Patron Saints of Early Medieval Italy AD c. 350-800 AD

"This book presents ten biographies of patron saints written in early medieval Italy in the period AD 500 850, translated from Latin into English, which provide insight into the religious and cultural life of Italy after the collapse of the Roman Empire and ascendancy of Christianity. In promoting their saint's cult, church, or holy site, these biographies reconfigured the past in ways that helped early medieval Italians understand how pagan Roman civilization was replaced by the Christian, post-Roman world they witnessed in the churches and shrines of their cities and neighbouring countryside. The ten hagiographic texts presented here were selected for two main reasons: firstly, they serve as examples of accomplished works of Latin literature from a sparsely documented period usually considered Italy's Dark Ages; secondly, the introductions to each Life/Passion attempt to establish these biographies as historical sources for the period by considering their configuration of history, their more earthly claims for jurisdiction or authority, and philological clues in the texts that help date their composition and the contemporary concerns of their audiences. The twofold intention of this book, therefore, is to present new evidence for early medieval Italy and offer examples of analysis that might be used to redeem the historical value of many more hagiographic works that survive from this period."--