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Amisericord (sometimes namedmercy seat, like thebiblical object, sometimesmisericordia) is a small wooden structure formed on the underside of afolding seat in achurch which, when the seat is folded up, is intended to act as a shelf to support a person in a partially standing position during long periods ofprayer.[1]
Prayers in the earlymedieval church at the dailydivine offices (i.e.Matins,Lauds,Prime,Terce,Sext,None,Vespers, andCompline) were said standing with uplifted hands. The old or infirm could use crutches or, as time went on, amisericordia (literally 'pity of the heart', to create an act of mercy). For these times of required standing, seating was constructed so that the seats could be turned up. However, the undersides sometimes had a small shelf, a misericord, allowing the user to lean against it, slightly reducing their discomfort. Like most other medieval woodwork in churches, they were usually skillfully carved and often show detailed scenes, even though they were hidden underneath the seats, especially in thechoir stalls of thechoir around the altar. Despite being located in churches, it was not considered appropriate for these sculptures to portray religious motifs, as people rested their buttocks against them. As such, misericords portrayed a wide range of subjects from secular life and folklore unrelated to the Bible.
The earliest mention of the misericord dates to the 11th century. Surviving misericords in English churches date from the start of the 13th century right up until the 21st century, although after the beginning of the 17th century they are viewed as modern copies with little or no historical importance. Remnant's 1969 catalogue dismisses everything after that date as "modern", rarely even affording it a description, but there are many wonderful carvings from the Victorian era, and even the modern day. The earliest set of misericords can be found in the choir stalls ofExeter Cathedral and date from the middle of the 13th century.[2] Slightly earlier individual examples are present atChristchurch Priory andSt Mary the Virgin, Hemingbrough in North Yorkshire.[2] The vast majority of English misericords date from the 14th and 15th centuries and are most often depictions of secular or pagan images and scenes, entirely at odds with the Christian iconography and aesthetic that surround them.
Many stalls with misericords were once part ofmonastic orcollegiate churches, but under theReformation many were either destroyed or broken up to be dispersed amongst parish churches. Those that survived were further depleted by 17th-centuryiconoclasts andVictorian reformers. One set atChester was destroyed by Dean Howson because he deemed it improper, although 43 of the original medieval scenes remain. The woodcarvers came fromLincoln in the late 14th century and moved on toWestminster Hall when they had finished thechoir, three years later. It is said that it was the apprentices who were allowed to carve the seats, while the masters did the more impressive works.
Misericords are found to this day onkathismata, the choir stalls used byEastern Orthodox monastics. These tend to be much simpler than their Western counterparts, usually being a simple strip of rounded wood with little or no ornamentation. Their use is very common in theGreek Orthodox Church, thoughRussian Orthodox monasteries tend not to have individual choir stalls, but simple benches for the brethren to sit on. Orthodox Christians stand throughout the long divine services, rather than sit or kneel, though some seating is provided for the elderly and infirm. Whereas Greek monks will tend to lean in their stalls during the services, Russian monks usually stand upright.
A distinct (but related) use of the word is to denote a room in a medieval Benedictine monastery where some part of the community would eat on any given day. TheRule of Saint Benedict included strict rules on the food allowed for monks in therefectory: for example, it provided for a complete ban on the meat of four-legged animals except for the sick. In a late medieval monastery, a schedule would send half of all monks to dine in the refectory, and the other half to the misericord, where the Rule of Saint Benedict was not in effect and they could indulge in meat. AtWestminster Abbey, the misericord was constructed sometime between 1230 and 1270.[3]
As the 'hidden' position and 'vernacular' iconography of misericords have prompted them to be seen as a subversive art-form, they have re-appeared as motifs in modern art and literature.[4]
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