From Yesse to Saint John. Own picture
In 1220, the Cistercian monk Caesarius and his abbot Henricus van Heisterbach visited the women’s monastery Yesse near Groningen and the Groningen Martinikerk. Eight hundred years later, a three-day event in Groningen would be devoted to that visit. Covid19 threw a spanner in the works twice. The event is now booked for April 28, 29 and 30.
The program includes a ‘procession from Yesse to the Martinikerk’, lectures, exhibitions, a film and the performance of the Caesarius Cantata. This is happening on the initiative of the Visitor Center of the Monastery Yesse, the Friends of the Martinikerk Association, the Center for Religion and Heritage (RUG) and the Groninger Institute for Archeology (RUG). Most activities take place in the Martinikerk.
On Friday 29 April, Caesarius and his visit to the Martinikerk will be the focus. On that day Bart Flikema speaks about ‘The Arm of John the Baptist’, which was venerated in the Martini Church in the Middle Ages. He wrote a book about this, which will be presented to the King’s Commissioner, René Paas. In addition, the film ‘Caesarius’ by Willem Hoiting will be screened. dr. Stijn Arnoldussen (GIA) opens the exhibition ‘From Yesse to Sint Jan’, which can be visited in the high choir of the Martinikerk until 30 June. Parallel exhibitions take place at the University Library and the Groninger Archives.
Procession from Yesse
On Saturday 30 April, a procession will leave from Yesse to the Martinikerk, in which ‘Caesarius and his abbot Henricus’ will also walk. Also on 30 April, in the afternoon, Dr. Jasmin M. Hlatky (Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität, Münster) and Dr. Anneke B. Mulder-Bakker (former senior lecturer in medieval history at the University of Groningen) will give lectures, ‘Why should I read that now? , the Dialogus Miraculorum?’ resp. ‘Learned women in monastery and city’. A project choir will perform the Caesarius cantata composed by Chris Fictoor.
On Thursday evening, 28 April, another meeting for students will be held in Brouwerij Martinus in Groningen, including two lectures on ‘Beer and religion’ and on ‘Food, past and present’. This part was initiated by the Student Union for Philosophical Organizations (SKLO) in Groningen.
More information and registration can be done via www.klooseryesse.nl/yessesintjan †
This article is the product of a collaboration between the editors of Dagblad van het Noorden and Groninger Gezinsbode