The story of the Grail is a classic example of the adaptation of pagan legends to new Christian realities. Its sources and basis were the apocryphal "Gospel of Nicodemus" (Gnostic) and the Celtic legend about the island of the blessed Avalon. For Christian authors, Avalon has become a dwelling place for souls who did not deserve hellish torment, but turned out to be unworthy of paradise. In some novels of the Breton cycle, the knights are looking for the castle where the Grail is kept. Most often, this relic is represented by the cup from which Christ and the apostles drank during the Last Supper. In the same bowl, according to legend, Joseph of Arimathea collected the blood of the crucified Christ. But in one of the novels, the Grail is called a stone, we will talk about this a little later.
Holy Grail Castles
Chrétien de Trois told his first readers about the Grail - in the unfinished novel "Perceval or the Story of the Grail." In the prologue, this author says that he found the story of the Grail in a book that Philippe, Count of Flanders, gave him for a time. And says he tried to retell in verse
"The best of the tales told at the royal court."
In "Perceval" de Trois, the castle of the "fisherman king" has no name, and Wolfram von Eschenbach in "Parzival" called it Munsalves ("My salvation"). In the opera of the same name, Wagner changed the name of the castle to Monsalvat ("Mountain of Salvation") and placed it in the Pyrenees. Perhaps some of you remember the lines of M. Voloshin:
Autumn wanders the parks of Versailles, The whole sunset glow is embraced …
I dream about the Grail knights
On the harsh rocks of Monsalvat."
And in the "Vulgate" (an anonymous cycle of 5 knightly novels) the place where the Grail is kept is the castle Corbenic or Corbin - from the Welsh Caerbannog ("Mountain fortress").
"The Virgin with the Grail at Corbin Castle." Illustration by Arthur Rackham
In knightly novels, the Grail fortress bears little resemblance to the medieval castles of Europe. According to many researchers, the description of its interior design is much more like the banquet hall of the Irish kings, or even the underground dwellings of the Sids, described in Cormac's Journey, Bricren's Feast, the legend of Saint Collen's visit to the castle of Gwynne, son of Nudd.
Some in Nazi Germany seem to have identified Monsalvat with one of the Catalan mountain monasteries.
On October 23, 1940, in the southern French city of Hendaye, located on the border with Spain, a meeting between Adolf Hitler and Francisco Franco took place. And Heinrich Himmler, who accompanied Hitler that day, suddenly found himself in the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat, which is located in the mountains about 50 km from Barcelona (the famous sculpture of the "Black Madonna" is kept here).
Himmler to Montserrat
To the monk Andreu Ripol, who because of his knowledge of German became his "guide", Himmler said:
"We all know the Holy Grail is here."
Modern Montserrat, photo by the author
Some sources say that Munsalves Castle belongs to the Cathars. On this basis, the German archaeologist Otto Rahn identified it with the Albigensian castle of Montsegur, captured and destroyed by the crusaders on March 16, 1244. There is a legend that shortly before the fall of this castle, four perfect Cathars managed to leave Montsegur through a secret passage, taking with them the main relics, among which the Grail could be. Ran stated this hypothesis in the book "The Crusade Against the Grail".
This work interested Heinrich Himmler himself, who invited Rahn to join the SS and ordered the financing of his search for the Grail in the vicinity of Montsegur. Nothing similar to the Grail Ran was found. And he could hardly find the Grail. The fact is that this particular relic was not of particular value to the Cathars. The Albigensians considered Christ to be an angel in the form of a man. Therefore, they did not believe in the death of Jesus on the cross, or in the resurrection that followed. And, accordingly, they did not believe that his blood could be collected in some kind of bowl.
Wolfram von Eschenbach in the novel "Parzival" calls the Templars the keepers of the Grail. Some believe that the last Grand Master of this order, Jacques de Molay, never gave the location of the Grail to the executioners of the French King Philip IV.
The Mystery of the Grail
The word graal (variant - greal) in translation from Old French means a goblet or a bowl. Many believe that it comes from the Latin gradalis, which in turn was formed once from the Greek word krater, which was called a vessel with a wide neck, intended for mixing wine with water. Some believe that the Celts who heard about the Grail could identify it with the magic cauldron of the people of the children of the goddess Danu, or with the dish of the legendary King Ridderch, from which no one left hungry.
By the way, other treasures of the Danu people were the spear, which was later identified with the spear of Longinus, and the sword, which is considered the prototype of Excalibur.
In the novel by Chrétien de Trois, the word “graal” (graal) is still written with a small letter, in those days it could mean a flat plate on which fish was usually served (recall that Perceval saw a relic in the castle of the “fisherman king”). The virgin carried him with both hands, and instead of a fish, there were communion wafers on the platter. With this graal:
“Gold was made of pure, In addition, generous and rich
It is strewn with a scattering of stones."
Agree, it is difficult to imagine such an expensive cup on the table of the half-poor apostles. However, de Trois did not even imagine this, the cup of the Eucharist of Christ and the Apostles was called the Grail later. The main attention of Perseval, the hero of de Troyes' novel, is not yet attracted by the Grail, but by the bleeding spear, which later became associated with the spear of the centurion Longinus. However, it was the Grail that thrilled the readers of this novel. And this was the beginning of the formation of one of the greatest legends in the history of mankind. Continuation of the novel de Troyes tried to write Vauchier de Denin, Pseudo-Voshier (Pseudo-Gaultier), Gerbert and Manessier.
With the cup of the Last Supper, in which Joseph of Arimathea later collected the blood of Christ, Robert de Boron identified the Grail (in the "Novel on the History of the Grail"). The Grail symbolized the highest moral perfection, but brought very tangible benefits. He healed the sick and prolonged life. Eschenbach writes:
“There is no such patient who, in front of this stone, would not receive a guarantee of avoiding death for the entire week after the day he saw it. Whoever sees it stops aging … This stone gives a person such power that his bones and flesh immediately find their youth again. It is called the Grail."
The Grail also gave any food:
“The finest drinks and food the aroma of which has ever spread in this world. In addition, the stone provides various game for its keepers"
(Eschenbach).
In the other place:
“One hundred pages were ordered to appear with respect to the Grail and collect bread, which they then carried away, wrapped in white napkins. They told me, and I repeat to you, that at the Grail the companions found all the dishes they could wish for, ready to be eaten."
Eschenbach's Grail, which he called "the stone that fell from heaven" and "the most coveted stone", is very similar to the philosopher's stone. This author says about him:
The source of the brightest joys, He is the root, he is the sprout, Paradise gift, excess of earthly bliss, The embodiment of perfection”.
In addition, Eschenbach states:
“The grail is so heavy
That none of the sinful people
Do not raise it forever."
But in all other sources, the Grail is a cup or goblet. Even R. Wagner, who wrote an opera based on Eschenbach's novel, "corrected the mistake" by making the Grail a cup.
Parzival at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona
But there is a version according to which the word "Grail" comes from the Latin gradual, which meant only a collection of liturgical texts.
Michael Baigent, Richard Lee and Henry Lincoln in the book "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail" suggested that San Graal ("Holy Grail") should be read as sang real - "royal blood" of the descendants of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene (which supposedly were The "lazy kings" of the Mervingi). This rather delusional and, of course, offensive to Christians version became widely known thanks to Brown's book "The Da Vinci Code" and the film of the same name.
Quest for the Grail
Knights who dared to look for the Grail went literally "there, I don't know where": not only could no one say where exactly to look for the same Munsalves (Monsalvat), this castle was also invisible. Eschenbach writes:
“To get into this castle, Neither diligence nor power is needed, Neither luck nor mighty mind, -
Only a chance prepared by fate”.
Eschenbach also claimed that Munsalvesh was guarded by the Templars (recall that this order was founded in 1119):
“The valiant knights live in the castle of Munsalves, where they guard the Grail. These are the Templars who often go to distant lands in search of adventure … Everything they feed on comes to them from the precious stone (Grail)."
And since no one knew exactly what the Grail looked like, you can add that they were going to find "I don't know what." The Grail itself was supposed to appear worthy.
Evrard d'Espenck. "The Knights of the Round Table and the Vision of the Holy Grail" 1475 This event took place on the day the young Galahad (son of Lancelot) appeared to the court of Arthur, who was destined to find the Grail.
In addition, along the way, the knights, "who lived a righteous life and possessed great valor," found "branches of the sacred grass, which was the sign of the Holy Grail."
All in all:
Only the pure are given contemplation
The eternally joyful Grail.
(N. Gumilyov).
Sir Lancelot of the Lake, the greatest of the knights, saw the Grail as many as two times, but he was not worthy of it, since he performed his feats not to glorify the Lord, but in the name of his Beautiful Lady - Queen Guinevere.
Aubrey Beardsley. Queen guenever
Lancelot at the Chapel of the Holy Grail by Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1870
And the story of Lancelot ended very sadly: after the death of Arthur, he went crazy, and his beloved Guinevere went to the monastery.
Lancelot's son Galahad, his nephew Sir Bors and Percival (in German novels - Parzival) were worthy to see the Grail.
The Reaching of the Grail by Sir Galahad, accompanied by Sir Bors and Sir Perceval, 19th century tapestry
Sir galahad and holy grail
And only in the little-known German novel "The Crown" it is stated that Sir Gawain was able to see the Grail.
Galahad became the keeper of the relic. After his death, the Grail was taken to heaven by angels. According to another version, Galahad was taken to heaven by the angels alive - along with the Grail.
And in the Germanic novel by Wolfram von Eschenbach, the guardian of the Grail was Parzival (Percival), whom the author also declared the head of the Knights Templar.
Some researchers believe that the prototype of Percival was the Celtic hero Peridor ab Efrav, who, according to legend, freed the earth from many monsters. It is also believed that one of the sources for the story of Percival could have been the legend of another Irish hero - Finn McCumhile.
According to British tradition, the Grail was not taken to heaven, but was buried in Glastonbury Abbey. Joseph of Arimathea allegedly buried him on one of the hills, where thorns grew out of the staff, which he stuck into the ground. The plant that was thought to be Joseph's thorns was indeed of Middle Eastern origin. Apparently, his seedling was brought from Palestine by one of the crusaders or pilgrims.
Glastonbury blackthorn
In the 17th century, this tree was felled by Cromwell's soldiers, but gave new shoots. However, in December 2010, it was again cut down by some vandals. Some priests commented on this news in the spirit that people in general and the British in particular are no longer worthy of such a valuable relic, and therefore it was taken from them.
In Glastonbury Abbey there is also the Chalice Well spring, whose water is colored red due to its high iron content. According to the same legend, it originates from the grail's burial place.
"Well of the Chalice"
In 1906, near this well Wellesley Tudor Pole found a glass bowl, which was almost declared the Grail. However, it turned out that many years ago a certain John Goodchild brought this vessel from Italy and left it here as a gift to the local Celtic goddess.
The Grail
Do you want to see the Grail? Well, or at least an artifact that the Catholic Church carefully acknowledges as the "most likely Grail." In 2015, I discovered it in Valencia Cathedral. The construction of the cathedral began in 1262 on the site of a destroyed mosque, which, in turn, was erected on the foundations of the Roman temple of Diana. This cathedral was built in different architectural styles: from the side of the Iron Gate - Italian Baroque, where the Apostolic Gate is Gothic, and the facade of the Palace Gate is a Romanesque style.
Cathedral of Saint Mary, Valencia, Apostolic Gate
The Grail is kept in the Santo Caliz chapel, which can be accessed through the Iron (main) gate - from the side of the Queen's Square.
Cathedral of Saint Mary, Valencia, Iron Gate
After entering the cathedral, you need to turn right.
Grail in Valencia Cathedral:
Please note: Only a bowl made of oriental carnelian with a diameter of 9.5 cm, a depth of 5.5 cm and a height of 7 cm is considered the grail. Do not pay attention to the medieval stand (with an Arabic inscription).
Professor of the University of Zaragoza, Antonio Beltran Martinez, dated the cup to 100-50 BC. BC NS. Even if he is right, this, of course, does not mean that it was this cup that was once at the Last Supper on the table of Christ and the apostles. But in 1959, Pope John XXIII promised an indulgence to everyone who made a pilgrimage to Valencia and prayed near this relic, which he called the "Holy Chalice."
Divine services with her were performed by two popes who visited Valencia. John Paul II, when celebrating Mass on November 8, 1982, did not dare to call this cup the Grail. Pope Benedict XVI on July 8, 2006 turned out to be more courageous and nevertheless uttered the word "Grail".
Benedict XVI in Valencia
Tradition claims that this cup came to Spain in the 3rd century during the reign of Pope Sixtus II with a monk who is now known as Saint Loresco (Lawrence), and until 711 was kept in the cathedral of the city of Huesca. Then she took refuge from the Moors in one of the Pyrenean caves. The bowl returned to Huescu at the end of the 11th century and was already in the monastery of San Juan de da Peña.
Now we turn from legends to history and see the first message about this artifact in an absolutely reliable source: in 1399, the monks of the monastery of San Juan de la Peña made a deal with King Martin of Aragon, giving him the relic in exchange for a golden cup. The supposed Grail was kept in the royal palace in Zaragoza, then it was transported to Barcelona, and in 1437 King Alfonso of Aragon transferred it to the Cathedral of Valencia to pay off his debts. At this time, the cup was already revered by everyone as the Grail. In the inventory of the cathedral, it was designated as
"Chalice in which the Lord Jesus consecrated wine to blood at the Supper on Great Thursday."
Evidence of the veneration of this relic is Juan de Juanes' fresco "The Last Supper" (Prado Museum), painted in 1562: the "Valencian Grail" on it stands on a table in front of Christ.
Juan de Juanes. Last Supper, detail
To recognize the Valencian Cup as the Grail or not, everyone decides for himself - it's a matter of faith.
Several other cities also claim the Grail. In New York, for example, you can see the so-called "Antioch chalice", found on the territory of the Ottoman Empire (in Syria) in 1908.
Chalice of antioch
This is a silver bowl, enclosed in a gilded shell. Research has shown that the inner bowl was created in the first half of the 6th century and is a Byzantine oil lamp used in worship. Since 1950 it has been in the Cloisters Museum (a branch of the New York Metropolitan Museum).
The Genoese bowl, which is kept in the Museum of Church Treasures at the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, was brought to this city after the First Crusade by a certain Guglielm Embriako - in 1101.
Genoese bowl
It is made of green glass, an ancient product (made in Mesopotamia in the pre-Islamic period), but it is still less than 2000 years old. This bowl was damaged when it became a trophy of Napoleon Bonaparte - during transportation to Paris and back.
Doña Urraki's goblet (daughter of King Leon Fernando I) was made from two agate bowls in the 2nd-3rd centuries. n. NS. Since the 11th century, it has been kept in the Basilica of San Isidoro in León.
Bowl of Donja Urraki
According to legend, in 1054 this cup was presented to King Fernando by the emir of Denia (an Islamic state in the territory of the present province of Valencia), and it came to Denia from Egypt.
Another contender for the title of Grail is the Lycurgus Cup: a glass vessel 165 mm high and 132 mm in diameter, probably made in the 4th century in Alexandria. On its walls is depicted the death of the Thracian king Lycurgus, who was strangled with vines for insulting Dionysus. You can see the cup in the British Museum. Apparently, it was considered a grail because, depending on the lighting, it changes color from green (in the shade) to red.
Lycurgus Cup under different lighting
In this photo you can see the Agate Bowl from the Imperial Treasury of the Hoffburg Palace (Vienna).
Hoffburg Palace Agate Bowl
This is a solid stone dish created in the 4th century in Byzantium. Under certain lighting, patterns are visible on it, reminiscent of the word "Christ", written in Latin and Greek letters.
And this is the bowl of Nanteos, kept in the National Library of Wales.
Nanteos Cup
Healing properties are attributed to her. On the cup of Christ and the apostles, it is, perhaps, more similar than all others. This is a fragment of a wooden bowl made from an elm tree in the 14th century. Previously, it was believed that it was made of the cross on which Christ was crucified. Rumors that this is the Grail appeared after 1879.
Concluding this series of articles, it should be said that the knightly novels, written under the influence of Celtic legends, gave the knights of medieval Europe, albeit unattainable, but an ideal to which they should strive. Of course, real, non-book feudal lords were always very far from the heroes of the books they read. But it was just as difficult to call many members of the CPSU real communists. And just as far from true Christians, most of those people who wear a cross on their chests and periodically go to church to light a candle there. Not to mention those who donate part of the money they stole for the construction or repair of the church, hoping to hide the flaws and stains of their souls from God behind the gilding of church domes and icon frames.
Knights who were uncritical about the plots of the novels they read and who relied too much on their notions of honor were usually very short lives. A striking example is the fate of Viscount Raimond Roger Trencavel. This young man was one of the most noble, wealthy and powerful lords of Europe, but at the same time - an idealist. In July 1209, shocked by the atrocities committed by the crusaders in the Albigensian city of Béziers, he ordered to notify his subjects:
"I offer a city, a roof, bread and my sword to all who are persecuted, who are left without a city, roof or bread."
Many unfortunate people then came to Carcassonne, and on August 1, the crusaders also appeared. After 12 days of siege, the naive 24-year-old viscount tried to negotiate with his knight brothers, was treacherously captured and three months later died of hunger and disease in the dungeon of the castle of Komtal, which had recently belonged to him.
Raimond Roger Trencavel, Viscount of Beziers and Carcassonne. Monument in the city of Burlaz (department of Tarn), France
However, as we have already said, the novels of the Breton cycle nevertheless formed stable ideas about the ideals of chivalry and therefore softened morals at least a little.
