medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
And, in any event, not a qualification for "oddness", since the two heads merely indicate the saint's different states at different times. Bl. Balsam of Cava is depicted in the presentation portrait of his abbey's copy of his _De septem sigillis_ with two heads, one on top of the other, the one on top gray-haired and the one underneath brown-haired. These presumably signify a passage of time in Balsam's life and suggest that the _De septem sigillis_ is his life's work.
Now, were we to have a hagiographic account of any of these holy people indicating that s/he actually had two heads, that would certainly qualify her/him as "odd".
Best again,
John Dillon
On Friday, March 2, 2007, at 10:48 am, Diana Wright wrote:
> Madeleine Gray wrote:
> > medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
> > and the statue of St Winifred in Westminster Abbey has her with her
>
> > head on but the decapitated head on a plinth by her feet
>
>
> Very usual in Orthodox representations of John the Baptist.
>
> http://zograph.hit.bg/icons/13.jpg
> http://www.coptic.net/pictures/Icon.StJohnTheBaptist.gif
>
>
> DW
>
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