Sanctity, gender and authority in medieval Caucasia / Nikoloz Aleksidze.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Aleksidze, Nikoloz, 1987- author.

Series:

Edinburgh Byzantine studies.

Edinburgh Byzantine studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Christianity and politics--Caucasus--History--To 1500.

Christianity and politics.

Caucasus--Antiquities.

Caucasus.

Caucasus--History--To 1500.

Caucasus--Politics and government--To 1500.

Caucasus--Church history.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiii, 342 pages) : illustrations (black and white), digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press, 2024.

Summary:

From the early fourth century, the veneration of saints and relics spread rapidly across Christendom from the British Isles to Iran. In late antique Caucasia, the cult of the saints was immediately integrated into Armenian and Georgian identity and political discourses. It was used to legitimise royal rule, sanctify domains and dynasties, define political realms and justify political decisions. This book is a systematic study of this history. Discussing a wide variety of sources from Armenia, Georgia, Byzantium and Russia which have not been examined together before, it investigates the interaction of sanctity, holy relics, gender and politics in the medieval Caucasus, with a particular focus on Georgia.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Illustrations

Acknowledgements

A Note on Translations, Transliterations and References

Introduction: The Cult of Saints and Body Politic

Part I

Introduction to Part I Late Antique Foundations

1 Saints at the Foundations

2 An Exceptional Saint for Exceptional Times: The Cult of St Nino

3 The Politics of Female Relics

Conclusion to Part I Relics, Gender and Politics in Late Antique Caucasia

Part II

Introduction to Part II The Saintly World of the Bagratids

4 Masculinising Saints: The Bagratids

5 The Lot(s) of the Mother of God

6 The Queen’s Three Bodies

Conclusion to Part II The Legacy and Myth of Queen Tamar

Part III

Introduction to Part III The Rhetoric of Gender and Sanctity from Imperialism to Nationalism

7 The Saints of the Empire

8 The Saints of the Nation

9 The Sacred, the Feminine and the National

Conclusion to Part III The Modern Lives of Old Saints

Final Remarks

Bibliography

Index of Personal Names

Index of Place Names

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (viewed on May 1, 2026).

ISBN:

1-4744-9863-9