medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Laura,
Two books that are quite useful on Bethlehem are Pierre Maraval, Lieux saints et pelerinages
d'Orient (Paris, 2004) and Clemens Kopp, The Holy Places of the Gospels (New York, 1963),
with good photos of the original grotto. There is also a good section on the present church,
but with an excellent bibliography, in Denys Pringle, The Churches of the Crusader Kingdom
of Jerusalem. A Corpus, Vol. I: A-K (Cambridge, 1993). Also useful for the origins of the
church there is Eusebius, Life of Constantine, trans. Averil Cameron and Stuart G. Hall
(Oxford, 1999).
Has your research on Arnolfo brought to light anything on a possible 5th-century grotto at S.
Maria Maggiore?
Cheers,
Jim Bugslag
On 25 Mar 2008 at 12:22, Laura Jacobus wrote:
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
> culture
>
> Dear Jim (and others),
>
> If you've got any references to material on the Bethlehem grotto and
> cult, I'd be very grateful to know of them (esp pilgrims accounts). I
> have a project on Arnolfo's S. Maria Maggiore shrine which has been
> 'on the back burner' for many years now, but I haven't abandoned hopes
> of returning to the subject, and one aspect I'm interested in is the
> Bethlehem connection. Any leads are welcome, to add to my collection
> of 'things to do when I have time'.
>
> Many thanks
>
> Laura
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "jbugslag" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: 25 March 2008 01:29
> Subject: [SPAM][M-R] S. Maria Maggiore and Apparitions
>
>
> > medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
> > culture
> >
> >> The spiritual and sentimental image of the reconstruction of a
> >> "Crib" reminding a venerate occasion, has got its origins since 432
> >> when Pope Sisto the Third (432/40) created a "cave of the Nativity"
> >> similar to Bethlehem in the primitive Basilica.
> >
> > I'm have been becoming a bit more familiar recently with the Grotto
> > of the Nativity in Bethlehem -- which actually had a side grotto
> > opening off it called the Grotto of the Manger -- but this is the
> > first reference I've seen to Sixtus III creating a "cave of the
> > Nativity" in S. Maria Maggiore. It seems rather a "Lourdes" sort of
> > thing to do. Does anyone know anything about this? Also, the
> > website of the basilica, although correctly naming Sixtus III as the
> > founder, also recounts the legendary story of Mary making it snow in
> > August on the precise area where the church was to go. Does anyone
> > know when this legend began to circulate -- or at least, when it is
> > first recorded? In a related vein, does anyone know when apparitions
> > of the Virgin Mary began to appear? Or for that matter, apparitions
> > of any saints. One of the earliest apparitions I have heard of are
> > St Michael's apparitions to the bishop of Siponto at Monte Gargano,
> > in Apulia, which apparently occurred in 493, but this seems
> > remarkably early, in relation to apparitions of actual saints,
> > rather than, say, archangels, whose business it is, really, to
> > "appear" to people. Cheers, Jim Bugslag
> >
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