Relics, writing, and devotion in early medieval Chelles

The discovery in 1983 of a collection of relics with their medieval identificatory tags in the parish church of Chelles opened new avenues for research on devotional and writing practices in this Frankish royal foundation. This is the first systematic study of the corpus of relic labels that accompanied these sacred objects, particularly of the subset of tags generally regarded as produced by Chelles scribes in the second half of the eighth century. By analysing the tags’ methods of production and handwriting, in comparison with contemporary Chelles book production, this article explores attitudes to writing in this centre and assesses how it was harnessed for both practical and devotional purposes. Its importance within the framework of early medieval relic cults is also explored.