The Circulation of Blood, Clay, and Ideas: the Distribution of Milanese Relics in the Fourth and Fifth Centuries
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CIRCULATIONCIRCULATION OOFF RELICSRELICS ABSTRACTABSTRACT ThisThis paperpaper focusesfocuses on the origins and ppracticeractice of relic distribution in the West, a strategstrategyy stronglstronglyy advocatedadvocated and pursuedpursued byby AmbroseAmbrose ofof Milan, who servedserved as bishopbishop 374–97, andand hishis successors duringduring tthehe fifth century.century. The directions in which Milanese relicsrelics werewere distributeddistributed areare tracedtraced inin thethe first sectionsection of this paper,paper, which then argues that the circulation ofof relics not onlyonly forged strong links among ecclesi-ecclesi- asticalastical communities, butbut alsoalso promotedpromoted thethe circula-circula- tiontion ofof ideas. This approachapproach enables the mappingmapping ofof signisignificant connections that are otherwise difficult ttoo reconstruct. The transmission ofof iconograiconographicalphical aandnd arcarchitecturalhitectural momodels,dels, aalonglong witwithh certain ddeci-eci- sions made in urban pplanning,lanning, is to be understood withinwithin the complexcomplex phenomenonphenomenon ofof relic circulation. ThreeThree case studies of churches in which the presencepresence ofof Milanese relics has been supposedsupposed or attested supportsupport tthesehese assertions, wwhichhich are basedbased on thethe catacombcatacomb of San Severo in Naples,Naples, the Concilium SSanctorumanctorum church in Aosta,Aosta, and the BaptisteryBaptistery ofof AlbAlbenga.enga. //Keywords/Keywords/ Cult of Relics, Ambrose of Milan, CataCata-- ccombsombs of San Severo in NaNaples,ples, Concilium SanctoSancto-- rrumum in AAosta,osta, BaBaptisteryptistery of AAlbengalbenga 1 / ArchArch ofof the niche,niche, mosaic,mosaic, 6464 Baptistery ofof Albenga,Albenga, 5thth centurycentury The Circulation of Blood, Clay,Clay, andand Ideas:Ideas: TheThe DistributionDistribution ooff MMilaneseilanese RRelicselics iinn thethe FFourthourth aandnd FFifthifth CCenturies*enturies* Alžběta Ž. FiliFilipovápová ChurchesChurches dedicateddedicated to thethe MilaneseMilanese saints,saints, Ger-Ger- * I would like to offer my special thanks to my thesis supervisors IvanIvan vasiusvasius andand Protasius, are prevalentprevalent in manymany diversediverse Foletti and Serena Romano fforor encouraging my participation in the locales ofof northern IItaly,taly, but theythey can also be foundfound conference.conference. I would also like to thank Mr. Foletti fforor his support and guidance during the development ooff this paper. I am also particularly inin other regions ofof the ppeninsula,eninsula, throughout France, gratefulgrateful forfor the kind assistance given by Herbert L. Kessler who read andand inin NorthNorth AfricaAfrica1. WhenWhen wewe considerconsider ththee ffactact ththatat thethe manuscript andand broughtbrought more clarityclarity to my English.English. 1 ChurchesChurches dedicateddedicated toto GervasiusGervasius aandnd ProtasiusProtasius cancan bebe foundfound oror his-his- these saints are todaytoday not well known outside ofof the torically attested forfor instance in IItaly:taly: Mantova, Firenze, Venezia (San northern ItalianItalian reregion,gion, the sheer volume ooff churcchurch-h- Trovaso:Trovaso: Venetian contraction fforor Saints Gervasius and Protasius), Trasquera,Trasquera, Bariano, Baveno, Bormio, RapaRapallo,llo, Spirano, Bernareggio, eses bearingbearing theirtheir names is quitequite surprising.surprising. InIn manymany Mestre, Gorgonzola,Gorgonzola, SomegSomeglio,lio, DomoDomodossola,dossola, ParaParabiago.biago. IInn France: cases, majormajor sections ofof these churches have either Rouen,Rouen, Vienne, Tours, Paris, Sens, Soissons, Clermont-Ferrand,Clermont-Ferrand, Nantes, Le Mans, Castanet-Tolosan.Castanet-Tolosan. InIn Switzerland:erland: Geneva, Saint-Maurice bbeeneen comcompletelypletely rerebuiltbuilt or hhaveave llaterater construction d’Agaune.d’Agaune. InIn Nothern Africa:Africa: Sbeitla (Tunis), Hippo. ththatat obscuresobscures thethe originaoriginall earearlyly memedievaldieval bbuildings.uildings. 2 PauliniPaulini Vita AAmbrosiimbrosii EEpiscopipiscopi, inin PL XIV,XIV, col. 39; cf.cf. IvanIvan Foletti, “Le tom-tom- AAdherencedherence to tradition and the ppresenceresence ofof sacred beau d’Ambroise: cinq sièclessiècles de construction identitaire”, in IdentitéIdentité etet mémoiremémoire: L’évêque,L’évêque, l’image et la mort, NicolasNicolas Bock,Bock, IvanIvan FoleFoletti, MicheleMichele rerelicslics hhaveave insureinsuredd tthathat tthehe originaoriginall ddedicationsedications rere-- TomasiTomasi eds.,eds., Rome 2014, pp. 73–101. main intact to the ppresentresent eraera.. 3 IItt is not possipossibleble to ddateate witwithh precision tthehe Passio, bbutut an earlyearly 6th centurycentury datedate hashas beenbeen proposedproposed byby Francesco LanzoniLanzoni, Le diocesidiocesi GervasiusGervasius andand PrProtasiusotasius aarere tthehe bebest-knownst-known d’Italia dalle origini al principio del secolo VIII (an. 604), Faenza 1927, MilaneseMilanese saints; andand theirtheir cultcult was certainlycertainly thethe p. 725 andand FriedrichFriedrich WilhelmWilhelm Deichmann,Deichmann, Ravenna, HauptstadtHauptstadt desdes spätantikenspätantiken AbendlandesAbendlandes, I.,I., WiesbadenWiesbaden 1969, pp. 21–22 andand Idem,Idem, Kom-Kom- largestlargest and most wide ranging,ranging, but other saints mentarmentarr, II., 1976, p. 8. For further information about San Vitalis and fromfrom this citycity have been venerated since the time the genesis of his legend see: Sofia Boesch Gajano, “L’identità dei santisanti come problema storico e storiografico: il caso di san Vitale”, in ofof AmbroseAmbrose (374–397).(374–397). The list includes Nabor and RavennaRavenna e Spoleto. I rapporti tra due metropolimetropoli, Maurizio TagliaTagliaferriferri ed., Felix,Felix, Nazarius and Celsus,Celsus, and later also Vitalis,Vitalis, ImolaImola 2007, pp. 57–70. whose remains AmbroseAmbrose himselfhimself foundfound in BolognaBologna ttogetherogether with those of the martmartyryr AAgricolagricola in 3939332, andand whowho waswas himselfhimself iidentidentifieded asas theirtheir fatherfather inin a laterlater legendlegend3. Since the sixth century,century, the cult ofof VitalisVitalis hashas inin certaincertain instancesinstances overshadowedovershadowed thethe cultcult of GervasiusGervasius andand Protasius.Protasius. TheThe mostmost famousfamous 65 example of this occurrence is the renaming of the San VitaleVitale churchchurch in Rome, whichwhich was originallyoriginally dedicateddedicated toto thethe saintssaints GervasiusGervasius andand ProtasiusProtasius4. ByBy what means did the veneration of Milanese saints spreadspread to so manmanyy ddisparateisparate plplaces?aces? IInn aallll llike-ike- lihood,lihood, the cult ooff a pparticulararticular saint was sspreadpread with the circulation of his or her relics. AAss CCynthiaynthia Hahn affirms, relics were ffrequentlyrequently exchanged as giftsgifts and therefore became “a ppurposefulurposeful enactment of ties ooff friendshipfriendship and other affiliations”5. Thus, as I ararguegue in this paper,paper, the high number ooff churches dedicated to Gervasius anandd Protasius can bbee exexplainedplained by an extensive camcampaignpaign ooff distribution ooff their relics bbyy the bishobishopsps ooff Milan, whose ecclesiastical authoritauthorityy was expandingexpanding since the eepiscopacypiscopacy of AAmbrosembrose at the end ofof the fourthfourth century.century. InIn addition to his influence in MilanMilan,, which at the time still served as the capitalcapital of the Roman Em-Em- pire,pire, AmbroseAmbrose maintained powerfulpowerful connections withwith eminent authoritiesauthorities throughoutthroughout thethe ChristianChristian world. UnderUnder Ambrose’sAmbrose’s episcopacy, the See ofof Milan gained an undeniable level ooff pprestigerestige as an ecclesiastical center, a fact that is underscored byby LouisLouis Duchesne’sDuchesne’s remarkableremarkable declaration:declaration: “For“For a shortshort butbut importantimportant periodperiod it wouldwould thusthus appearappear that the Western eepiscopatepiscopate recognized a twofold hegemonyhegemony – that ooff the PopePope and that ofof the bishopbishop of Milan”Milan”6. Significantly,cantly, during the periodperiod ofof his incumbency,incumbency, AmbroseAmbrose createdcreated manymany new bbishopricsishoprics (Como,(Como, Torino, Aosta,Aosta, Novara)Novara)7. NorthernNorthern IItalytaly was sstilltill a Christian ffrontierrontier in the pprocessrocess ooff conversion aandnd ddominatedominated bbyy sees scattereeredd across a vast area8. AAmbrose,mbrose, intervening in the eepiscopalpiscopal elections ooff thethe bishopricsbishoprics underunder hishis jurisdictionjurisdiction andand aalsolso abroad,abroad, constructedconstructed a northern IItaliantalian hierarchhierarchyy that was ffarar more closelyclosely llinkedinked to its own metrometropolitanpolitan tthanhan it ever was to the bishobishopp of RomRomee9. IItt is sisignignificant that in both the dioceses created by AmbroseAmbrose andand tthosehose witwithh wwhichhich hhee anandd hhisis successucces-- sors maintained close tiesties,, churches were dedicated to Milanese saints or ppossessossess credible evidence ooff the presencepresence ooff their relics. For examexample,ple, a homilhomilyy of bishobishopp Gaudentius of Brescia, on the occasion ooff ththee ddedicationedication of ththee chchurchurch CConciliumoncilium SSanctorumanctorum in Brescia, recounts the presencepresence of relics,