Work

Parading Staurothekes in Norman Sicily: Relics, Community, and the Conversion of the Other†

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: This article explores the liturgical functions of cross‐shaped staurothekes, reliquaries of the True Cross, in twelfth‐century Sicily. These luxurious objects were once at the centre of the devotion of the growing Christian communities on an island undergoing dramatic social changes. This contribution examines the figuration of these crosses and the messages they conveyed to their audiences, focusing on documented processions as displays of public piety. To this end, the contents of two liturgical manuscripts from Palermo, evidence in contemporary pictorial arts and coinage, and the urban layout of the Norman capital will shed light on the reception of the symbol of the cross in the cosmopolitan, yet increasingly intolerant Sicilian kingdom.

Source: Journal of Religious History

DOI: 10.1111/1467-9809.12744

Author: Jesús Rodríguez Viejo

Institutions: Goethe University Frankfurt, University of Aberdeen

Language: English

Topic: Medieval History and Crusades

Subfield: History

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,500

Funder: Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst