Suaire de St-Josse
Encyclopedia
The Suaire de St-Josse, the "Shroud of Saint Josse
" that is now conserved in the Musée du Louvre, is a rich silk samite
saddle cloth that was woven in northeastern Iran, some time before 961, when Abu Mansur Bakhtegin, the "camel-prince" for whom it was woven, was beheaded. It was brought back from the First Crusade
by Étienne de Blois
and dedicated as a votive gift at the Abbey of Saint-Josse
, near Caen
, Normandy. It has been described as "the major landmark in early Islamic silk weaving".
This fragmentary textile with elephants woven into the design is the only known surviving example of a silk textile produced in Eastern Iran, in the royal workshops of the Samanid dynasty, probably at either Merv
or Nishapur
. The "prince" referred to in the woven Kufic
inscription, though decipherable in more than one way, is most likely to refer to the general and emir
Bukhtegin, active in the service of 'Abd al-Malik I, the Samanid sultan of Khorasan
, 954-61.
The cloth is now in two fragments, which are regarded as comprising about half of the original piece. They are 52 x 94cm and 24.5 x 62cm respectively, the first measurement being the length. The design was somewhat like a carpet (not that any from this date survive), with a central field containing two pairs of confronted elephants, one above the other, of which one pair survive. There is then a thin border with geometric patterns, outside which the sides have friezes of repeated camels and at least the bottom (which survives) an inscription in Kufic
script. In all there are five zones of border between the elephants and the edge of the cloth.
Like many trophies of foreign adventure, both in the Middle Ages
and in more modern times, in its new context, the rare textile was given new meaning, for it was used to wrap the bones of Saint Josse
when he was reinterred in 1134.
When the Abbey of Saint-Josse was secularised just before the French Revolution
, the abbey church became the parish church of the French commune of Saint-Josse
; the suaire was kept there until it was transferred to the Louvre.
Saint Josse
Saint Judoc or Saint Josse was a seventh-century Breton noble who sought the protection of Aymon, a predecessor of the counts of Ponthieu, to live as a hermit and renounce the crown of Brittany, in a place then called either Sidraga or Schaderias or Runiacum, located in the coastal forest near the...
" that is now conserved in the Musée du Louvre, is a rich silk samite
Samite
Samite may refer to :* Samite, a heavy silk fabric, of a twill-type weave, worn in the Middle Ages* Samite Mulondo, Ugandan-American musician* SS Samite, a Liberty ship...
saddle cloth that was woven in northeastern Iran, some time before 961, when Abu Mansur Bakhtegin, the "camel-prince" for whom it was woven, was beheaded. It was brought back from the First Crusade
First Crusade
The First Crusade was a military expedition by Western Christianity to regain the Holy Lands taken in the Muslim conquest of the Levant, ultimately resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem...
by Étienne de Blois
Stephen II, Count of Blois
Stephen II Henry , Count of Blois and Count of Chartres, was the son of Theobald III, count of Blois, and Garsinde du Maine. He married Adela of Normandy, a daughter of William the Conqueror around 1080 in Chartres...
and dedicated as a votive gift at the Abbey of Saint-Josse
Saint-Josse
Saint-Josse, or Saint-Josse-sur-Mer, is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Saint-Josse is located 4 miles west of Montreuil-sur-Mer on the D144 road...
, near Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
, Normandy. It has been described as "the major landmark in early Islamic silk weaving".
This fragmentary textile with elephants woven into the design is the only known surviving example of a silk textile produced in Eastern Iran, in the royal workshops of the Samanid dynasty, probably at either Merv
Merv
Merv , formerly Achaemenid Satrapy of Margiana, and later Alexandria and Antiochia in Margiana , was a major oasis-city in Central Asia, on the historical Silk Road, located near today's Mary in Turkmenistan. Several cities have existed on this site, which is significant for the interchange of...
or Nishapur
Nishapur
Nishapur or Nishabur , is a city in the Razavi Khorasan province in northeastern Iran, situated in a fertile plain at the foot of the Binalud Mountains, near the regional capital of Mashhad...
. The "prince" referred to in the woven Kufic
Kufic
Kufic is the oldest calligraphic form of the various Arabic scripts and consists of a modified form of the old Nabataean script. Its name is derived from the city of Kufa, Iraq, although it was known in Mesopotamia at least 100 years before the foundation of Kufa. At the time of the emergence of...
inscription, though decipherable in more than one way, is most likely to refer to the general and emir
Emir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
Bukhtegin, active in the service of 'Abd al-Malik I, the Samanid sultan of Khorasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
, 954-61.
The cloth is now in two fragments, which are regarded as comprising about half of the original piece. They are 52 x 94cm and 24.5 x 62cm respectively, the first measurement being the length. The design was somewhat like a carpet (not that any from this date survive), with a central field containing two pairs of confronted elephants, one above the other, of which one pair survive. There is then a thin border with geometric patterns, outside which the sides have friezes of repeated camels and at least the bottom (which survives) an inscription in Kufic
Kufic
Kufic is the oldest calligraphic form of the various Arabic scripts and consists of a modified form of the old Nabataean script. Its name is derived from the city of Kufa, Iraq, although it was known in Mesopotamia at least 100 years before the foundation of Kufa. At the time of the emergence of...
script. In all there are five zones of border between the elephants and the edge of the cloth.
Like many trophies of foreign adventure, both in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
and in more modern times, in its new context, the rare textile was given new meaning, for it was used to wrap the bones of Saint Josse
Saint Josse
Saint Judoc or Saint Josse was a seventh-century Breton noble who sought the protection of Aymon, a predecessor of the counts of Ponthieu, to live as a hermit and renounce the crown of Brittany, in a place then called either Sidraga or Schaderias or Runiacum, located in the coastal forest near the...
when he was reinterred in 1134.
When the Abbey of Saint-Josse was secularised just before the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the abbey church became the parish church of the French commune of Saint-Josse
Saint-Josse
Saint-Josse, or Saint-Josse-sur-Mer, is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Saint-Josse is located 4 miles west of Montreuil-sur-Mer on the D144 road...
; the suaire was kept there until it was transferred to the Louvre.