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IMC 2014: Sessions

Session 1020: Saint between Empires: Political Authority in Hagiographic Representations

Wednesday 9 July 2014, 09.00-10.30

Sponsor:Institut für Realienkunde des Mittelalters & der frühen Neuzeit, Universität Salzburg, Krems
Organiser:Kateřina Horníčková, 'Faces of Community Project', University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice
Moderator/Chair:Gerhard Jaritz, Institut für Realienkunde, Universität Salzburg, Krems / Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University, Budapest
Paper 1020-aSt George on Late Medieval Central European Altarpieces
(Language: English)
Ivan Gerát, Institute of Art History, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava
Index terms: Art History - Painting, Hagiography, Religious Life
Paper 1020-bSt George in Scandinavian Murals and Altarpieces: The Knight with Many Faces
(Language: English)
Martin Wangsgaard Jürgensen, Nationalmuseet, København
Index terms: Art History - Painting, Hagiography, Religious Life
Paper 1020-cCyril and Methodius at the Papal Court
(Language: English)
Martin Husár, Institute for Research of Constantine & Methodius' Cultural Heritage, Constantine the Philosopher University, Nitra
Index terms: Architecture - Secular, Ecclesiastical History, Politics and Diplomacy, Religious Life
Paper 1020-d'Soldier, Saint, and Saviour': The Cult of St Demetrius as Portrayed in the Medieval Literary Tradition
(Language: English)
James B. Harr, Wake Technical Community College, North Carolina
Index terms: Byzantine Studies, Hagiography, Language and Literature - Greek
Abstract

One of the most venerated saints in the Middle Ages with a legend harking back to pre-Christian imagination, the cult of St George span whole Christianity, from the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean through Byzantium to Britain, Lithuania and post-medieval Americas. St George representations were functioning in all social strata from imperial courts to the village churches. As doubts were cast on the origin of the legend quite early, the saint's popularity can be explained in the context of symbolic valences of the figure as good soldier and powerful Christian protector. The session explores the way how political authority was expressed in the visual and textual representations of this military and chivalric saint. Papers on all aspects of politically-motivated uses of St George are welcome, in particular those exploring regional contexts of St Georges figure as allegory of local political power.