ABSTRACT
This chapter examines a second regional example from approximately the same period, namely the origins of the English cult of St Katherine, to establish whether similar processes were at work. In so doing, it is hoped to develop a model to explain the processes underlying the early development of Katherine’s cult. The cults of indigenous English saints usually developed around the presumed primary relics of a particular individual who, either from the manner of their life or the circumstances of their death, or both, was considered to be saintly. Whilst relics were not always sufficient to ensure the success of a saint’s cult, without them few cults progressed far. If the calendar and the table in the computus are contemporary and date from c.1030 rather than c.1060, this would be highly significant in terms of the introduction of Katherine’s cult into both Normandy and England.
