medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
I recall seeing references to tombs of saints into which hands could be inserted. Would anyone happen to recall an example?
Tom Izbicki
Thomas Izbicki
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>>> [log in to unmask] 01/27/06 1:45 PM >>>
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Also in Compostela, pilgrims line up to walk up behind the bust of Santiago over the altar, and embrace it (him?) by placing their hands over his shoulders onto two shell decorations. In Zaragoza, the miraculous "Pilar" is also reverently touched on the occasions that the pious have access to it. Like kissing the Blarney stone, something is assumed to be gotten from this touch.
I agree that in a way it is not only a general pious practice, but a general human need (there is a darling stone sculpture of a mother and baby monkey in the Art Institute (from India, I believe) that visitors patted until it was shiny -- and is now encased in a vitrine to protect it from such demonstrations of love. It is indeed extremely caressable -- I did it myself while working there!)
BUT -- I think what Jim is after is a more ritualized (officially or by common consent) custom of touching, and not just a column or statue in general but a particular spot on that statue or column. In that sense, the St James bust that is touched does fit his query, while the Zaragoza column would not.
Theresa
>>> [log in to unmask] 1/27/06 10:55:29 AM >>>
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Could this not be just a pious practice, like that of rubbing the foot of
the seated statue of Saint Peter at Saint Peter's basilica, whose beginnings
are lost in the mists of time? Saint Peter's foot, as I'm sure you know, is
practically worn away from the activity.
MG
p.s. I have learned that the need to touch is by no means restricted to
children as is evidenced by the "do not touch" signs that proliferate in
museums.
>From: Jim Bugslag <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious
> culture <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: [M-R] pilgrimage practices
>Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2006 10:24:13 -0600
>
>medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
>Dear listmembers,
>I wonder if anyone knows of studies, preferably not in Spanish which I
>don't read
>very well, on the custom of pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela of placing
>their
>hand on the base of the trumeau of the west portal, the Portico de la
>Gloria, under
>the statue of St James, before they enter the church. There is actually a
>handprint
>rubbed into the trumeau, supposedly by the identically placed hands of
>innumerable
>pilgrims. I've run across another instance of this on a column in the
>crypt of the
>church of Notre-Dame at Orcival, in the Auvergne, just in front of the
>relic (or
>image) shrine. Does anyone know of other such instances of this practice?
>Cheers,
>Jim Bugslag
>
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