Approaching the Divine : Material Traces of Donor Memory in Late Antique Christian Shrines (4th–5th Centuries CE)
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216224%3A14210%2F25%3A00143213" target="_blank" >RIV/00216224:14210/25:00143213 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://www.harrassowitz-verlag.de/titel_9143.ahtml" target="_blank" >https://www.harrassowitz-verlag.de/titel_9143.ahtml</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.13173/9783447125116.297" target="_blank" >10.13173/9783447125116.297</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Approaching the Divine : Material Traces of Donor Memory in Late Antique Christian Shrines (4th–5th Centuries CE)
Original language description
The pivotal changes for Christianity at the turn of the 4th and the 5th centuries brought about a gradual definition of Christian worship spaces. Within them, the sacred cores – the altar and the holy sites – were progressively isolated from the community. This paper investigates how donors approached these cores through two examples joint into one case study: the shrine of S. Alessandro sulla Via Nomentana (Rome) and the Water Newton Treasure (British Museum). The cemetery shrine was completely renovated in the early 5th century, improving the cult of the martyrs buried there. This intervention led to the gradual ‘appropriation’ of the shrine by new religious and lay donors through the patronage of monuments and personal burials. The Water Newton Treasure was found in 1975 in the Romano-British town of Durobrivae (UK). Dating to the late 4th / early 5th century, it is the earliest known example of Christian liturgical and votive silverware. It can be related to S. Alessandro to show how the offering of vessels and ex-votos were alternative ways to approach the sacred cores of the shrine. Backed by written sources, these examples allow us to grasp the complexity of the shrine as a combination of architectural setting, liturgical paraphernalia, and votives. The memory of donors was embedded within it in a multi-layered association with the martyrs, God, and the community. Rooted in ancient polytheisms, these practices highlight both the continuities and changes in the Christian system of beliefs.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
C - Chapter in a specialist book
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
60401 - Arts, Art history
Result continuities
Project
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Continuities
S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach<br>I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace
Others
Publication year
2025
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Book/collection name
Serving the Gods : Artists, Craftsmen, Ritual Specialists in the Ancient World
ISBN
9783447125116
Number of pages of the result
36
Pages from-to
297-332
Number of pages of the book
348
Publisher name
Harrassowitz Verlag
Place of publication
Wiesbaden
UT code for WoS chapter
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