medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Here's another example (not quite as recent, though).
The little town of Bonito (AV) in Campania has a shrine, not formally
approved by any ecclesiastical authority, to the mummified male human
shown here:
http://www.corriereirpinia.it/domenicale/cu_02_06_04_2003.php
TinyURL for this: http://tinyurl.com/dkkql
A closer view, without the flowers but showing ex-votos, is here:
http://www.comunedibonito.it/images/zivicienzo.jpg
The mummy's name (traditional) is Vincenzo Camuso. He's apparently the
remains of someone once laid to rest in the local oratory of the
Confraternita' della Buona Morte (in-church burials were premitted in
the Regno until 1849) and discovered there, along with other human
bones, in 1952. V., as we may call him, was then placed in a marble
niche in that church's crypt; stories began to circulate of cures
attributed to him, and an unofficial cult began. He's a combination
thaumaturge and bogeyman (parents are said to threaten their wayward
offspring with retribution from Zi' Vincienzo [Uncle Vincent]) and his
chapel is now a tourist attraction (see map, far right):
http://www.comunedibonito.it/da_visitare.asp
V. is apparently much more interesting than the two remaining towers of
Bonito's former Norman-period castle (at bottom, here):
http://www.daltramontoallalba.it/luoghi/torrenormanna.htm
Bonito's parish church possesses the "holy body" of a saint recovered
from Rome's Catacomba di Ciriaca (shades of Maximus venerated at
Cravagliana!) whose effigy reliquary is shown here:
http://www.comunedibonito.it/images/sancrescenzo2.jpg
and in close-up:
http://www.comunedibonito.it/images/sancre.jpg
This is a St. Crescentius (Crescenzo), papally donated in 1800.
Identifed as a martyr of 303, he's celebrated on 14. September.
Implied comparisons with V. are not unheard of, e.g. towards the end of
this newspaper account:
http://www.corriereirpinia.it/domenicale/cu_02_06_04_2003.php
Best,
John Dillon
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