Визуелна комуникација кроз средњовековне представе преноса моштију (translatio)

Abstract

Medieval representations of the ritual of translatio documented the circulation of relics both within and between medieval cultures. Reliquaries transmuted abject human remains into objects of veneration. Depictions of the ritual of translation charted this movement between the earthly and heavenly realms. Neither fully alive nor dead, the saint’s body was suspended in a state of perpetual non-decay and endowed with super-natural powers of healing and protection for the faithful. This paper examines the mechanisms by which the ritual of translatio is represented visually as well as the iconographic signs and signifiers that make it recognizable. Based on written and visual sources, this paper explores the development of translatio scenes from late antiquity to the late fourteenth century, covering both Eastern and Western Christianity. This paper also discusses the meaning and role of the saints’ bodies in determining and forming the artistic representations of translatio.