Pope to view region's holy relics

Published 9 Sep 2010 14:46 0 Comments

AS Pope Benedict XVI prepares to beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman during his visit to the UK next week, a top Borders visitor attraction is getting ready to send two valuable religious artifacts once owned by the Victorian theologian to Edinburgh to be viewed by His Holiness during his visit.

Abbotsford, the Tweed side home of novelist Sir Walter Scott, was visited by Cardinal Newman in 1852 and again in 1872. Following one of his visits, the Cardinal gifted two beautifully ornate vestments, worn by him when he conducted mass at the historic property, to Mary Monica the daughter of Abbotsford's owners, the Hope Scott family.

The objects have never previously been on public display and following Cardinal Newman's beatification in Birmingham on 19 September, they will become second-class holy relics.

Expert assessment of the artifacts is currently being sought, but one is believed to include 16th century tapestry panels mounted onto 18th century silk, and the second is understood to be a fine example of a 19th century vestment.

A representative from the Archdiocese of Edinburgh recently visited Abbotsford to view the vestments and requested their loan for the Papal Visit next week.

They will be made available for His Holiness to view and will then be shown at St Bennet's in the Capital, after which they will be returned to Abbotsford and displayed in the chapel in which they would have been used.

Abbotsford was inherited by James Robert Hope Scott following his marriage to Sir Walter Scott's grand-daughter Charlotte. Hope Scott had been a contemporary and friend of Cardinal Newman at Oxford and both he and his wife converted to Catholicism after their marriage.

The Cardinal visited the family twice at Abbotsford, celebrating mass several times in Sir Walter Scott's domestic chapel in the basement of Abbotsford during his visit in 1852, and then later in the property's current chapel during his subsequent visit in 1872.

Jason Dyer, Chief Executive, The Abbotsford Trust said: "Cardinal Newman has strong links with Abbotsford through his close friendship with James Hope Scott so we are delighted to be able to lend his vestments to the Archdiocese of Edinburgh next weekend for the Pope's visit.

"We believe that visitors, both UK and international, will be extremely interested in seeing the holy relics on display in Edinburgh and here in the Scottish Borders following their return to their Abbotsford home next month."

The Abbotsford Trust recently received £9 million in Heritage Lottery and public sector funding to put towards the restoration of Scott's beloved Borders home, including the development of a new visitor centre. Fundraising is still ongoing but plans for the project include the detailed cataloging and conserving of the collections at the historic house."

Cardinal Newman's Abbotsford Vestments will go on show for visitors to Abbotsford from Friday, October 9. Abbotsford is currently open seven days a week until October 31. This year, for the first time, Abbotsford will offer winter weekend opening allowing additional opportunities to view both the Cardinal Newman vestments, and the rest of Sir Walter Scott's historic property.

Mr Dyer said: "Abbotsford is a real treasure trove of historic objects collected both by Sir Walter Scott and his descendants. In addition to Cardinal Newman, visitors to the house have also included significant literary figures including Wordsworth, Byron, Dickens, Charlotte Bronte and Oscar Wilde. We know that there are many wonderful and important objects at Abbotsford that have never been assessed or shown to the public, which is why our work in restoring this significant property is so vital."

Anyone wishing to donate to the Abbotsford Fundraising Project should contact Jason Dyer on Tel: 01896 752043. Visitor information and opening times are available at www.scottsabbotsford.co.uk

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