New exhibition in York reveals Bar Convent's historic treasures

Dr Hannah Thomas with the beautiful Arma Christi prayer scroll

A brand new exhibition at York's Bar Convent Heritage Centre, located just outside the City Walls at Micklegate Bar, is set to open on Saturday 5 April 2025 including a world premiere - the first ever display of the Bar Convent Arma Christi, a medieval illuminated prayer scroll discovered in the institution's archives.

The Bar Convent Arma Christi, fully unfurled in a dedicated glass case, is one of just 11 of these illuminated prayer scrolls known to exist in the world - and the best-preserved example ever found. It is surrounded by a host of other 'treasures' that have been passed onto the Convent's nuns for safe keeping over the last 200 years.

Arma Christi Rolls have been the subject of academic study for over 100 years, with other examples held by the British Museum, Bodleian Library and Scottish Catholic Archives in the UK, as well as Huntington Library in California and Pierpont Morgan Library in New York. The Bar Convent Arma Christi - thought to have been produced around 1475 - shares a medieval poem in beautiful calligraphy and colourful illuminated illustrations with its contemporaries, but is the only one in the world which features 'responses', written in red. This suggests that, unlike established beliefs, the Arma Christi was not produced only for private prayer, but also group worship.

The scroll was discovered by Special Collections Manager Dr Hannah Thomas as she was cataloguing the Bar Convent's collection. In its rolled format, the unassuming document is just six inches wide with the roll a couple of inches in diameter, and it was found in a box of leaflets from the 1980s. How it came into the Bar Convent's care is not known; there are no previous records of its existence, but as Hannah explains, this isn't unusual:

"The Bar Convent Arma Christi was created before the Reformation. After 1559, Catholicism was outlawed until 1829, and even possessing an item like this would have been dangerous - punishable by imprisonment. The Bar Convent was established in 1686, hiding in plain sight as a school for girls, and over the last three hundred years, the order here has been entrusted with the safe-keeping of many relics and artefacts - many of which will be on display in the Treasures Gallery."

However, for Hannah, 'treasures' has a meaning beyond the financial value of the item. "Many items in our collection tell a very human story. We know the provenance of some - for example, we have a simple wooden cross which was owned by a priest and former schoolmate of Guy Fawkes - it was with him for ten days as he hid whilst the house he was staying at was raided in the furore that followed the gunpowder plot- before his discovery and execution. Items like this tended to make their way to the Bar Convent in the late 19th century - when the owners thought it was safer, but their original owners' details were still not recorded to protect their identity.

"Sadly, we have no idea of the provenance of the Bar Convent Arma Christi - when it was passed into our care or what route it took to survive the Reformation to get to us in such good condition. It is a beautiful item, though, which can be appreciated simply for the beauty of the script and accompanying illustrations," adds Hannah.

Alongside the new Treasures Gallery, Saturday 5 April will see the opening of The Gregory Gallery, a new temporary exhibition space. This will house new interactive displays, as well as crafting activities for families for the 2025 season.

"Our Arma Christi is a globally-significant document, and so we're looking forward to welcoming academics from around the world as well as our traditional audience of adults and families to see this new exhibition," comments Sister Ann Stafford, Superior of the Bar Covent. "This makes a wonderful addition to any visit to York - an often unrecognised part of our city's history."

The Treasures Gallery opens at 10am on Saturday 5 April 2025. Admission prices are £9.50 for adults, £7.50 for concessions and £2 for children, with under 6s getting in free. A family ticket (two adults and up to two children) is £20. Tickets for the opening weekend can be booked online at: https://barconvent.co.uk/the-exhibition/

For those wishing to visit for a little longer, the Bar Convent Heritage Centre also offers award-winning ensuite single, double and family rooms, with breakfast served in the renowned Victorian Atrium café, which is open to the public for breakfast and lunch Monday to Saturday.

Read more about the Bar Convent here: https://barconvent.co.uk/