms: as a corpus,namely an entire skeleton; pars de corpora, being single bone fragments; and a caput, i.e., head relics, most highly prized in the cult of relics. Collections of heads of the Martyrs of Cologne can be found in large sets in numerous Cistercian abbeys and churches throughout Europe, e.g., 55 head relics (capita) in Ląd; 24 capitain Pelplin; 24 capita in Marienfeld; 56 capita in Roermond. A valuable record of the translation of the Undecim Milium Virginum relics from Cistercian abbeys can be found in two chronicless:Morimond Abbey Chronicledescribing the translatioand adventus reliquiarumfrom Altenberg to Morimond in 1234, as well as the Bydgoszcz Bernardine Chroniclerecording the transfer of the relics of the Cologne Martyrs from the Ląd Abbey to the Bernardine Church in Bydgoszcz in 1614.