The devotion to Michael the Archangel emerged in the Eastern area of the Roman Empire in the first centuries C.E. In the 5th century, the Michaelic cult “migrated” to the Western shores of the Mediterranean. One of its first settlements was a cave-sanctuary located on the promontory of Gargano in Apulia, Italy (800 m above the sea level), perceived as a “Holy Mountain” by the inhabitants, at least since the Roman age, if not even before. In the High Middle Ages, the cave-sanctuary of St. Michael became the destination of an extraordinary phenomenon of pilgrimage, strongly supported by the Longobards. The pilgrims flowing to Gargano experienced a religious and cultural connection not only with the supernatural agent(s), but also with the natural and manmade environment of this spatial context. The aim of this contribution is to assess some of the religious phenomena which took place on mount Gargano and, more specifically, to discuss the connections of this peculiar landscape with St. Michael the Archangel.
A Mountain and its Christian sacralization: The Cave-Sanctuary of Michael the Archangel in Gargano and the Development of its Cult. The Cave-Sanctuary: Signs, Words, and Rituals of the Sacralization
Angela Laghezza
2022-01-01
Abstract
The devotion to Michael the Archangel emerged in the Eastern area of the Roman Empire in the first centuries C.E. In the 5th century, the Michaelic cult “migrated” to the Western shores of the Mediterranean. One of its first settlements was a cave-sanctuary located on the promontory of Gargano in Apulia, Italy (800 m above the sea level), perceived as a “Holy Mountain” by the inhabitants, at least since the Roman age, if not even before. In the High Middle Ages, the cave-sanctuary of St. Michael became the destination of an extraordinary phenomenon of pilgrimage, strongly supported by the Longobards. The pilgrims flowing to Gargano experienced a religious and cultural connection not only with the supernatural agent(s), but also with the natural and manmade environment of this spatial context. The aim of this contribution is to assess some of the religious phenomena which took place on mount Gargano and, more specifically, to discuss the connections of this peculiar landscape with St. Michael the Archangel.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
