Eilward of Westoning, panel 4

Window: nIII (Miracle Window: Pilgrimage and Healing)
Panel: 11b
After his blinding and castration, Eilward forgave those who injured him, promised to go on pilgrimage to Canterbury, nearly died from loss of blood, and was cared for by his twelve-year-old daughter and a kindly man in Bedford named Eilbrict. The glaziers skipped over this part of the story to show the main event in the fourth panel: Becket appearing to Eilward in a vision and healing his blinded eyes. The saint is showing making the sign of the cross over Eilward’s forehead and eye sockets with his pastoral staff.

This panel is quite extensively restored, including the area behind Becket’s head and halo. Where the end of the staff would have been pictured, Austin inserted a blue replacement piece. It is a pity that Eilward’s head is an Austin replacement piece. We will never know how the medieval glaziers represented Eilward’s blinded eyes. Still, this panel is a compelling representation of the saint’s power to heal those who devote themselves to him.

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Inscription

Visible in the panel
  • InscriptionReddita succre[scunt lumina] sensimque recrescunt
  • TranslationThe restored eyes grow up and gradually increase

Panel details

  • CVMA identificationnIII.11b

Source text

Benedict of Peterborough, Miracles of St Thomas Becket

book IV, chapter 2

“Do not despair, but rather put your trust in God and the blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Thomas, who comes to visit you.” […] A female servant said to him, as if she were a messenger of a good omen, “Eilward, last night I saw in a dream that you would receive sight in both of your eyes.” And he said, “This may happen, when it pleases God and his blessed martyr Thomas.” When evening began to fall and the day was nearly done, the lids of his left eye became itchy. In order to scratch them, he removed the wax poultice that had been put on his empty eye sockets to draw out the corruption or to keep the eyelids closed. Opening his eyelids, by the wonderful power of God it seemed to him that the opposite wall of the house was lit up as if with the brightness of a lamp. It was in fact a red ray of the sun, which was almost at the point of setting.

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