Santuari non mariani di Puglia: ierofanie e tradizioni agiografiche

This contribution analyzes the connection between hierophanies and Apulian sanctuaries dedicated to Saints. It aims to describe, with reference to Apulia, a wide range of features: the typology of hierophanies; the ways of defining sacred spaces (starting from a hierophany or an apparition); the actors, the recipients and the audience; the traces of the material evidence of an immaterial presence; the management of the sacred spaces; the worship experiences (expressed by rebuilding the shrine, building it up or changing its dedication). The contribution focuses also on oral legends and hagiographical texts relating hierophanies. Their reception highlights both the need for transcendence and the sensitivity of people to devotion. These sacred places involve different forms of worship, depending on time and circumstances of their development. Hence the divergent traditions, rituals, prayer, and different individual or collective displays of worship.