3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

This course traces the rise and development of the cult of saints from the third to the sixteenth centuries. Topics covered include: sanctity and the body; saint-making and religious authority; miracles and belief; relics and portable Christianity; travel and migration; techniques of veneration; translation and adaptation, and so forth. Structured around key historiographical works addressing these topics, the course exposes students to the major research tools for working with saints’ cults, hagiography, liturgical texts, and writing about belief in the historical context, to build both a critical set of research skills and to gain a comprehensive understanding of the key debates and developments in the field. Short weekly research assignments or response papers are required.