Furta Sacra

Rating:
Summary: Before You Buy St. Nicholas' Thigh-Bone, Read This Book
Review: "Furta Sacra" is a scholarly, yet easy to read, well-written and documented book on the peculiarly medieval phenomenon of relic thefts.

Maintaining that in medieval hagiography a successful theft of a relic indicated that a stolen saint actually WANTED to be "translated" elsewhere, Dr. Geary, citing dozens of actual medieval theft cases, examines how and why relics were stolen. The reasons range from abbeys and cathedrals, and even cities and towns, attempting to one-up each other with the impressive relics they could boast(and hence increase not only their prestige, but also their coffers from donations by pilgrims), to the desire to keep such sacred Christian objects out of the hands of non-Christians. Geary also examines the lucrative market in such relics.

All in all a wonderful and informative read. Cadfael fans should find this book particularly interesting, as the incident in the first book of the translation of St. Winifred's relics to Shrewsbury actually occurred as depicted by Peters. Now fans of the series can find out how the theology and politics behind such a translation actually worked.

Before you buy St. Nicholas' thigh-bone, just remember. . . it could be stolen!

Pax vobiscum.

Rating:
Summary: A luminous interpretation of an obscure phenomena
Review: A martyr's body is stolen by an army of monks; the story of the search of Saint Mark's the Evangelist corpse all over Europe, comissioned by different kings and prelates; the undeniable prestige that Italian relics had all over the Continent; the flux of money that a dead saint brought to a shrine, and how the survival of monasteries depended on their relics; the trade of the relic monger, like Felix, the Frankish monk that sold the bodies of Saint Severus, Saint Bartholomew, Saint Cecilia, Saint Emerita and Saint Eugenia, among others!!These fascinating and bizarre medieval phenomena, known as translatio ( always done with divine help or botched by supernatural dissent) are carefully studied by Geary in this brilliant study. How is it possible that a theft could be applauded by a whole community? That the body of Saint Magdalene had a cult in France? That kings collected relics like the art collectors of today? Explaining the context of these beliefs, it becomes clear that these strange behaviours are not that far from some of the conducts our societies hold dear. Miracles, mysteries, daring thefts, prestige, all are analyzed by Geary. Compassion, wit and first of all a clear understanding of the medieval mind, makes this book a wonderful, entertaining and not at all morbid read.

Rating:
Summary: A luminous interpretation of an obscure phenomena
Review: A martyr's body is stolen by an army of monks; the story of the search of Saint Mark's the Evangelist corpse all over Europe, comissioned by different kings and prelates; the undeniable prestige that Italian relics had all over the Continent; the flux of money that a dead saint brought to a shrine, and how the survival of monasteries depended on their relics; the trade of the relic monger, like Felix, the Frankish monk that sold the bodies of Saint Severus, Saint Bartholomew, Saint Cecilia, Saint Emerita and Saint Eugenia, among others!!These fascinating and bizarre medieval phenomena, known as translatio ( always done with divine help or botched by supernatural dissent) are carefully studied by Geary in this brilliant study. How is it possible that a theft could be applauded by a whole community? That the body of Saint Magdalene had a cult in France? That kings collected relics like the art collectors of today? Explaining the context of these beliefs, it becomes clear that these strange behaviours are not that far from some of the conducts our societies hold dear. Miracles, mysteries, daring thefts, prestige, all are analyzed by Geary. Compassion, wit and first of all a clear understanding of the medieval mind, makes this book a wonderful, entertaining and not at all morbid read.

Rating:
Summary: things you didn't know you didn't know
Review: Furta Sacra is a well-researched, respectfully written "expose" of the relic trade as it was conducted during the Middle Ages. When, 9 or 10 years back, I came across the Brother Cadfael story about the theft of the bones of St. Winifred in Wales, I didn't realize how commonplace this sort of chicanery and piracy actually was. Patrick Geary presents a readable, informative account of hagiography, the engineering of miracles, cults of the saints, financial considerations, and most intriguing, the travels, adventures, and translations of the corpses and body parts of many of Europe's best known holy personages.

Rating:
Summary: things you didn't know you didn't know
Review: Furta Sacra is a well-researched, respectfully written "expose" of the relic trade as it was conducted during the Middle Ages. When, 9 or 10 years back, I came across the Brother Cadfael story about the theft of the bones of St. Winifred in Wales, I didn't realize how commonplace this sort of chicanery and piracy actually was. Patrick Geary presents a readable, informative account of hagiography, the engineering of miracles, cults of the saints, financial considerations, and most intriguing, the travels, adventures, and translations of the corpses and body parts of many of Europe's best known holy personages.