Part 1, Section 2 Summary

Two things distinguish St Angelicus. The first it shares with St Andrew's: it was founded by Pope Benedict, who, two years after his election in 1394, was dethroned. To the embarrassment of European nobility, Benedict continued holding very public audiences and stubbornly--he was over 90--did not die. His one earthly pleasure was said to be the quince preserves made by the Benedictine nuns who tended him. One Benedictine nun was persuaded to poison him: he vomited and so was saved, dying "with dignity" five years later (after she had been burned at the stake). During the war of the Spanish succession, however, marauding French soldiers dug up his body and cut off his head. His head was later rescued from a ditch by a pious peasant. It became an object of religious veneration. The second thing that distinguishes Angelicus is its size...