Furta Sacra

by Geary, Patrick J.

• ISBN13: 9780691008622
• ISBN10: 0691008620
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1991-02-01
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

To obtain sacred relics, medieval monks plundered tombs, avaricious merchants raided churches, and relic-mongers scoured the Roman catacombs. In a revised edition of Furta Sacra, Patrick Geary considers the social and cultural context for these acts, asking how the relics were perceived and why the thefts met with the approval of medieval Christians.

Table of Contents

Preface to the 1990 Edition	ix
Preface	xi
Abbreviations	xv
Relics and Saints in the Central Middle Ages	3	(25)
Relics as Symbol	5	(4)
Between Hagiography and History	9	(6)
The Evolution of Saints' Cults in the Central Middle Ages	15	(13)
The Cult of Relics in Carolingian Europe	28	(16)
Relic Cults to the Ninth Century	29	(3)
The Nature of Relics	32	(3)
Carolingian Reform and the Cult of Relics	35	(9)
The Professionals	44	(12)
The Italian Trade	45	(4)
England	49	(3)
Conclusions	52	(4)
Monastic Thefts	56	(31)
Monastic Competition	58	(5)
Financing Construction	63	(2)
Rival Local Traditions	65	(9)
Evolution of Religious Sentiment	74	(4)
Lay Encroachment	78	(4)
Conclusion	82	(5)
Urban Thefts	87	(21)
``Translatio Sancti Marci''	88	(6)
``Translatio Sancti Nicolai''	94	(9)
``Vita Sancti Appiani''	103	(5)
Justifications	108	(21)
Legality of Relic Thefts	110	(2)
Rationalizations	112	(6)
The Formation of a Literary Tradition	118	(6)
Perception	124	(1)
Sacred History and Communal Pride	125	(4)
Conclusions	129	(6)
Appendix A Critique of Texts	135	(14)
I. ``Translatio Beati Vincentii''	135	(3)
II. ``Translatio Sanctae Fidei''	138	(3)
III. ``Translatio Sanctae Faustae''	141	(4)
IV. ``Translatio Sancti Maiani''	145	(4)
Appendix B Handlist of Relic Thefts	149	(8)
Notes	157	(28)
Bibliography	185	(26)
Index	211