Storms and tempests, distress and shipwreck, attacks by pirates, disorientation or stranding on a foreign coast – these and similar motifs frequently appear in travel reports or literary depictions of sea voyages in various cultural and religious contexts of the Mediterranean. Maritime hagiography that narrates such occurrences is particularly suitable for transcultural and interdisciplinary studies.
For a variety of Mediterranean relationships, the veneration of saints in texts, images and other forms played a significant role. Great importance was assigned to those higher powers that were believed to bring rescue and protection against the dangers of the sea: patron saints who were associated with the sea and who were addressed for help. In the varied milieus of merchants, sailors or coastal dwellers, these saints were particularly worshipped.
"Ein Meer und seine Heiligen. Hagiographie im mittelalterlichen Mediterraneum" was jointly edited by Nikolas Jaspert, Christian A. Neumann and Marco di Branco. The volume was published with Wilhelm Fink Verlag as part 18 of the series "Mittelmeerstudien."
Prof. Nikolas Jaspert is the acting director of the Cluster "Asia and Europe" and professor of Medieval History at Heidelberg University.