medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
As today is the feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle (a well known
former saint of the Regno), it may be appropriate to add here, though
the example is certainly not English (or British, since this thread
started with Cornwall), that Rome's church of San Bartolomeo all'Isola
was built over an underground water source of some sort (probably a
rainwater-fed cistern). This is the church recently referred to by John
Howe in a related thread ("Cybele and BVM") as having been constructed
under Otto III on the site of the former Aedes Aesculapii. Inside the
church is a medieval wellhead carved for it out of a Roman column drum
and bearing an inscribed leonine verse (_Os putei sancti circumdant orbe
rotanti_) indicating a _Christian_ holy well. There is speculation that
the well referred to had also served the predecessor temple of
Aesculapius. Does anyone know if recent work on this church has led to
anything that might confirm that view?
A thumbnail view of the wellhead (or puteal) is here:
http://www.santegidio.org/img/amici/idea/sbart4.jpg
Here's a shot of it rising up from the middle of the chancel steps:
http://www.santegidio.org/img/amici/idea/sbart3.jpg
A close-up, with flowers:
http://f_pollett.tripod.com/FT57.JPG
Best,
John Dillon
On Wednesday, August 24, 2005, at 11:29 am, Tom Izbicki wrote:
> Winchester Cathedral sits (in part) over a well. Whether it was a
> "shrine" of a local cult is unclear.
**********************************************************************
To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME
to: [log in to unmask]
To send a message to the list, address it to:
[log in to unmask]
To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion
to: [log in to unmask]
In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to:
[log in to unmask]
For further information, visit our web site:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html
