medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
The connection arises from so-called Roman branch of the Piccolomini having been dukes of Amalfi from 1461 (investiture of Antonio Todeschini Piccolomini, nephew of Pius II) to 1610 (death of the duchess Costanza, whose benefaction to the Theatines of the site of Sant'Andrea del Valle in 1582 stipulated that a new church dedicated to St. Andrew -- the patron of Amalfi -- be built there).
For those who have difficulty telling who's who among Piccolomini, there's a new book on this branch of the family: Ilaria Puglia, _I Piccolomini d'Aragona duchi di Amalfi (1461-1610). Storia di un patrimonio nobiliare_ (Napoli: Editoriale Scientifica, 2005).
Kleiner Mensch, was nun?
Best,
John Dillon
On Monday, November 20, 2006, 2:15 pm, Tom Izbicki wrote:
> If this web page on S. Andrea della Valle is correct, the Amalfi &
> Piccolomini connections coincide in a Roman church:
>
> http://roma.katolsk.no/andreavalle.htm
>
> Tom Izbicki
>
> Thomas Izbicki
> Research Services Librarian
> and Gifts-in-Kind Officer
> Eisenhower Library
> Johns Hopkins
> Baltimore, MD 21218
> (410)516-7173
> fax (410)516-8399
>
> >>> John Dillon <[log in to unmask]> 11/20/2006 3:02 PM >>>
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
> culture
>
> On Monday, November 20, 2006, at 12:53 pm, Tom Izbicki wrote:
>
> > An interesting wrinkle on this connection:>
> > Thomas Palaeologus brought the head of St. Andrew to Rome in the
> > reign of Pius II (1458-1464). The reception of the relic is
> described
> > in detail in the Piccolomini pope's Commentaries.
>
> As a footnote to that, herewith an outtake from last year's Saints of
> the Day (note that A.'s feast is fast upon us):
>
> > On Tuesday, November 29, 2005, at 9:05 pm, Phyllis wrote:
>
> >> Today (30. November) is the feast day of:
> >>
> >> Andrew (1st cent.) ... A. is one of the patron
> >> saints of Russia because of a legend that he preached there. His
>
> >> connection to Scotland is even more iffy---legend tells that St.
> >> Rule
> >> brouth A's relics to Scotland in the fourth century at angelic
> >> direction.
>
> > Well, so sayeth the legend. All in Campania know that in 1208 A.'s
> > remains were brought from Constantinople to Amalfi, where they are
> now
> > housed in the cathedral dedicated to him. Matthew of Amalfi's
> account
> > of this translation, as revised in the later thirteenth century and
> > published by the Comte de Riant in vol. 1 of succeeding versions of
> his
> > _Exuviae sacrae Constantinopolitanae_ (1876; 1877-78), repays
> reading
> > ... Of course, neither Matthew nor his reviser
> > had any idea that in the 1460s the Despot of the Morea, Thomas
> > Palaeologus, would bring with him into exile in Italy a head said to
> be
> > that of St. Andrew, that Pius II would acquire it for the Roman
> church
> > and use it as a propaganda device for his projected crusade against
> the
> > Turks, that in this context none other than Cardinal Bessarion gave
> a
> > welcoming speech to A. in his (partial) presence in 1462, and that
> in
> > 1964 Paul VI would "return" this relic to the Greek church in
> Patras,
> > the city in which A. is said to have been martyred.
>
> Best again,
> John Dillon
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