Култови светитеља заштитника од куге у Котору (XIV-XVI век)

Abstract

The written sources (judiciary-notarial documents issued by the community of Kotor), the relics of the saints, and the preserved religious artifacts allow the possibility of investigating the different aspects of the plague phenomenon, ranging from the ways the disease spread its impact on the quotidian inhabitants’ behavior, to the changes occurred in the religious practice of the believers. The contents of the testaments are proved to be the sources of the utmost utility for the exploration of this issue due to the fact that they offer the means to comprehend the specific mentality of the inhabitants of Kotor faced with the fear of this disease and their consequently altered piety. The most common pattern of manifesting one’s religious devotion, induced by this fear of morte cruda di peste was to be observed through the addressing to the saints-protectors for help. Saint Sebastian, Saint Rock, Saint Christopher, and Saint Vincent Ferrer were venerated in particular as saints-protectors from the plague in Kotor. Thesecultic solemnities in Kotor have been examined on the grounds of the material provided by the sources and consequently analyzed from the viewpoint of the environmental specificities.