medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
On 08/31/11, Dr Jim Bugslag wrote:
> On 31/08/2011 9:40 AM, John Dillon wrote:
> >
> >On 08/31/11, Terri Morgan sent:
> >
> >>Deposition of the Holy Belt of the Mother of God - Mary's belt and dress were kept in her house in Chalkoprateia until Justinian's time, when they were put in a luxurious case; this relic is now kept in the monastery of Vatopedi, Mount Athos.
> >>
> >
> >b) In two sculpted panels from an exterior pulpit (1358-60) by Niccolò di Cecco del Mercia and his son on Prato's cathedral (the predecessor of Donatello's exterior pulpit on the same building), now in the Museo dell'Opera del duomo in Prato:
> >http://tinyurl.com/mak5yk
> >http://tinyurl.com/ndl5d3
> >
> >This "pulpit", or ostension platform, is still in use, and there are some impressive photographs of the bishop exhibiting the relic to crowds of onlookers filling the square in front of the church, presumably on this day of the year.
>
Dear Jim,
Formal ostensions of the Holy Belt (Sacra Cintola) at Prato take place on five days during the year: Christmas, Easter, 1. May, 15. August (the feast of the Assumption of the BVM), and 8. September (the feast of the Nativity of the BVM). Today's feast is essentially Orthodox and other Greek-rite (in the Byzantine rite it occurs under today in the Synaxary of Constantinople); it commemorates a translation of the Holy Belt from Zela in Cappadocia to Constantinople under either Arcadius or Justinian I. I don't find it in the Roman Martyrology. Whereas the feast may be observed somewhere in Prato on this day, it may be doubted whether the locale(s) of such an observance would include the ostension platform of Prato's cathedral.
The principal ostension of the Sacra Cintola in Prato takes place on 8. September. It's entirely possible that we'll have a few photographs then of the bishop holding up the relic to the admiring multitude below.
Best again,
John Dillon
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