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From the reading of the whole criticism that has been focused on the Eça de Queiroz’s work since the twentieth century, it is possible to verify that, in general, not much time has been devoted to the analysis of his self-denigrating works, namely The Mandarin (1880) and The Relic (1887). The reasons for the discredit of these works may be various and old, of which some will be analyzed here. Once this is done, this study aims to present and rescue the various analyzes of the main Queirosian critics about the author’s autodiegetic work and present the new critical perspectives that have sought to position these works by Eça de Queirós in the list of Queirozian works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper analyses the military use of holy relics, images, and other Christian apotropaic devices in the Roman-Persian wars. I examine a wide range of literary evidence from the 4th to the 7th century exploring where, why, and how different Christian objects were used in military contexts. Moreover, I consider different factors, as the local religious practices or the rivalry between the Christian Roman Empire and Zoroastrian Persia. I argue that the earliest military uses of relics and holy images happened in the context of the Roman-Persian conflict and frontier region, and that, during the 4th-7th centuries, these uses were much more common there than anywhere else. Also, that some local practices of this region could have been adopted by military officers and the Imperial elite. I propose that three factors could explain this: First, the intensity of the cult of relics and images in Syria and the Near East. Second, the growing identification of the Roman Empire as a Christian power between the 4th and 7th centuries. Finally, the Roman-Persian conflict and the climate of religious confrontation that grew over the course of the Byzantine-Sassanian wars.

Passionist religiosity was gradually established from the 12th and 13th centuries onwards, encouraged by the Franciscan ideals of imitation, meditation, and devotion to Christ, with St. Francis becoming the very image of sorrowful humanity as he received the stigmata of Christ. The medieval cult of the Passion, reiterated in the Council of Trent, continued into the Modern Age, and is preserved today in manifestations of spirituality and popular devotion, experienced through artistic images of the Passion of Christ, as well as the veneration of relics of Vera Cruz, the shroud, among others. The liturgy and devotion have used and still use these images in religious solemnities, of which the Holy Week ceremonies stand out, as well as in theatrical performances in which the image serves as a vehicle mediating between two worlds, the earthly and the celestial, following the itineraries of the Stations of the Cross which, from the 15th century onwards, allow us to relive the final stages of Christ's earthly life in the Holy Land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First Plantagenêt kings' veneration of saints and their relics constitutes a part of their politics to construct the «empire» and to strengthen their territorial power basis. First, interest for certain cults fits in with the search for dynastic legitimisation by celestial patronage, while Thomas Becket has become the kingdom's new saint patron. Some relic affairs reflect symbolic of power's translation (Edward the Confessor, Edmund, Martial and Valerie, the elevation of relics at Fécamp, the discovery of Arthur and Guinevere's tombs at Glastonbury). Kings' presence at significant translation ceremonials or their visits to shrines are linked to their territorial politics (St. Michel's Mount, Rocamadour, Grandmont, and the translation of St. Frithswyth at Oxford). At last, relics played an essential role in Richard the Lionheart's crusade expedition. The link between politics and relics cult can be explained by the belief in the virtus materially present in relics; in which their possession and exalting by the cult had to grant celestial protection of the kingdom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ad Limina. Revista de investigacion del Camino de Santiag y las peregrinaciones is the property of AD LIMINA Turismo de Galicia SA de Xestion do Plan Xacobeo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)