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The History of St Bartholomew the Great |
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Rahere In Rome, like many pilgrims, he fell ill. As he lay delirious he prayed for his life vowing that, if he survived, he would set up a hospital for the poor in London. His prayers were answered and he recovered. As he turned for home the vision of Saint Bartholomew appeared to him and said “I am Bartholomew who have come to help thee in thy straights. I have chosen a spot in a suburb of London at Smithfield where, in my name, thou shalt found a church.” A “suburb” here means outside the walls of the City but not outside the City itself, whose boundary is defined by the “bars” (e.g. Temple Bar, Holborn Bar) True to his word Rahere set up both a church, a priory of Augustinian canons, and the hospital. He lived to see their completion – indeed he served as both prior of the priory and master of the hospital – and it is possible that he was nursed at Barts before his death in 1145. His tomb lies in the church. St Bartholomew There is a magnificent altarpiece in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich that depicts the Apostle, with St Agnes and St Cecilia. The artist, active 1470-1510, in Cologne, is unknown and has been given the title of the “Master of the St Bartholomew altarpiece”.
There is a statue of St Bartholomew in the Duomo in Milan by Marco d’Agrate (1562) and another, by Damien Hirst, currently on loan to St Bartholomew the Great.
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Copyright © St Bartholomew the Great 2008 |
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St Bartholomew the Great was established in 1123 by Rahere a courtier and favourite of King Henry I. It is thought that it was the death of the king’s wife Matilda, followed two years later by the drowning of their heir Prince William, his brother, half-brother and sister, that prompted Rahere to renounce his profession for a more worthy life and make his pilgrimage to Rome. 
