This course explores a selection of saintly personalities from the 10th to the 13th centuries and how each of their cults were reflected in the art and architecture of the period. We shall study both monumental and intimate expressions of sanctity, ranging from church portals and shrines to reliquaries and pilgrim badges. We will read some rollicking primary sources and watch clips from films to see how the (visual) appeal of certain saints extended far beyond the Middle Ages well into our times.

HISTART concentration distributions: 1. Ancient, 2. Medieval, A. The Middle East (Includes Western and Central Asia, and North Africa), D. Europe and the US