This is a rich history spanning a thousand years of sacred relics in Europe. Relics were everywhere in medieval society. Hagiographic fragments such as bones, hair, teeth, blood, milk, and clothes, as well as objects like the Crown of Thorns, sought by Louis IX of France, were believed to bring the faithful closer to the saint, who could intercede with God. In the first comprehensive work in the English language on the rise of relic cults, Charles Freeman takes readers on a vivid and brisk journey from Constantinople to the northern isles of Scotland over a millennial span.

In "Holy Bones, Holy Dust," Freeman shows that the universality and variety of relics covered very specific needs of ordinary people in a dark Europe, under the threat of political upheaval, disease, and the fires of hell. But relics were not only objects of worship – they were commercial products, collectible pieces, lost, stolen, reproduced, and destroyed. They were stakes, good business, and good propaganda, politically exploited all over Europe and even used to exert military power. Freeman examines a wide range of relics, showing how the craze for these objects deepens our understanding of the Middle Ages and why these relics continue to capture our imagination.

Pages: 324

Year of Publication: 1015

Dimensions: 15.9x15.9cm