The reception and interpretation of St. Jerome’s description of two of St Hilarion’s Epidaurian miracles in Dubrovnik-based sources and tradition
The brief sojourn of St Hilarion to a setting not far from Epidaurus in Dalmatia in circa 365 CE was depicted by St Jerome in Vita Sancti Hilarionis, portraying the two notable miracles of the famous Palestinian anchorite - the slaying of the dragon Boas ravaging the area and the rescue...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Institute for Balkan Studies SASA
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Balcanica |
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| Online Access: | http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0350-7653/2021/0350-76532152025P.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818896555547033600 |
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| author | Preradović Dubravka |
| author_facet | Preradović Dubravka |
| author_sort | Preradović Dubravka |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The brief sojourn of St Hilarion to a setting not far from Epidaurus in
Dalmatia in circa 365 CE was depicted by St Jerome in Vita Sancti
Hilarionis, portraying the two notable miracles of the famous Palestinian
anchorite - the slaying of the dragon Boas ravaging the area and the rescue
of the city from the giant waves that threatened to devastate it. Both
miracles have been interwoven into the later narratives of both medieval
writers and the Renaissance chroniclers of Dubrovnik, especially Thomas the
Archdeacon (of Split), Anonymous, Nicolo Ragnina and Serafino Razzi. The
paper discourses these historians’ interpretations (along with the accounts
of later Dubrovnik chroniclers) of the glorious miracles of St Hilarion. In
the Dubrovnik chronicles, the miracle of the dragon is correlated with the
legend of the Theban king Cadmus, who was transformed into a serpent upon
his arrival in the area, or with Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine whose
most famous sanctuary was the homonymous town in the Peloponnese and whose
symbol was a serpent or snake on a rod. In accordance with the local legend,
the mentioned chroniclers unambiguously correlated the liberation of the
city from beast with the ending of paganism and the baptising of the
Dubrovnik populace. Furthermore, the paper discusses the elements related to
the cult of St Hilarion in Dubrovnik and its vicinity, drawing attention to
the lore preserved in oral tradition. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T19:02:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c2c9b4952b99428e87e5d0feb71dc0ad |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0350-7653 2406-0801 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T19:02:09Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Institute for Balkan Studies SASA |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Balcanica |
| spelling | doaj.art-c2c9b4952b99428e87e5d0feb71dc0ad2022-12-21T20:09:32ZengInstitute for Balkan Studies SASABalcanica0350-76532406-08012021-01-01202152254510.2298/BALC2152025P0350-76532152025PThe reception and interpretation of St. Jerome’s description of two of St Hilarion’s Epidaurian miracles in Dubrovnik-based sources and traditionPreradović Dubravka0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8685-1444Institute for Balkan Studies, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, BelgradeThe brief sojourn of St Hilarion to a setting not far from Epidaurus in Dalmatia in circa 365 CE was depicted by St Jerome in Vita Sancti Hilarionis, portraying the two notable miracles of the famous Palestinian anchorite - the slaying of the dragon Boas ravaging the area and the rescue of the city from the giant waves that threatened to devastate it. Both miracles have been interwoven into the later narratives of both medieval writers and the Renaissance chroniclers of Dubrovnik, especially Thomas the Archdeacon (of Split), Anonymous, Nicolo Ragnina and Serafino Razzi. The paper discourses these historians’ interpretations (along with the accounts of later Dubrovnik chroniclers) of the glorious miracles of St Hilarion. In the Dubrovnik chronicles, the miracle of the dragon is correlated with the legend of the Theban king Cadmus, who was transformed into a serpent upon his arrival in the area, or with Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine whose most famous sanctuary was the homonymous town in the Peloponnese and whose symbol was a serpent or snake on a rod. In accordance with the local legend, the mentioned chroniclers unambiguously correlated the liberation of the city from beast with the ending of paganism and the baptising of the Dubrovnik populace. Furthermore, the paper discusses the elements related to the cult of St Hilarion in Dubrovnik and its vicinity, drawing attention to the lore preserved in oral tradition.http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0350-7653/2021/0350-76532152025P.pdfst jeromethe miracles of st hilarionsaintly dragon-slayerepidaurusdubrovnikcadmusasclepiuswritten sourcesthe cult of st hilarion |
| spellingShingle | Preradović Dubravka The reception and interpretation of St. Jerome’s description of two of St Hilarion’s Epidaurian miracles in Dubrovnik-based sources and tradition Balcanica st jerome the miracles of st hilarion saintly dragon-slayer epidaurus dubrovnik cadmus asclepius written sources the cult of st hilarion |
| title | The reception and interpretation of St. Jerome’s description of two of St Hilarion’s Epidaurian miracles in Dubrovnik-based sources and tradition |
| title_full | The reception and interpretation of St. Jerome’s description of two of St Hilarion’s Epidaurian miracles in Dubrovnik-based sources and tradition |
| title_fullStr | The reception and interpretation of St. Jerome’s description of two of St Hilarion’s Epidaurian miracles in Dubrovnik-based sources and tradition |
| title_full_unstemmed | The reception and interpretation of St. Jerome’s description of two of St Hilarion’s Epidaurian miracles in Dubrovnik-based sources and tradition |
| title_short | The reception and interpretation of St. Jerome’s description of two of St Hilarion’s Epidaurian miracles in Dubrovnik-based sources and tradition |
| title_sort | reception and interpretation of st jerome s description of two of st hilarion s epidaurian miracles in dubrovnik based sources and tradition |
| topic | st jerome the miracles of st hilarion saintly dragon-slayer epidaurus dubrovnik cadmus asclepius written sources the cult of st hilarion |
| url | http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0350-7653/2021/0350-76532152025P.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT preradovicdubravka thereceptionandinterpretationofstjeromesdescriptionoftwoofsthilarionsepidaurianmiraclesindubrovnikbasedsourcesandtradition AT preradovicdubravka receptionandinterpretationofstjeromesdescriptionoftwoofsthilarionsepidaurianmiraclesindubrovnikbasedsourcesandtradition |