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The state archives have recovered a 13th century textile, which housed and protected the founding documents of Hauterive Abbey for several centuries. This linen fabric had been lost in the mid-20th century.
A piece of fabric is missing. It was used to make the swaddling clothes for a figurine of Jesus in a manger. © Charly Rappo
Published on 04/29/2024
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
It is a linen fabric with an ordinary appearance, whose history is nevertheless rich in twists and turns. “It’s an exceptional and very rare piece,” enthused Lionel Dorthe, scientific collaborator at the State Archives of Friborg, Monday at a press conference. It’s lucky to have found her in this condition.” This fabric, which dates from the 13the century, was used to preserve the founding documents of Hauterive Abbey. Without a helping hand from fate, it probably would have been destroyed. State archives retrieved it on March 18.
The fabric reappeared in 2020. It was passed on by the descendants of Hubert de Vevey to the Abegg Foundation, which itself approached the State Archives of Fribourg. This historian, an economist by training, worked on the genealogy of 146 noble families from Friborg and Vaud. Between the 1930s and 1940s, he studied the house of Glâne. However, it was a member of this family, Guillaume de Glâne, who founded the Hauterive Abbey between 1137 and 1138, by donating land to monks coming from Cherlieu in France.
Loaned to a historian
In his writings, Hubert de Vevey mentions information from documents dating from the founding of the abbey. “It is possible that the archives lent these documents to Hubert de Vevey, as was done at the time,” says Lionel Dorthe. This is how the Fribourgeois would have come into possession of the fabric and its precious contents. The documents returned to the archives, but without their protection. “The container was not one of the concerns of historians of the time,” explains the scientific collaborator.
A rectangle has been cut from one end of the fabric. This mystery could also be solved. “The son of Hubert de Vevey used this fabric to make swaddling clothes for a little Jesus placed in a crèche,” continues Lionel Dorthe. The figurine has been preserved. Analyzes, the results of which arrived Monday morning, confirmed it. It is indeed the same fabric.
The rating is the same
When the Abegg Foundation, which is responsible for restoring valuable old textiles, contacted the Friborg archives, the presence of an “I.4” rating stood out to specialists. It is identical to that of a document from 1143. It concerns the confirmation by the bishop of Lausanne, Guido, of the donations made by Guillaume de Glâne and the donation of the church of Ecuvillens to the abbey of Hauterive. A small parchment label, attached to the fabric, also indicates “foundation of the abbey” in Latin.
In 1848, at the end of the Sonderbund War, the State took possession of the archives of Catholic abbeys, even though these institutions were closed. Joseph Victor Daguet took charge of the inventory of the treasures of Hauterive, taking over the order and the classification plan of the monks. The archives were kept in a cabinet and the dimensions corresponded to the drawer numbers. Point “I” brings together the titles relating to the founding of Hauterive. “Originally, the fabric perhaps contained all the pieces linked to the founding of the abbey,” says Lionel Dorthe. The presence of this rating attests in any case that the fabric was kept in the archives from 1848.
“It is an exceptional and very rare piece”
Lionel Dorthe
This textile had an undeniable utility. Without protection, the documents it contained could have been attacked by rats, insects or mold. In the 14the century, the monks made a first copy of the original parchment from 1143. “This shows an awareness of the importance of these documents,” underlines Lionel Dorthe. They allowed the abbey to legitimize its autonomy and to prove, in law, the possessions acquired.
That the fabric has survived the centuries is relatively unique. Generally speaking, his tribulations show the lack of interest in the history of conservation until the first half of the 20th century.e century. This attitude then changed. It is certainly the loss of the tissue which paradoxically allowed its preservation.
Precise dating
Studies were carried out by the Abegg Foundation. While archivists initially estimated that this fabric dates back to the 14the century, carbon-14 dating showed that it was older. The fabric would have been made between 1225 and 1277. “That puts it a good century before, which is relatively impressive,” notes Melina Burri, documentary information agent at the state archives. The weaving method, in a checkerboard pattern, is simple. Some imperfections testify to artisanal manufacturing.
The Abegg Foundation has carried out the restoration of this testimony to the past. Humidification helped reduce wrinkles and soften the parchment label. A suitable box has been manufactured to optimize storage. The fabric will remain in the archives in order to benefit from optimal conservation conditions. It will not be exhibited, but presented during occasional visits.
