medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
On Tuesday, November 29, 2005, at 9:05 pm, Phyllis wrote:
> Today (30. November) is the feast day of:
>
> Andrew (1st cent.) ... A. is one of the patron
> saints of Russia because of a legend that he preached there. His
> connection to Scotland is even more iffy---legend tells that St.
> Rule
> brouth A's relics to Scotland in the fourth century at angelic
> direction.
Well, so sayeth the legend. All in Campania know that in 1208 A.'s
remains were brought from Constantinople to Amalfi, where they are now
housed in the cathedral dedicated to him. Matthew of Amalfi's account
of this translation, as revised in the later thirteenth century and
published by the Comte de Riant in vol. 1 of succeeding versions of his
_Exuviae sacrae Constantinopolitanae_ (1876; 1877-78), repays reading in
several different respects. Of course, neither Matthew nor his reviser
had any idea that in the 1460s the Despot of the Morea, Thomas
Palaeologus, would bring with him into exile in Italy a head said to be
that of St. Andrew, that Pius II would acquire it for the Roman church
and use it as a propaganda device for his projected crusade against the
Turks, that in this context none other than Cardinal Bessarion gave a
welcoming speech to A. in his (partial) presence in 1462, and that in
1964 Paul VI would "return" this relic to the Greek church in Patras,
the city in which A. is said to have been martyred.
Amalfi's cathedral, begun in the tenth century and much reworked over
time, retains medieval elements of some interest. Most striking perhaps
is its thirteenth-century atrium (rebuilt after the collapse of 1861) in
Normanno-Moorish style:
Facade views:
http://www.terragalleria.com/europe/italy/amalfi-coast/picture.ital7489.html
http://www.alex4ever.de/italien/amalfi/eamado.htm
http://greenlightwrite.com/napamal12.JPG
Atrium views:
http://www.bookcapri.com/amalfi/images/Amalfi0303m.JPG
http://greenlightwrite.com/Napamal15.JPG
http://www.artemisworks.plus.com/italy/amalfi/pages/duomo3.htm
Though the belltower, begun in the twelfth century and finished in 1276,
is certainly also noteworthy:
http://greenlightwrite.com/napamal14.JPG
http://www.alenapoli.org/perle/mam007_lista.htm
Inside, a visitor searching for Andrew might think that the X shown here
marks the spot:
http://www.maioli.com/fotoillum/fotoill/images/Duomo%20Amalfi2_jpg.jpg
But that would be wrong. A. is in the crypt (constructed in 1253 and
redone in 1719), in the area shown here:
http://www.splendido.net/caruso_download.php?a=26&view=amalficoast
specifically, under this altar:
http://www.globopix.net/dettaglio.asp?idi=12&i=5&pagina=11
Some medieval frescoes survive in the church. The one shown here
portrays the founder of the Hospitallers, a local boy who made good:
http://ecostieramalfitana.it/diocesiamalfi/ordinema.htm
Best,
John Dillon
(last year's post, revised)
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