The arm of St. John the Baptist in Rhodes and the diplomacy of relics among the knights hospitaller
From 1309 to 1523, Rhodes was ruled by the Order of the Knights of St. John. The relics of John the Baptist, their patron saint, held a prominent place in the Hospitallers’ devotion. Among the relics, his arm became a significant focus of attention and pilgrimage for the Christian world. Af...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
| Published: |
Faculty of Philosophy, Belgrade
2021-01-01
|
| Series: | Zograf |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0350-1361/2021/0350-13612145149K.pdf |
| Summary: | From 1309 to 1523, Rhodes was ruled by the Order of the Knights of St. John.
The relics of John the Baptist, their patron saint, held a prominent place
in the Hospitallers’ devotion. Among the relics, his arm became a
significant focus of attention and pilgrimage for the Christian world. After
a brief review of the earliest references to the arm, its travels about the
eastern Mediterranean, as well as some of the testimonies related to it, the
representations of the saint’s arm in medieval painting are briefly
examined. After 1204, the Knights appear to have had a direct or indirect
connection with the proliferation and dispersal of the relics of the saint,
aiming at political and economic benefits. The “miraculous replication” of
the arm opened new perspectives for power and influence. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0350-1361 2406-0755 |