Passion Relics and the Medieval Imagination
Title | Passion Relics and the Medieval Imagination PDF eBook |
Author | Cynthia Hahn |
Publisher | University of California Press |
Pages | 175 |
Release | 2020-01-07 |
Genre | Art |
ISBN | 0520305264 |
Although objects associated with the Passion and suffering of Christ are among the most important and sacred relics venerated by the Catholic Church, this is the first study that considers how they were presented to the faithful. Cynthia Hahn adopts an accessible, informative, and holistic approach to the important history of Passion relics—first the True Cross, and then the collective group of Passion relics—examining their display in reliquaries, their presentation in church environments, their purposeful collection as centerpieces in royal and imperial collections, and finally their veneration in pictorial form as Arma Christi. Tracing the ways that Passion relics appear and disappear in response to Christian devotion and to historical phenomena, ranging from pilgrimage and the Crusades to the promotion of imperial power, this groundbreaking investigation presents a compelling picture of a very important aspect of late medieval and early modern devotion.
Holy Bones, Holy Dust
Title | Holy Bones, Holy Dust PDF eBook |
Author | Charles Freeman |
Publisher | Yale University Press |
Pages | 396 |
Release | 2011-05-24 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 0300166591 |
Relics were everywhere in medieval society. Saintly morsels such as bones, hair, teeth, blood, milk, and clothes, and items like the Crown of Thorns, coveted by Louis IX of France, were thought to bring the believer closer to the saint, who might intercede with God on his or her behalf. In the first comprehensive history in English of the rise of relic cults, Charles Freeman takes readers on a vivid, fast-paced journey from Constantinople to the northern Isles of Scotland over the course of a millennium.In "Holy Bones, Holy Dust," Freeman illustrates that the pervasiveness and variety of relics answered very specific needs of ordinary people across a darkened Europe under threat of political upheavals, disease, and hellfire. But relics were not only venerated--they were traded, collected, lost, stolen, duplicated, and destroyed. They were bargaining chips, good business and good propaganda, politically appropriated across Europe, and even used to wield military power. Freeman examines an expansive array of relics, showing how the mania for these objects deepens our understanding of the medieval world and why these relics continue to capture our imagination.
Strange Beauty
Title | Strange Beauty PDF eBook |
Author | Cynthia Jean Hahn |
Publisher | Penn State Press |
Pages | 318 |
Release | 2012 |
Genre | Art |
ISBN | 0271050780 |
"A study of reliquaries as a form of representation in medieval art. Explores how reliquaries stage the importance and meaning of relics using a wide range of artistic means from material and ornament to metaphor and symbolism"--Provided by publisher.
The Reliquary Effect
Title | The Reliquary Effect PDF eBook |
Author | Cynthia Hahn |
Publisher | Reaktion Books |
Pages | 330 |
Release | 2016-11-15 |
Genre | Art |
ISBN | 1780237022 |
From skeletons to strips of cloth to little pieces of dust, reliquaries can be found in many forms, and while sometimes they may seem grotesque on their surface, they are nonetheless invested with great spiritual and memorial value. In this book, Cynthia Hahn offers the first full survey in English of the societal value of reliquaries, showing how they commemorate religious and historical events and, more important, inspire awe, faith, and, for many, the miraculous. Hahn looks deeply into the Christian tradition, examining relics and reliquaries throughout history and around the world, going from the earliest years of the cult of saints through to the post-Reformation response. She looks at relic footprints, incorrupt bodies, the Crown of Thorns, the Shroud of Turin, and many other renowned relics, and she shows how the architectural creation of sacred space and the evocation of the biblical tradition of the temple is central to the reliquary’s numinous power. She also discusses relics from other traditions—especially from Buddhism and Islam—and she even looks at how reliquaries figure in contemporary art. Fascinatingly illustrated throughout, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the enduring power of sacred objects.
The Basilica of Saint John Lateran to 1600
Title | The Basilica of Saint John Lateran to 1600 PDF eBook |
Author | L. Bosman |
Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
Pages | 609 |
Release | 2020-09-17 |
Genre | Architecture |
ISBN | 1108839762 |
The first inter-disciplinary study to examine the construction and development of the world's first cathedral from its origins to 1600.
The Texture of Images
Title | The Texture of Images PDF eBook |
Author | Livia Cárdenas |
Publisher | BRILL |
Pages | 574 |
Release | 2020-11-16 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 9004440127 |
Textures of Images presents for the first time a fundamental analysis and synopsis of the printed relic-book genre. The author brings into focus the specific mediality and aesthetics of this kind of printed books between the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period.
The Sepulchre of Christ and the Medieval West
Title | The Sepulchre of Christ and the Medieval West PDF eBook |
Author | Colin Morris |
Publisher | OUP Oxford |
Pages | 456 |
Release | 2005-03-17 |
Genre | Religion |
ISBN | 0191520608 |
The tomb of Christ at Jerusalem was a vital influence in the making of Western Europe. Pilgrimage there influenced the development of society and its structures. The desire to 'bring the Sepulchre to the West' in copies or memorials shaped art and religion, while the ambition to control Christ's tomb was a central objective of the crusades. Western Europe responded to the loss of Jerusalem by creating a new pilgrimage to the East, by making kingdoms 'holy lands' for their subjects, and by creating new pilgrim centres at home. This book brings together social, political, and religious themes often considered in isolation.