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St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki: Patron Saint of Crusaders

Lapina, Elizabeth (2009) St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki: Patron Saint of Crusaders. Viator: Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 40 (2). pp. 93-112. ISSN 0083-5897. (doi:10.1484/J.VIATOR.1.100423.) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:31166)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1484/J.VIATOR.1.100423.

Abstract

The article examines the emergence of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki as a patron saint of crusaders, focusing on the narratives of his intervention in the Battle of Antioch (28 June 1098), one of the most important military encounters of the First Crusade. The main argument is that the inclusion of quintessentially Eastern saints such as Demetrius in the narratives of the miracle served to solidify the claim of Bohemond of Toranto to Antioch and to undermine those of the Byzantine emperor Alexius. The article also traces several other attempts to “appropriate” St. Demetrius, both in Western and in Eastern Europe, from the ninth through the fifteenth century, and attempts to explain them in the context of rivalry with Byzantium.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1484/J.VIATOR.1.100423.
Uncontrolled keywords: St. Demetrius, Thessaloniki, First Crusade, Battle of Antioch (28 July 1098), Bohemond of Toranto, Emperor Alexius, Anastasius Bibliothecarius, Bulgaria, adoption of Eastern saints in the West, miracle of the intervention of saints on the battlefield
Subjects: D History General and Old World > D History (General)
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of History
Depositing User: Z. Bliss
Date Deposited: 02 Oct 2012 13:56 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:09 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/31166 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Lapina, Elizabeth.

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