Têtes coupées des saints au Moyen Âge. Martyrs, miracles, reliques
This article presents the theme of the severed heads of saints from three aspects. The miracles of the severed heads of the martyrs attest to the living force that resides in them : the head can be reunited with the body without traces ; it makes a healing spring ; it continues to speak ; and, final...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Université du Sud Toulon-Var
2020-12-01
|
| Series: | Babel: Littératures Plurielles |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journals.openedition.org/babel/11516 |
| Summary: | This article presents the theme of the severed heads of saints from three aspects. The miracles of the severed heads of the martyrs attest to the living force that resides in them : the head can be reunited with the body without traces ; it makes a healing spring ; it continues to speak ; and, finally, some saints carry their heads to their burial places. The adventures of John the Baptist’s severed head are the subject of several accounts of invention and translation in the East and West. As for the embedding of head relics in reliquaries, the diversity of solutions is remarkable, ranging from « talking » head- and bust-reliquaries to skulls dressed in cloth. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1277-7897 2263-4746 |