On their journeys to distant and unknown lands, late antique pilgrims experienced sacred landscapes marked by special natural formations. At these sacred sites, the touching of objects, relics, and natural elements associated with holy events and figures, as well as participation in religious rites, allowed the pilgrim to feel closer to the divine and preserve the memory of these places. Both literary and archaeological sources show that water played a particular role in late antique pilgrimage. Its attractiveness was related to a hidden power of nature that surrounded this natural element. Springs, streams, and rivers shaped the character of the landscape. Wherever natural water sources occurred, one could find features of sacrality.
Through the analysis of literary sources, iconographic material, and archaeological evidence, the lecture will show both how “living” and flowing water was displayed in some representative late antique pilgrimage sites of Asia Minor and the ways in which it played an important role in the staging of sacredness.
THURSDAY, 30.03.2023, 18:00 (17:00 CEST)
Holy Water in Late Antique Sacred Spaces in Asia Minor
Dr. Arabella Cortese (REGENSBURG)
The event will take place in English and also on Zoom. For online registration, please use QR-Code. For physical participation please send an email to lectures.istanbul@dainst.de by 15:00 on the day of the lecture.
Registration Link:
https://dainst-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAtd-uvpz4qHNFY_okqbURPdRS4R1UY2eLo
