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The lavabo with the inscription “Lavabo in innocentia manus meas. Ps. 26vs8."
A sacred basin, in medieval literature, is referred to as piscina, and less often as lavacrum, lavatorium or sacrarium. [1] It was not until the end of eleventh century that the term piscina was clearly mentioned with this specific meaning in the works of a German monk while compiling the Constitutions of his order. In modern times, the term lavabo is also used for the basin. [2] The piscina played an important role in medieval liturgy: the priest would wash his hands before Mass as an act of purification and self-cleansing before approaching the sacred altar. This act was considered a direct enactment of Psalm 26.8 in the Old Testament: “I will wash my hands in innocence.”, which is also the phrase inscribed in Latin on the kettle.* Other than the hands of the priests, the chalices and other vessels that were used at the Communion, or objects that unexpectedly came in contact with the consecrated host and wine were also rinsed at the piscina. Because of the sacredness of these objects, the water that washed them is not permitted to blend with ordinary drain water. Thus, the pipe that is connected to the basin leads directly to the soil underneath the church, so that the water could be deposited on consecrated ground. [3]
During the nineteenth century, there was a revival of the Gothic style of architecture that was prevalent during the Middle Ages. There were mainly two types of medieval piscinas. The first type was common during the Romanesque period, which took the form of a free-standing column with a basin on top. The second type consisted of a deep wall niche, with the bottom of the niche fashioned to take the form of a basin and the top moulded to form an arch. [4]
A free standing piscina in the All Saint's Church in Easington, England
A deep wall niche double piscina in Alte Kapelle in Mülheim Kärlich, Germany
The piscina, as part of the church design, is often overlooked. Little interest in the object is shown by art historians, despite the rich decorations and detailed carvings that some piscinas, especially those displayed on surviving examples from France and its neighbouring areas. [5] Moreover, as the proceedings of the rite of mass changed with time, the piscina became a part of a lost liturgical practice. In the high Middle Ages, piscinas were located in the altar area, usually on the south wall of the sanctuary. Following liturgical changes in the late Middle Ages and early modern period, the washing undertaken by the priest were now consumed by him at the altar, meaning that the lavabo no longer needed to be in close proximity to the altar, and, therefore, was often transferred to a wall in the sacristy. As a result of such changes, the liturgical importance behind the piscina was often misunderstood when churches underwent renovations and the piscinas were not maintained to an ideal standard. For example, most of the kettles with which the piscinas were equipped with are currently preserved in museums, and only a few copies stayed in their original place of use at the church. Frequently, the former presence of the kettle is only represented by an empty iron hook that is located inside the piscina niche. [6]
*a small side note: there seems to be an unexplained error regarding the verse number given on the kettle. "Lavabo in innocentia manus meas [et circuibo altare tuum Domine] is actually verse 6 and not 8 as inscribed on the kettle.
Sources
Pictures:
Kerkcollectie digital (lavaborekken, lavaboketels [accession number 10495-209]; accessed on October 20, 2021)
Spurzem. Mülheim-Kärlich, Alte Kapelle (6), Sakrarium. Image, 2017. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Alte_Kapelle_(M%C3%BClheim-K%C3%A4rlich)#/media/File:M%C3%BClheim-K%C3%A4rlich,_Alte_Kapelle_(6),_Sakrarium_(2017-09-10_Sp).jpg.
Ross, David. Free Standing Piscina. Image, 2021. https://www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=4642.
[1] Patricia Antaki-Masson, ‘Piscinas in Crusader Churches of the Latin East’, in Bridge of Civilizations: The Near East and Europe c. 1100–1300, ed. Peter Edbury, Denys Pringle, and Balázs Major (Archaeopress, 2019), 218.
[2] Antaki-Masson, 'Piscinas in Crusader Churches,' 219.
[3] Justin E. A. Kroesen, "Die Liturgische Piscina und ihre Ausstattung im Mittelalter", in ‘- das Heilige sichtbar machen’: Domschätze in Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft (Regensburg: Schnell + Steiner, 2010).
[4] Kroesen, ‘Die Liturgische Piscina und ihre Ausstattung im Mittelalter’, 240.
[5] Ibid, 244.
[6] Ibid.
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