More Thoughts About The Hidden Cross…
by Bernie Bell - 09:38 on 30 November 2025
More Thoughts About The Hidden Cross…
I sent my blog piece to Tom Muir – local story-teller - and Tom reminded me that the bones of Magnus and Rognvald, as well as two small statuettes of St Olaf and St Magnus were hidden during the Reformation as, as Tom put it…..
”All of those would have come under the puritan jackboot had they been left on display.“
My response was….
“I’ve been thinking some more about the cross and mould being hidden during the Reformation and thinking…..the mould would be seen as even more of a threat by the puritans – a cross is a cross, and can be easily destroyed. A mould for a cross can mean that many more crosses can be produced.
A person wouldn’t even need to be a metal worker – rub a bit of wax or oil in the mould, press some clay into it, turn it out – bake it - you’ve got a ceramic cross – multiple crosses.
The mould is even more worth hiding and preserving then the cross.”
I asked Tom if it’s OK to add his words to the tale, and he sent the following informative response…..
“Please do use anything, but with the caveat that I may be totally wrong in my assumptions. The puritan reformers wouldn't have had anything against the cross as a symbol of Christianity and of the martyrdom of Christ, but what this particular cross represented. A souvenir of a pilgrimage, of the visitation to the shrine of a saint. Saints were now out, along with religious art, ceremony and music. The statuettes were found upstairs in the cathedral in (I think) the 19th century. Again, Fran will know better than me. But the fact that these Medieval representations of two saints have survived the destruction of other statues during the Reformation is significant in itself. They were placed away from everyday sight. Maybe someone thought that their destruction was an unbearable thought and tried to save them, just like the bones of Magnus and Rognvald were saved from destruction and public humiliation. There has been a tendency in the past in Orkney to look on the Reformation as a bit of a non-event, because the priest and bishop changed sides so completely and continued as though nothing had happened. But for my ancestors, who worshiped in small chapels with imagery and ceremony, the sudden change must have turned their entire world upside down. Living by ceremony and ritual, observing saints feast days, decking the small churches with candles at Candlemas and the series of events during 'the Yules', as they were known. Not just Christmas and New Year, but all the other small rituals that were required to be observed to ensure the prosperity and luck of the farm and the family. To have that suddenly and violently ended must have seemed like the world was coming to an end.
By the way, the statuettes of St Olaf and St Magnus are on display in the Medieval Gallery in the Orkney Museum, as is the box that contained the bones of St Magnus.”
Being of Irish descent, I’m familiar with subterfuge being needed to practice religion – all those ‘Mass Rocks’.
https://www.findamassrock.com/
And I’m wondering what else is to be found in the nooks & crannies of the Cathedral?
Add your comment
