Sacral Geographies
Saints, Shrines and Territory in Medieval Ireland
By (author) Karen Overbey
More than merely containers for holy bodies and objects, reliquaries powerfully mediated the experience of holy objects for their medieval audiences, creating socially charged spaces. Sacral Geographies: Saints, Shrines and Territory in Medieval Ireland demonstrates how the sacred space of reliquaries intersected with the territorial spaces of secular kingship, with the hierarchical spaces of monastic enclosures, and with the devotional spaces of cultic communities. The patrons of reliquaries, usually prominent secular rulers or Church leaders, employed performance, ritual and narrative (both visual and textual) to reinforce the efficacy of relics and, consequently, to authorize political relationships. The space of the ‘holy body’ therefore functioned as a foundation for the social geographies of early Ireland.Sacral Geographies explores the role of reliquaries such as the Domnach Airgid book shrine, the Shrine of St Brigid’s Shoe, and St Manchan’s Shrine in the construction of spatial identity in early Ireland. While chapters on tomb-shaped shrines and crozier-relics appraise connections between Continental and Irish forms, and the effect of localized political agendas on material traditions, this book locates Irish spatial practices in an insular context, positing an Irish ‘topographical consciousness.’
More than merely containers for holy bodies and objects, reliquaries powerfully mediated the experience of holy objects for their medieval audiences, creating socially charged spaces. Sacral Geographies: Saints, Shrines and Territory in Medieval Ireland demonstrates how the sacred space of reliquaries intersected with the territorial spaces of secular kingship, with the hierarchical spaces of monastic enclosures, and with the devotional spaces of cultic communities. The patrons of reliquaries, usually prominent secular rulers or Church leaders, employed performance, ritual and narrative (both visual and textual) to reinforce the efficacy of relics and, consequently, to authorize political relationships. The space of the ‘holy body’ therefore functioned as a foundation for the social geographies of early Ireland.Sacral Geographies explores the role of reliquaries such as the Domnach Airgid book shrine, the Shrine of St Brigid’s Shoe, and St Manchan’s Shrine in the construction of spatial identity in early Ireland. While chapters on tomb-shaped shrines and crozier-relics appraise connections between Continental and Irish forms, and the effect of localized political agendas on material traditions, this book locates Irish spatial practices in an insular context, positing an Irish ‘topographical consciousness.’
- By (author) Karen Overbey
Other Titles in this Series
Fallen Idols, Risen Saints
Sainte Foy of Conques and the Revival of Monumental Sculpture in Medieval Art
Volume 7
Ritual, Gender, and Narrative in Late Medieval Italy
Fina Buzzacarini and the Baptistery of Padua
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Viewing Greece
Cultural and Political Agency in the Medieval and Early Modern Mediterranean: Papers Stimulated by the Exhibition 'Heaven & Earth, Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections'
Volume 11
The Art and Archaeology of Lusignan and Venetian Cyprus (1192-1571)
Recent Research and New Discoveries
Volume 12
Christ on the Cross
The Boston Crucifix and the Rise of Monumental Wood Sculpture, 970-1200
Volume 14
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