Holy Ghost in the Machine: The Debate Behind the Miraculous Medieval Crucifix of Boxley Abbey
It is the middle of the fifteenth century and Catholic pilgrims from all across Europe are flocking to the County of Kent near the town of Maidstone in the southeast of England. These devout pilgrims journey by the thousands, twice each year on Easter Sunday and on the day of the Ascension, to witness one of the most holy miracles of the Middle Ages in action--the Rood of Grace. The Rood of Grace is located among lush green rolling fields and hills in the center of the church at Boxley Abbey. Boxley Abbey was founded in the year 1148 by a Flemish mercenary turned scholastic monk named William of Ypres and in the middle of the 15th century it is home to a flourishing order of Cistercian monks. Boxley Abbey as Depicted Before it Fell into Ruins Sometimes referred to as the Rood of Boxley Abbey, the Rood of Grace, is a representation of a crucified Jesus on a wooden cross that is said to move and to even speak to worthy pilgrims as if it is alive. To journey to Boxley Abbey a...