ABSTRACT
The destruction of the cult of the saints, the dissolution of the monasteries and official iconoclasm in the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI changed both the physical appearance of the English church and the nature of its relationship with the past. David Cressy has argued that a 'calendrical consciousness' permeated people's lives, and the transformation of this calendar the period between 1530 and 1570 was therefore a highly visible and potentially powerful manifestation of doctrinal change. The liturgical calendar both shaped, and was shaped by, the interchange between the past and the present; the abrogation of the feasts and festivals of the saints not only impacted upon the life of the mid-century church but also articulated a shifting relationship between the national church and medieval Catholicism. The festivals of the liturgical year had provided a vehicle for the communication of the theology and faith of the medieval church.
