1st Edition

The Late Medieval Cult of the Saints Universal Developments within Local Contexts

By Carmen Florea Copyright 2022
    346 Pages 34 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    346 Pages 34 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    This is a book that explores the nature of sainthood in a region at the margins of medieval Latin Christendom. Defining the model of sanctity that characterized Transylvania between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, the study considers how the cults of saints functioned within specific local social and cultural contexts. Analyzing case studies from a multi-ethnic region influenced by both the Latin and Eastern Christian traditions, this book provides a close reading of little-surveyed primary sources and offers a comprehensive understanding of sainthood in Transylvania, enhancing the broader study of medieval saints’ cults and their relationship to social power structures.

    It will be of great interest to scholars of medieval religion, researchers in medieval studies, and religious studies scholars engaged in comparative research.

    Introduction

    1. … For Those Diligent Servants of God and His Saints … The Transylvanian Episcopate and the Cult of the Saints

    The Apparition of St. Michael

    Universal Growth

    Local Developments

    Artisans of Dynastic Cults

    Sainted Women and Their Devotees

    The Golden Age of Late Medieval Sainthood

    2. Competing Cults in Late Medieval Transylvania: The Mendicant Case

    Multiplication

    Adaptability

    … and the Challenges of Innovation

    3. The Dynamic of Saintly Patronage

    Die Kwnígen Maria

    Civic Promotion of Sainthood in Corona

    A Distant Patron Saint

    Urban Identity and Parish Patronage: The Criss-Crossing

    Conclusion

    Biography

    Carmen Florea is a lecturer in the Department of Medieval, Early Modern and Art History, Faculty of History and Philosophy at Babeş-Bolyai University, Romania.