Vicarius, Canonicus Et Episcopus : Three Late Medieval Grave Slabs From Tartu and Tallinn

Abstract

, an incised Late Medieval grave slab came to light during the archaeological excavations of Tartu Cathedral. 2 The rectangular slab is made of limestone, decorated with the figure of a cleric and with a Latin inscription in Gothic minuscule (Fig. 1). The dimensions of the slab are 207×136 cm, but almost a quarter of it-a large part of the upper left corner-has been lost. Since October 2013, the object, which belongs to Tartu City Museum, has been exhibited under the floor in the foyer of the University of Tartu's History Museum, above a medieval burial chamber (there is no connection between the two). 3 There are two main reasons why this grave slab warrants attention. Firstly, there are very few surviving medieval grave slabs or their fragments in present-day Estonia that are decorated with human figures. 4 Secondly, the inscription allows us to add a new name to the list of cler