Byzantine head reliquaries and their perception in the West after 1204

A Case Study of the Reliquary of St. Anastasios the Persian in Aachen and Related Objects

Autor*innen

• Mabi Angar

Parameter

• 332 Seiten
• 12 Lesestunden

• Kunst & Kultur

Mehr zum Buch

This study focuses on Byzantine head relics and their receptacles, starting with the Reliquary of St. Anastasios the Persian, a silverwork resembling a domed church, likely crafted in Antioch and later housed in Aachen Cathedral. Initially viewed as a Byzantine Eucharistic vessel, it was reworked into a reliquary for St. Anastasios in a Western context. The analysis explores the saint's life and cult in Byzantium and Aachen, examining the object's typology and the often-overlooked connections between Antioch and Constantinople in the late 10th century, particularly regarding sacred object handling and confiscation under Basil II. The second part addresses the veneration of Byzantine head relics in Constantinople, especially those transferred to the West post-Fourth Crusade. It critiques Latin sources from after 1204 that shaped medieval and modern views on Byzantine relic veneration, challenging mid-20th-century biases against Byzantine goldsmith work. The study includes appendices on anatomical nomenclature, skull-chalices, and selected precious metal sacred objects related to relic veneration and the Eucharist, aiming to reconstruct head reliquary types and counter the notion that simple, easily opened caskets were typical for Byzantine body relics.

• Sprache: Englisch
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2017
• Einband: Hardcover