A Ghostly Tale

The Fool’s Church: Rahere and the Church of St Bartholomew

“There comes a time – say, after a few centuries – when a place is allowed to revel in stories about itself, how it came to be and what it stands for. The church of Saint Bartholomew the Great in London’s West Smithfield is one such an example.

To begin with, the story of the founding of Saint Bartholomew the Great is one that has all the hallmarks of good folklore – an unlikely hero, a vision, and a dangerous journey.

The tale begins in 1120, when the court of Henry I was thrown into mourning by the death of William Adelin, heir to the crown, in a shipwreck off Harfleur. Amongst the members of Henry’s court at this time was a young cleric named Rahere. A document from 1115 in the archives of St Paul’s Cathedral describes him as a Canon. Much is made of Rahere’s charismatic and flattering nature in the presence of royalty, the sort to place a pillow ‘under every elbow’ as one 19th century text puts it.

Sensing the sombre mood at court, Rahere decided that now was the time to make a grand pilgrimage to Rome. While Rahere managed to make it to the Eternal City, he came down with a major illness, thought to be malaria. At death’s door, he claimed to have had a vision of Saint Bartholomew, patron saint of doctors and healers, who directed him to build a hospital for the treatment of the poor and needy upon his return to London.”...cont...

http://folklorethursday.com/regional-folklore/fools-church-rahere-church-st-bartholomew/#sthash.zmDIBoFb.xvVzhMEx.dpbs