Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond

Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond
ISBN-10
0199272514
ISBN-13
9780199272518
Category
History
Pages
492
Language
English
Published
2006-04-06
Publisher
Oxford University Press on Demand
Author
Sergey A. Ivanov

Description

The image of St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow's Red Square is a familar Russian landmark. Yet few people know what made Basil so famous. He was a saint who wandered about naked, bullied passers-by, brawled in the market-place, and once even smashed a revered icon. Saints such as Basil overturn the conventional concept of sainthood - what, we may ask, is saintly about them? This book aims to solve the mystery by exploring the figure of the holy fool in Byzantium and in later Russianhistory.

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