Têtes coupées des saints au Moyen Âge. Martyrs, miracles, reliques

Abstract

This article presents the theme of the severed heads of saints from three aspects. The miracles of the severed heads of the martyrs attest to the living force that resides in them : the head can be reunited with the body without traces ; it makes a healing spring ; it continues to speak ; and, finally, some saints carry their heads to their burial places. The adventures of John the Baptist’s severed head are the subject of several accounts of invention and translation in the East and West. As for the embedding of head relics in reliquaries, the diversity of solutions is remarkable, ranging from « talking » head- and bust-reliquaries to skulls dressed in cloth.

Keywords

• head relic ; miracle of severed head ; cephalophoria
• invention of relic
• translation of relic
• head and skull reliquary
• collection of relics