Death, Burial, and Canonisation
Cantilupe died at Ferento, near Orvieto, in Italy, on 25 August 1282; he was buried in Hereford Cathedral. Part of the evidence used to secure his canonisation was the supposed resurrection of William Cragh, a Welsh rebel who was hanged in 1290, eight years after Cantilupe's death. A papal inquiry was convened in London on 20 April 1307 to determine whether or not Cantilupe had died excommunicate; if he had, then he could not be canonised. Forty-four witnesses were called and various letters produced, before the commissioners of the inquiry concluded that Cantilupe had been absolved in Rome before his death.
On 17 April 1320, Cantilupe was canonised by Pope John XXII, after a papal investigation lasting almost 13 years. His feast day was fixed on 2 October. His shrine became a popular place of pilgrimage, and its base can still be seen there today. Since 1881, a reliquary containing his skull has been held at Downside Abbey in Somerset.
In the 2004 edition of the Roman Martyrology, Cantilupe is listed under 25 August with the Latin name Thomae Cantelupe. He is mentioned as follows: 'At Mount Faliscorum in Tuscany passed Saint Thomas Cantelupe, bishop of Hereford in England, famous for his learning, who, though severe in his treatment of himself, was generous to the poor'.
Read more about this topic: Thomas De Cantilupe