medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
The cult of the martyrs of Otranto (1480) was approved in the 18th century; standard accounts of the martyrdom in modern books of saints rely on relatively late retellings of events and are to be treated with caution.
Thus, for example, the surname of the chief martyr was, in the earliest sources, not Primaldo but Grimaldo: see n. 2 to Capitolo XIII (p. 185) in Domenico Defilippis, ed., Giovanni Michele Marziano, _Successi dell'armata turchesca nella citta' d'Otranto nell'anno MCCCCLXXX_, in Lucia Gualdo Rosa et al., eds., _Gli umanisti e la guerra otrantina. Testi dei secoli XV e XVI_ (Bari: Dedalo, 1982), pp. 101-210.
The martyrdom took place not in the cathedral (where the archbishop, the canons, other religious, and numerous laity are said to have been slaughtered during the sack of the city) but on a hill outside the city proper, several days after the Turks had taken Otranto. Those killed here are usually said to have been adult males; modern historians lower their number to perhaps 600 and wonder if these victims really had a choice. But if they were killed because their presence was inconvenient (or a threat) to the occupiers, then they would not really have been martyrs for their faith. Consequently, this line of thought is seldom found in the works that inform "Saints of the Day".
Best,
John Dillon
On Wed, 13 Aug 2003 18:46:05 -0700 Phyllis wrote:
> Today (14. August) is the feast day of:
> Antonio Primaldo and companions (blessed) (d. 1480)
> The Ottomans captured
> the city of Otranto (Italy) in 1480 and the
> inhabitants were given a choice
> of conversion or death. The elderly artisan Antonio
> rallied the people
> with such good effect that 800 citizens chose death
> and were executed
> (along with their bishop) in the cathedral.
**********************************************************************
To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME
to: [log in to unmask]
To send a message to the list, address it to:
[log in to unmask]
To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion
to: [log in to unmask]
In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to:
[log in to unmask]
For further information, visit our web site:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html
|