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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture John, You are quite right about the two staircases, one at either end of the platform. They are not very high, but they allow continuous circulation. And the platform is narrow enough to accommodate only one person at a time before the relic. The platform is set against an end wall, in quite a spacious area just beside the chapel proper, which itself is up quite an imposing set of stairs from ground level. So, there is lots of security on several different counts. Cheers, Jim Bugslag On 6 Jun 2008 at 16:50, John Dillon wrote: > medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and > culture > > Thanks, Jim, for the happy accident of your sending these photos to > the list. > > To judge from the penultimate photo (DSCN6867.JPG), space could be at > a premium just past the table where the Holy Blood is displayed. Is > it possible to turn left there, cross over, and descend by another set > of steps? Or does one have to return the way one came? > > I ask because for a relic of such significance, controlling the > passage of the numerous faithful past the relic and out again ought to > have been an important concern, at least until relatively recently. > The eighteenth-century redesign of the interior of Santa Maria del > Carmine at Naples included the erection of a raised passageway hidden > behind the sanctuary that allows one to enter from one side of the > presbytery, ascend a flight of steps and then pass along to the early > sixteenth-century tabernacle housing this church's (and Naples') > sacred Marian icon, the fourteenth(?)-century "La Bruna", continue > along the passageway, descend, and come out on the other side. > > Is it roughly so also in Bruges? > > Best, > John Dillon > > Here's a view of La Bruna: > http://www.napoletanita.it/foto/napoli35.jpg > The height at which she's placed allows a view of her, but not of > those in the passageway (called a chapel and indeed outfitted with a > small altar), through a window placed behind the main altar: > http://tinyurl.com/4jgmcr A view of the sanctuary (though at an angle > not allowing one to see the aforementioned window): > http://tinyurl.com/3oakjo Note the dull coloration of the marbles and > other facing stones: this is a Carmelite church. > > > On Friday, June 6, 2008, at 1:36 pm, Jim Bugslag wrote: > > > I'm attaching a few photos of the Holy Blood relic at Bruges, taken > > as I said, in summer 2007. Thanks for your offer to post them for > > the list. Cheers, Jim Bugslag > > > ********************************************************************** > 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 > ********************************************************************** 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