Everything about Boy Bishop totally explained
Boy bishop was a name given to a custom very widespread in the
Middle Ages, whereby a boy was chosen, for example among cathedral
choristers, to parody the real Bishop, commonly on the feast of
Holy Innocents. This custom was linked with others, such as that of the
Feast of Fools and the
Feast of Asses.==History==
In England the boy bishop was elected on
December 6, the feast of
Saint Nicholas, the patron of children, and his authority lasted till
Holy Innocents' day (
December 28). The real Bishop would, symbolically, step down at the
deposuit potentes de sede of the
Magnificat ("he hath put down the mighty from their seat"), and the boy would take his seat at
et exaltavit humiles ("and hath exalted the humble and meek").
After the election, the boy was dressed in full bishop's robes with
mitre and
crozier and, attended by comrades dressed as priests, made a circuit of the town blessing the people.
Typically the chosen boy and his colleagues took possession of the
cathedral and performed all the ceremonies and offices, except
Mass. Originally, it seems, confined to the cathedrals, the custom spread to many parishes.
Notwithstanding the intervention of various Church authorities (see
Feast of Fools), the popularity of the custom made it resistant. In England it was abolished by
Henry VIII in 1542, revived by
Mary in 1552 and finally abolished by
Elizabeth. On the continent it survived longest in
Germany, in the so-called
Gregoriusfest, said to have been founded by
Gregory IV.
Revivals
There have been some recent revivals both in the English-speaking world and on the continent. Most famous perhaps is that of
Hereford, revived in 1973 for a special children's service, with full and traditional ceremonies following annually since 1982. The Boy Bishop preaches a sermon and leads prayers at various
Diocesan Advent services. Such ceremonies are now also found at
Westminster Cathedral,
Salisbury Cathedral, and a number of parish churches throughout England, including
Claines, Worcestershire. The custom has been likewise revived in
Chavagnes International College, a
Catholic boarding school in
France. In the
United States, one of the first revivals of the custom took place in 1979 at the Cathedral of All Saints (Episcopal) in
Albany,
New York, as part of an annual medieval fair held in the great Gothic church.
Further Information
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