Page:The Saxon Cathedral at Canterbury and The Saxon Saints Buried Therein.djvu/98

THE SAXON CATHEDRAL AT CANTERBURY On the Easter Eve of 1180, however, the rebuilt choir was taken possession of by the monks, and the body of St. Odo was finally translated to the south side of the new round chapel of the Holy Trinity, or Corona, as it is called in Canterbury, where it lay with its oolite pyramidal tomb above it. The relics of St. Wilfrid were placed on the north side of the same chapel, the position of his tomb being recognized by the sunk quatrefoils of the step beneath the north window as before mentioned.

In the Inventory of Books and Relics in Christ Church, Canterbury, 1315–1316, made during the Priorate of Henry of Eastry, occurs: "Corpus Sancti Odonis in feretro ad coronam versus austrum"; and a last reference is in the Library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where, amongst the Parker MSS., is one of the time of Archbishop Warham wherein it is stated: "Odo modo jacet ad Coronam Sancti Thome in capella sancte Trinitatis ad dexteram."

St. Odo's dust probably still lies under the step on the south side of the Corona. His tomb may be the one in Fordwich Church, of which no early history is known save that it was removed from the west wall of that church in the eighteenth century and is now against the north wall of the aisle; it had been turned out into the churchyard, brought to a garden in Canterbury and lastly sent again to Fordwich. It is composed of oolitic limestone, its nearest early representative is Bath Stone, the carving upon it is of the time of Odo, and upon the ridge is a plug hole and a rest where might have been fitted a representation of the dove carved in stone as seen by his successor Dunstan. 60