Encountering the Medieval Altar: A Set of Seventeen Chapel Inventories from Burgos Cathedral (1369)

A rare set of seventeen draft chapel inventories from Burgos Cathedral, dating to 1369, offers unprecedented insight into the distribution and appearance of medieval liturgical objects across multiple altars. These records, initially dismissed as mere clerical ephemera, reveal significant details about altar dedications—some recorded for the first time—and provide snapshots of the cathedral’s side altars in the fourteenth century. The study highlights the multifaceted nature of cathedral life by examining supplemental information such as compiler names and legalistic declarations, which add narrative depth to the administrative processes underlying these inventories. This research sheds light on the practical concerns and complexities of medieval sacred spaces.

O’Donnell, M. M. (2022). Encountering the Medieval Altar: A Set of Seventeen Chapel Inventories from Burgos Cathedral (1369). Viator, 53(1), 111–149. https://doi.org/10.1484/j.viator.5.134460