The Evidence of a Rare Cult in Medieval Apulia: The Hagiographical Panel of Saint Ursula in the Church of Saint Paul in Brindisi

Abstract

On the south wall of the church of Saint Paul in Brindisi (Apulia), founded in 1284 by Franciscan friars, is frescoed a little known hagiographical cycle that has hitherto been associated with saint Mary Magdalene. Nevertheless, a careful iconographic analysis of the scenes has demonstrated that this attribution is incorrect and that the fresco depicts the life and the martyrdom of saint Ursula from Cologne, whose devotion was not very widespread in medieval Apulia. The spread of the cult of Saint Ursula and the presence of two cycles dedicated to her in the region of Venice suggest one of the possible ways that allowed the cult of saint Ursula to spread in Brindisi, historically connected to Venetian cities for trades. Considering that the cult of the saint is attested also in medieval Florence, it is not to be underestimated either the possible role of Florentine families living in Brindisi in spreading the cult of the Breton martyr in the city. The purposes of this paper are therefore to offer an extensive analysis of the panel and to try to understand the role of foreign citizens in the spread of this not so common cult in Brindisi.

Keywords

• brindisi
• fresco
• saint ursula
• hagiographical panel
• middle ages
• apulia