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The article is devoted to interpretation of historical facts in Umberto Eco's novel " Baudolino ". The subject of interpretation in the novel is medieval history, in particular, the reign of the emperor Frederick Barbarossa. Eco uses the typical for the historical novel method, which is the combination of facts from chronicles and fictional elements; the events are shown by the eyes of an invented character Baudolino. Emphasizing the connection between history and modernity, Eco proposes to revise the stereotypes associated with the mentioned historical period. The portraits of historical figures are borrowed from the chronicles, however in the novel they get more emotional in the perception of the protagonist, typical cliches are replaced by individuality. The opposition of italian communes to the government of Frederick also becomes a part of Baudolino's personal history. The interpretation of many events is based on legendary sources, including local tales of the italian city Alessandria, the legends of Grail and of Prester John. The legendary material fills in the gaps in medieval history. Many events (in particular, the participation of Barbarossa in the Third Crusade) correspond to the chronicles in the descriptive part, however they acquire a fictional motivation. The mystery of the emperor's death is solved in a detective key. The novel presents various doctrines elaborated in the imperial office of Frederick, their authorship is attributed to Baudolino. In the novel «Baudolino» Umberto Eco not only interprets creatively certain facts of the past, but he also practices the postmodern concept of history, according to which the past is unknowable as objective and ultimate truth and therefore it exists only in the form of a narrative. The past and the present have no fundamental difference, the history is always interpreted from the perspective of the present.

The article is devoted to interpretation of historical facts in Umberto Eco's novel " Baudolino ". The subject of interpretation in the novel is medieval history, in particular, the reign of the emperor Frederick Barbarossa. Eco uses the typical for the historical novel method, which is the combination of facts from chronicles and fictional elements; the events are shown by the eyes of an invented character Baudolino. Emphasizing the connection between history and modernity, Eco proposes to revise the stereotypes associated with the mentioned historical period. The portraits of historical figures are borrowed from the chronicles, however in the novel they get more emotional in the perception of the protagonist, typical cliches are replaced by individuality. The opposition of italian communes to the government of Frederick also becomes a part of Baudolino's personal history. The interpretation of many events is based on legendary sources, including local tales of the italian city Alessandria, the legends of Grail and of Prester John. The legendary material fills in the gaps in medieval history. Many events (in particular, the participation of Barbarossa in the Third Crusade) correspond to the chronicles in the descriptive part, however they acquire a fictional motivation. The mystery of the emperor's death is solved in a detective key. The novel presents various doctrines elaborated in the imperial office of Frederick, their authorship is attributed to Baudolino. In the novel «Baudolino» Umberto Eco not only interprets creatively certain facts of the past, but he also practices the postmodern concept of history, according to which the past is unknowable as objective and ultimate truth and therefore it exists only in the form of a narrative. The past and the present have no fundamental difference, the history is always interpreted from the perspective of the present.

In the sixteenth century, the Brotherhoods of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ were founded in the old Kingdom of Valencia. The oldest one was founded in the capital of the Kingdom in 1535. Nevertheless, it is thought that some others were founded earlier in Orihuela and Sagunto. These brotherhoods prospered with great vitality as a result of late medieval piety and the ancient devotion to the Holy Chalice. Their diffusion occurs along the main roads of the kingdom: around the Via Augusta and the way leading from Murviedro to Burgos through Teruel. From the seventeenth century onward these brotherhoods would spread throughout the various regions of the kingdom, but would show less vitality than in the previous century. The last recorded founding date is 1757, for a brotherhood in Benifairó de les Valls. From the scarce remaining documents available, some conclusions can be drawn, such as the following: both women and men were allowed to join; members met annually to renew their ruling board and revise their accounts; every brotherhood was autonomous and only reported to the diocesan authority during the pastoral visits. Cultual activities were held principally on the Feast of the Most Precious Blood and during Holy Week, and consisted primarily of Masses, processions and sermons. The brotherhoods in the course of time developed an artistic heritage, which has now largely disappeared. What has perdured (although difficult to assess) is a deep legacy of popular piety, which has been decisive in the evangelization of the populace and has helped to fashion their mentality and culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores why the book "The Da Vinci Code" has become such a major cultural icon and what the Christian church can learn from the success of its author Dan Brown. It details the reasons behind the increased sales of the book. It cites the possible responses of the church to the relativising of historical truth claims found in the book. There was a religious balance between male and female before the rise of Christianity according to Brown.

Investigates the implication of a common tale and a prior source in series of repeated motifs, and the result of the 'grail problem' as an artefact of the methodology of grail criticism. Suggestions on the origin of the 'Grail story'; Awareness of an ancient heritage in early medieval Irish culture; Nature of the methodology of grail criticism.