The cult of relics in early medieval Ireland

This book explores how the Christian phenomenon of relic veneration became manifest in early Ireland and evaluates the continuity between Irish practice and that on the continent. 0As the cult of saints became increasingly important to the Christian religion during the latter centuries of the Roman...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Wycherley, Niamh (Author)
Format: Print Book
Language:English
Subito Delivery Service: Order now.
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
WorldCat: WorldCat
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Turnhout Brepols [2015]
In: Studies in the early Middle Ages (Volume 43)
Year: 2015
Series/Journal:Studies in the early Middle Ages Volume 43
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Ireland / Relic veneration / Shrine / History 300-800
Further subjects:B Christian shrines (Ireland) History To 1500
B Relics (Ireland) History To 1500
Description
Summary:This book explores how the Christian phenomenon of relic veneration became manifest in early Ireland and evaluates the continuity between Irish practice and that on the continent. 0As the cult of saints became increasingly important to the Christian religion during the latter centuries of the Roman Empire, so too the veneration of relics became a central element of Christian piety. The relics of holy men and women - the very tangibility of which ensured their lasting appeal - could be used to heal the sick, improve the weather, ensure victory in battle, and represent power and authority. Even today, in an era of declining church attendance, famous relics such as the head of St Catherine of Siena or the tongue of St Anthony of Padua continue to draw hundreds of thousands of pilgrims; the need to preserve and venerate objects associated with the important and the famous is a well-established human trait. 0This book is the first to explore the historical roots of the cult of relics in early medieval Ireland, deepening our understanding of how the pagan Irish adapted to the new religion. Examining the cult of relics from the earliest Irish sources up to the ninth century, it provides insights into the role of relics and the culture and people to whom they were so significant. The volume investigates how the Christian phenomenon of relic veneration developed in early Ireland and it evaluates the continuity between Irish practice and that on the continent. By offering a new model of how the cult of relics evolved and by exploring the extent to which it helped forge early Irish Christianity, the arguments presented here have the potential to reshape views of the entire period
Item Description:"Based on the doctoral thesis"
ISBN:250355184X