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Secondary sourceArtifact12th century

Fermo Chasuble of St. Thomas Becket

12th century

A silk vestment traditionally linked to Becket, preserved in Fermo Cathedral's treasury as one of his few surviving personal possessions.

A vestment traditionally associated with Becket's burial, reflecting his cult and its reach across medieval Europe.

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A large semicircular textile, likely a chasuble, displayed flat in a curved glass case mounted on a white wall. Its faded beige fabric has repeating circular medallions containing small figures and patterns, with a vertical band down the center. Lights run along the top of the case.
Fermo chasuble of St. Thomas Becket, 12th century. Museo Diocesano, Fermo, Italy.

About this source

What it is

The Fermo chasuble is a semicircular silk vestment decorated with gold and red embroidery, including an Islamic-style inscription. It is kept in the treasury of Fermo Cathedral, Italy, and was donated by Bishop Presbitero, who scholars suggest may have received it from Becket himself or through the growing Cult of Saint Thomas.

Why it matters

Tradition holds that this was the garment Becket was buried in after his murder in 1170, though some scholars dispute whether it dates from his lifetime at all. Either way, it shows how quickly relics, real or claimed, associated with Becket spread across Europe after his death, and how his veneration connected England to the wider medieval world, including the Islamic textile traditions reflected in its decoration.

Look closer

  • Why might people value an object said to have touched or been worn by a famous figure?
  • What does the embroidery's style suggest about trade and exchange in the medieval world?
  • Why do historians disagree about whether this garment really belonged to Becket?

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Document

Primary source

Constitutions of Clarendon

Henry II of England · 1164

Exterior view of Canterbury Cathedral under a clear blue sky. A tall Gothic central tower with pinnacles rises above the stone nave and side chapels, with large pointed windows and a sloping roof visible. Grass lies in the foreground.Artifact

Primary source

Canterbury Cathedral

founded 597

A rectangular gilt copper reliquary casket with blue champlevé enamel, set with oval glass gems along its lid and four feet. Front panels show gilded figures in scenes, including a bishop-like figure at an altar with a chalice, and an upper scene of a tomb or bier with mourners.Artifact

Secondary source

Becket Casket

c. 1180-1190

Display case in a museum showing a pale cream silk liturgical robe with gold-embroidered borders on a mannequin, a pair of cream shoes, two long red-edged gold-patterned embroidered bands (stoles or orphreys), and a dark purple garment with gold trim at right.Artifact

Secondary source

Becket Liturgical Garments, Sens Cathedral

12th century

Title page of a 1969 Slatkine Reprints edition of La Vie de Saint Thomas le Martyr, Archevêque de Canterbury, by Garnier de Pont Sainte Maxence, edited by C. Hippeau, part of the Collection des Poètes Français du Moyen Âge. Includes a small book-and-torch vignette and the publisher Genève 1969.Book

Secondary source

Vie de saint Thomas

Guernes de Pont-Sainte-Maxence · c. 1174

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